Where will the Cloud lead us next - June 16

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 78:1-39; PM Psalm 78:40-72; Num. 11:1-23; Rom. 1:16-25; Matt. 17:22-27

Our reading from Numbers this morning takes place in the time period where the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  The Israelites finally set up the tabernacle (the place where they worship God) and the author talks about a cloud that rests over the tabernacle.  Every so often, the cloud would get up and leave, and so would the Israelites, off to follow the cloud to where God was leading them next. 

This image sets up a motif of movement.  I am guessing that just when many of the Israelites were feeling settled, the cloud would depart and any sense of rootedness would dissipate, mirroring the loss of the cloud that had gone before them.  The focus is not only on the Israelites being left to wander in the desert for 40 years; they keep having to move, to follow God to a new place further unsettling their own sense of security.  

As we read this Scripture, I am alarmed at the parallels within our own tradition’s understanding of God. We keep moving.  I grew up in the church in the era when women’s ordination was being recognized in the Episcopal Church.  I thought we had made it and were this beautiful vision of love and welcome.  Then I heard the stories of classmates, women and LGBTQ+ friends who had such painful experiences in discernment processes and I began to realize how naïve I was. I thought we had figured out how to affirm the dignity of every human being, and yet realizing how difficult as a Church it has been to affirm that Black Lives Matter.  We are being prodded more and more every day to explore how we have yet to fully realize the kingdom of God in our midst. It feels like just when we think we are safe and comfortable with where God has led us, the cloud moves.  I’ll confess, keeping up means I have no idea where we are headed. 

The good news seems to me that we don’t have to know, and there is a little grace in coming from where we have been. Instead of guilt, we could give thanks that God has been moving us.  If we are to invest in the image of God as presented in our reading from Numbers, God keeps inviting us somewhere new.  It’s hard work. In the Psalm for this afternoon, we are reminded that the people often disobeyed the Lord in the wilderness.  The complained over and over again. My best guess is they were struggling with all the change and movement and growth.  But we also know the rest of the story. God led the Israelites into the Promise Land, the same promise that God has for all of us.  Maybe our response could include considering that kingdom might not look like we had originally imagined. 

— John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

• Where do you feel unsettled in your faith? 

• Where do you feel unsettled in your understanding of the world?

Daily Challenge

• Reflect on positions that you have grown in over the last twenty years.  Consider that God has had a part in this growth.

Mutual Encouragement, not mutual Belief - June 15

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; Num. 9:15-23, 10:29-36; Rom. 1:1-15; Matt. 17:14-21

When I went to seminary a decade ago, I was convinced that I would finally figure out my faith, or at least have a few answers that I was sure of.  After studying with professors and fellow students, I was to come away ready to preach and proclaim the Gospel with confidence and boldness.  The words above our iconic seminary window read, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.” The fall of my junior year (the name for the first year in seminary) our chapel burned to the ground including this window, and oddly our seminary expectations were left smoldering in the remains.  Two and half years later when I was commissioned by the seminary to go forth and do just that, I had more questions than answers wondering what it would truly mean to “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.”

One of the things I have noticed that we Episcopalians like to do is answer a question asked with certainty, and with a little bit of suspicion, or at least to try to unravel the other’s certainty.  “Did Jesus really ascend up to heaven? Well, maybe?”  “Did the transfiguration take place? I don’t know.  What do you think?” “Was Mary really a virgin? Do you think she needed to be?”  What is clear is the questions seem to be more important than the answers. 

But here is where lies the problem.  I find myself trying to correct people’s theology that I disagree with.  While I am quite confident the earth is much more likely to be 4.5 billion years old than 6,000 years old, if I don’t like a person’s response, I find a way to unravel what they believe. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he is writing to the Christians living in Rome as he is staying across the sea in the town of Corinth.  And he offers this in the middle of the first chapter, “For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine (1.11-12).”   I am struck because obviously Paul believes he understands something that the Roman Christians don’t (i.e. he wants to strengthen them).  But even as he writes to correct their faith, he recognizes that they will be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.  These people who don’t have it all figured out and even need some correcting have something to offer Paul.  Paul even recognizes this need.   

