Today we started a sermon series base on the book, "The Prodigal God" by Timothy Keller, roughly corresponding to the intro and Chapter One of the book. In these posts I will do my best to summarize the sermon, discussion and maybe add a few thoughts.
The pastor began the sermon be recapping the author's statement that there are two basic ways of finding happiness - moral conformity (elder brother, Pharisees, us?) or self discovery (younger brother, tax collectors and sinners, the un-churched?), and the followers of each believe their way to be exclusive. In the parable Jesus says that both ways are wrong, because they focus on human acts earning happiness, God's grace. The parable begins by stating there was a man who had two sons... and neither one could earn their father's love, they had it no matter what. When they rejected, disrespected, and dishonored their father he still invited them to be in relationship with him, without condition. He loves them for just who they are, just as they are.
Then the pastor chose to illustrate this point by comparing us to sheep! Yes, sheep! Now, I grew up in the city, in an apartment, so I had no idea that sheep are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Evidently, if they run off the shepherd must chase them down, then carry them home because they won't follow, they will just run off again. And this is where those three s's come in - Sheep-Shepherd-Search. Can you make the connection? We are the sheep, of course God is the shepherd, and the search? It is not just God offering us grace, no matter what. It is also about being in community with each other.
In looking over the notes from the discussion it seems that everyone else was pretty much feeling the same way I was. We are, by and large, a part of that solid, middle ground, taught from infancy that if you work hard and live right it will all be good in the end, you will be taken care of. But the point of this parable is not the profligate younger brother being taken back into the fold, but how much more dangerous is the position of the elder brother, thinking he has earned his inheritance, then turning away from his father out of anger and resentment. He did what he should do, his brother did not, and it burns his biscuits that the brother was welcomed home, extravagantly. Just like the Pharisees, the "good" brother was in relationship with his father not out of love for his father, but because of the tangible reward he expected. That hit just a little too close to home to be a comfortable thought.
Throughout this first session we were confronted with dichotomies - the Pharisees and the sinners, the older brother and the younger brother, grace through works and grace through love, moral conformity and self discovery, the sheep and the shepherd. I'm not sure it has to be either-or. I can honestly say I have felt like both brothers at some point in my life. I would be much more comfortable if I could be confident that it was either or, because then my efforts at being in relationship with God would mean that I was OK. The problem with that is the other side of that belief dichotomy - those who aren't trying are not OK. It's kind of like if I say "There but for the grace of God go I" flips over to mean that God's grace is not with the other person. Ugh, that is ugly. I don't think I'll be using that saying any more, and maybe (underscore maybe) I will think about how I participate in the suffering of others. (Also uncomfortable.) Sometimes people feel the flip side of our beliefs, even if we don't consciously speak them.
Finally, exactly what does prodigal mean? According to Merriam Webster it means recklessly extravagant, having spent everything. It is amazing to think that God would treat me in that way, and that is just how I want to think I will be treated. It is just selfish to not want the same for everyone else. And I think it is miserly to think that God isn't big enough to be recklessly extravagant with everyone else and still have enough left for me. Looks like I have some work to do...
I am doing my best to take verbatim notes of the discussion. If you would like a PDF copy of the notes from the discussion after the service (which will include the questions from the handout) please send an email to shallow.minds.deep.thoughts@gmail.com with PDF in the subject line.
If you would like an email notification of new posts please send an email to shallow.minds.deep.thoughts@gmail.com with Post Notification in the subject line.
And if you would like to experience it for yourself join us at Salem in Ballwin United Methodist Church this Sunday morning at 9:00 am for the service, discussion following.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Keep Your Humor
Well, friends, here it is Thursday morning so I guess I will attempt a post in order to stay in practice. This week, looking and listening for the signs, it seems I need to deal with anger. I was fixing dinner and had the TV on in the background for "white noise". It was a replay of Oprah's interview with David Arquette, and for some reason a quote he offered in discussing his own problems really jumped out at me. He couldn't offer a source, and despite a search I couldn't find a definitive source, but will offer it anyway. "Anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."
I know very few people who have never been angry with someone. And holding a grudge is just destructive to the holder, it doesn't touch the grudge-ee. Feeling angry all the time is a miserable way to live. I do agree with that quote - in terms of human relationships. But what about being angry with God? If I am angry with God do I really expect God to die? We don't talk much about dealing with anger toward God, almost making it unacceptable. But there are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who get angry, who question, and God is big enough to take it. In my opinion, dealing with not getting the answer you want is a bigger problem than actually being angry with God. It is hard to be thankful and in relationship with God when God's answer is not the one you want.
Seems I keep getting the message over and over to be thankful, anyway. This week brought more bad news, horrific news actually. A friend of my daughter, 22 years old, brilliant, sweet, talented, generous, is fighting one of the most deadly forms of brain cancer. (I ask that you add Kim and her family to your prayers today, as she bravely faces this opponent down.) I am going to be honest, at first I was really, really sad. But then I got really, really angry. At God. Why do these things keep happening?
News like that just points out how blatantly good my life is, how very grateful I should be. Sure, my kids are far away (having the time of their lives), my work and day-to-day activities aren't the dream life society tells me I "should" have, but I have it good. For now we have a comfortable home, transportation, food, health care, family, church, community, safety,...health. What is there to be angry about? Really?
In my own defense, I am going to lay some of this at the feet of the media. We are constantly inundated with all the bad news, all the things going wrong, making it easy to fall into a mind set of scarcity and fear. In a culture of negativity it is difficult to be positive. In a culture that focuses on me-me-me, it is difficult to remember that we are each fighting our own battles. For instance, the person who just cut me off on "Manslaughter Road" may be rushing to the hospital to see to a loved one, not just trying to make me really, really angry. The volunteer who failed to show up may have just learned that they are very, very sick. Gosh, I can think up generous, "forgivable" reasons for the things that make me angry instead of always going to the negative and looking at how it impacts me.
One of my favorite Bette Midler songs, "Laughing Matters", sums it up for me. I offer those lyrics here as a reminder to myself - keep it in perspective, and keep your humor. And be thankful, I really do have it pretty good.
Live at Five and CNN
Keep us all abreast
of breaking stories that can tend
to make us anxious and depressed.
Problems with no answers hang on like some chronic cough
And every day, some brand new issue,
Rears it's head to piss you off.
Bad guys win.
Optimism's wearing thin.
Things are spinning out of control.
Cynicism's all the fad.
World events can make us mad as hatters.
Almost every day,
Some underpinning slips away.
Friends, these aren't laughing matters.
Time bombs tick.
People keep on getting sick.
And a nickel's not worth a cent.
Wickedness and greed abound.
Just as peace is gaining ground it's shattered.
Hate is here to stay,
And justice goes to those who pay.
Friends, these aren't laughing matters.
The truth is scarier by far
Than anything that Stephen King could write.
The stories in the paper are
The daily small decline and fall
Spelled out in black and white.
Oh what to do, what to do?
How to take a brighter view
When your noodle's totally fried?
Human spirits need to be
Leavened with a little levity.
So take those blues and bounce them off the wall.
Keep your humor, please,
'Cause don't you know it's times like these when
Laughing matters most of all.
I know very few people who have never been angry with someone. And holding a grudge is just destructive to the holder, it doesn't touch the grudge-ee. Feeling angry all the time is a miserable way to live. I do agree with that quote - in terms of human relationships. But what about being angry with God? If I am angry with God do I really expect God to die? We don't talk much about dealing with anger toward God, almost making it unacceptable. But there are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who get angry, who question, and God is big enough to take it. In my opinion, dealing with not getting the answer you want is a bigger problem than actually being angry with God. It is hard to be thankful and in relationship with God when God's answer is not the one you want.
Seems I keep getting the message over and over to be thankful, anyway. This week brought more bad news, horrific news actually. A friend of my daughter, 22 years old, brilliant, sweet, talented, generous, is fighting one of the most deadly forms of brain cancer. (I ask that you add Kim and her family to your prayers today, as she bravely faces this opponent down.) I am going to be honest, at first I was really, really sad. But then I got really, really angry. At God. Why do these things keep happening?
News like that just points out how blatantly good my life is, how very grateful I should be. Sure, my kids are far away (having the time of their lives), my work and day-to-day activities aren't the dream life society tells me I "should" have, but I have it good. For now we have a comfortable home, transportation, food, health care, family, church, community, safety,...health. What is there to be angry about? Really?