I deeply believe that more than anything right now in our time and age, we need to learn to see people whom we disagree with or need to learn from and to listen to them, especially people’s voices that haven’t been lifted up, even if we disagree.  In listening and learning we can find unity in our shared humanity.  Maybe Paul’s vision of mutual encouragement can far extend beyond just our Christian faith and be a shared vision for how we can not only learn from each other but find mutual encouragement as well.  In the end, we end up finding mutual encouragement, not mutual belief, and maybe this is much better. 

-- John+

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• What are the beliefs of your faith that you are confident or certain about?

• What are the beliefs of your faith that you are less certain about? 

Daily Challenge

• In a conversation with a friend, colleague, or family member today, you are likely to hear something you disagree with.  Consider entering a conversation with purpose of sharing your disagreement and then seeking mutual encouragement for each other.  How is this different when the goal becomes mutual understanding?

Pull up a chair in the household of the Lord - June 13

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 75, 76; PM Psalm 23, 27; Num. 3:1-13; Gal. 6:11-18; Matt. 17:1-13

Two of the psalms appointed for today are the 23rd Psalm and the 27th Psalm. I thumbed through the Book of Common Prayer to find the King James Version of Psalm 23, as that is the translation I learned as a kid. I recalled that is often used in burial services (page 476). I found on the opposite page within the burial rite, Psalm 27 is included, too (BCP page 477). I was moved by how those two psalms were companion pieces in the messages they conveyed about God's love and protection. (Let it also be noted that the version of Psalm 27 in the burial rite within the Book of Common Prayer does not include every verse; some are omitted, though there is no note of this pastoral editing.)

I poured over those familiar words, and I noticed a phrase held in common: “I will dwell in the household of the Lord for ever/all the days of my life.” I generally have glossed over those words, reflecting more often on God’s love as the good shepherd leading me to verdant fields with a babbling brook, or walking through a time like “the valley of the shadow of death.”

I began wondering what dwelling in the household of God really looks like for you and me – living and moving within that space right now, rather than a time far off. Is there a place that comes to mind? What else do you see? These psalms offer a few images as steppingstones to the imagination – refreshment and strength, guidance and protection, fearlessness and comfort, thanksgiving and generosity. How might your day today be fixed within life in the household of the Lord?

However, framed in the setting of laying a loved one to rest in the loving arms of God, suddenly the phrase, “I will dwell in the household of the Lord for ever” takes on a different texture. Those ancient songs become words of assurance and hope that our friend or family member is cared for, whole, and restored within God’s realm…and that perhaps one day, we will be swept up into that divine comfort when we die.

How do you need to hear these words today? What resonates with you? Isn’t that the great gift we find in praying through Holy Scripture – we see new ways of God beckoning us to lean closer into the Word.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• Who do you think about when you read Psalm 23?

• In what ways do you feel comforted by these psalms? Discomforted?

Daily Challenge

Read either Psalm 23 or 27 again. What images jump out at you? As you go through your day, look for reminders of those images. Receive them as nudges from God – affirmation of God’s great care and love for you.

Attention, girls and boys, disciples of all ages!! - June 12

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 69:1-23 (24-30) 31-38; PM Psalm 73; Eccles. 11:9-12:14; Gal. 5:25-6:10; Matt. 16:21-28 

In January 2020, there was news of hard times ahead. People in China were affected by this virus that was kind of like a new strain of the flu. Some scientists and physicians were interviewed, calling for preparation around the world. February came and went, and projections grew worse for COVID-19. And yet, I recall feeling some level of denial that this purported “bad version of the cold” wouldn’t affect our life here in Alabama. I thought surely this coronavirus would attenuate or be quickly resolved. Though public health projections and warnings were issued, I didn’t think such vast shifts would happen. Now, as I sit in our home office writing these words, ripples of this virus have shaken our household, church life, kids’ schooling, friends and family, finances, and our mental and emotional wellbeing, to name a few. What did it take to get me to pay attention?