In my own defense, I am going to lay some of this at the feet of the media. We are constantly inundated with all the bad news, all the things going wrong, making it easy to fall into a mind set of scarcity and fear. In a culture of negativity it is difficult to be positive. In a culture that focuses on me-me-me, it is difficult to remember that we are each fighting our own battles. For instance, the person who just cut me off on "Manslaughter Road" may be rushing to the hospital to see to a loved one, not just trying to make me really, really angry. The volunteer who failed to show up may have just learned that they are very, very sick. Gosh, I can think up generous, "forgivable" reasons for the things that make me angry instead of always going to the negative and looking at how it impacts me.
One of my favorite Bette Midler songs, "Laughing Matters", sums it up for me. I offer those lyrics here as a reminder to myself - keep it in perspective, and keep your humor. And be thankful, I really do have it pretty good.
Live at Five and CNN
Keep us all abreast
of breaking stories that can tend
to make us anxious and depressed.
Problems with no answers hang on like some chronic cough
And every day, some brand new issue,
Rears it's head to piss you off.
Bad guys win.
Optimism's wearing thin.
Things are spinning out of control.
Cynicism's all the fad.
World events can make us mad as hatters.
Almost every day,
Some underpinning slips away.
Friends, these aren't laughing matters.
Time bombs tick.
People keep on getting sick.
And a nickel's not worth a cent.
Wickedness and greed abound.
Just as peace is gaining ground it's shattered.
Hate is here to stay,
And justice goes to those who pay.
Friends, these aren't laughing matters.
The truth is scarier by far
Than anything that Stephen King could write.
The stories in the paper are
The daily small decline and fall
Spelled out in black and white.
Oh what to do, what to do?
How to take a brighter view
When your noodle's totally fried?
Human spirits need to be
Leavened with a little levity.
So take those blues and bounce them off the wall.
Keep your humor, please,
'Cause don't you know it's times like these when
Laughing matters most of all.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Messages and Signs and Finding Balance
I am a huge fan of a book I recently read, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo. The underlying premise is that the Universe (God) gives us signs and directs us on our own personal journeys, but we need to be vigilant, open to seeing the signs and faithful enough to follow them. Reflecting back on some of my most meaningful experiences hindsight tells me that the premise is correct, so I have been trying to do that. Like everything else in life, though, some days it is more difficult to see the signs than others, but this week I got the proverbial 2x4 up side of my head. Again.
I know I said last time that I was going to be thankful, and I have been. But, being human, I have also been petulant, pouty, disappointed that things haven't gone just the way I wanted them to go. I didn't actually complain, but I haven't been very nice, either. I believe that we all go through periods of time when we focus too much on ourselves, our own wants and other times when we focus too much on others. If only we could find a balance between "me" and "everyone else", stopping the pendulum from constantly swinging too far in one direction and then back, too far the other way.
My wake up call this week came early - literally. One morning at the gym one of my friends approached to tell me that his wife has been diagnosed with cancer, they would appreciate prayers. At 82, after having had other health issues and surgeries, she was now staring down yet another lethal opponent. And I was feeling angry because I couldn't have the day go just the way I wanted it to go. OK, I get the message, I really don't need another whack.
The good news is that there is reason to be hopeful, good reports from the doctor and treatable disease. In addition to all the others we have on our lists, PH and her family, all the people in Joplin, Massachusetts, whoever is on your own personal list, please add Pat B. and her family. I plan to also offer thanks that I was able to see the sign and get the message, but ask for lots and lots of help remembering it, finding that balance more often than not.
I know I said last time that I was going to be thankful, and I have been. But, being human, I have also been petulant, pouty, disappointed that things haven't gone just the way I wanted them to go. I didn't actually complain, but I haven't been very nice, either. I believe that we all go through periods of time when we focus too much on ourselves, our own wants and other times when we focus too much on others. If only we could find a balance between "me" and "everyone else", stopping the pendulum from constantly swinging too far in one direction and then back, too far the other way.
My wake up call this week came early - literally. One morning at the gym one of my friends approached to tell me that his wife has been diagnosed with cancer, they would appreciate prayers. At 82, after having had other health issues and surgeries, she was now staring down yet another lethal opponent. And I was feeling angry because I couldn't have the day go just the way I wanted it to go. OK, I get the message, I really don't need another whack.
The good news is that there is reason to be hopeful, good reports from the doctor and treatable disease. In addition to all the others we have on our lists, PH and her family, all the people in Joplin, Massachusetts, whoever is on your own personal list, please add Pat B. and her family. I plan to also offer thanks that I was able to see the sign and get the message, but ask for lots and lots of help remembering it, finding that balance more often than not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)