In this chapter of Matthew, Jesus is actively preparing his disciples for his ultimate departure. He tells them of what will come as he must return to Jerusalem: arrest, judgment, execution, and on the third day be raised. In doing this, Jesus is also teaching his friends about the fulfillment of God’s promise and prophecy from Hebrew scripture. I imagine Jesus’ forecast is met with blank stares, or the gracious “smile-and-nod”.

Simon Peter pulls Jesus aside for a heart-to-heart conversation. Maybe it went something like this:

‘Jesus – buddy…surely this “suffering and death thing” cannot be so. This isn’t part of God’s plan! You do amazing things – you feed and heal all kinds of people; you verbally spar with the scribes in the Temple, which is a blast to watch; and you teach us so much. We must have even more good work ahead…’

Before Peter can create another explanation or narrative of what is to come for this ministry parade they are heralding around the ancient Near East, Jesus erupts at him: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Imagine the awkward silence that must have hung in that room. Peter – who was to become the “Rock” of the Church – surely was wounded and stunned by Jesus’ dressing down. And yet, what did it take to get the disciples to pay attention? What did it take for them to believe the hard truths upon the horizon?

Friends, our call as Christians is to follow Jesus, setting aside our instinct toward human things and asking God to inspire us toward the divine ones. It is a radical ask: humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, pray for God to overrule our hearts, and guide our feet into the way of God’s peace – for what end? So that, at all costs, we serve those in deep need, listening to those who are shut out, and sharing the Good News of God’s love and redemption for the whole world. These are countercultural requests. If we truly do these things, our world will be turned upside down.

Much of life feels upended right now, anyway…so, what will it take for you to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• How has your prayer life changed since COVID-19 has affected our world?

• What does it take for you to believe hard truths upon your own horizon?

Daily Challenge

• Talk to someone you love and trust. Ask them for honest feedback about an issue or concern. Listen and pray for guidance on a next step.

God is your strong rock – June 11

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm [70], 71; PM Psalm 74; Eccles. 11:1-8; Gal. 5:16-24; Matt. 16:13-20 

When I was a kid, my mom made us play outside most of the summer days. We jumped on the trampoline, ran around with our dog, rode bikes as we got older, and found ways to amuse ourselves in general. The lower part of our backyard had rocks spread around. It was a bit wild, and sometimes overgrown. My sisters and I would prowl about, watching for birds, pretending to ride horses, or acting out some other dramatic roleplay. There was a privet hedgerow in the lower quarter of the yard, and at the edge of that privet was a large rock. I remember perching upon that white quartz-like rock.

When I was angered by someone or some punishment inside the house, I would sometimes flee to the backyard and sit on the rock. I was hidden – as far as I could tell – from the prospect of the kitchen window. I would cry, sing, sulk…imagining with great clarity and certainty that I would go far away and never come back again, or lamenting the great injustice that I felt had been levied against me inside. After a while, I would calm down, the sun would begin setting, or my mom would call out the back door for me. If I was being really stubborn or dramatic, one of my sisters would come out and implore me to come inside. When I was recharged and ready, I reconnected with my family. That rock was a source of respite, a strong rock to keep me safe. Years later, my sister Wayles referred to it as her rock of safety and retreat. I guess it was a source of comfort for both of us! When we sold our mom’s house, we said goodbye to that rock, and carried many memories with us.

In Psalm 71, the psalmist recounts that God has continued to provide deliverance and protection through his years. Amid all of the perils and changes during life, the Lord has been faithful and immovable, like a sturdy rock or mountain: “Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; you are my crag and my stronghold.” We hear similar phrasing in Psalm 31: “Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold; for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.” As we pray these psalms over and over through the Daily Office, and through our lives, these prayers and songs hold up for us a framework of what faithful living as God’s people can look like. It isn’t always perfect. We have internal failures and weaknesses. We wrestle with insecurities, addictions, and sin. We have enemies who speak out against us. We have disputes with those we love. And yet, we see the beauty and righteousness of God. The Lord has brought us up from the deep places into which we’ve descended. In patience, we perch upon the rock of God’s safety and dependability. God brings us strength and comfort, so that when we’re ready, we reconnect with the joy and hope in God’s promise.

Wherever you find yourself today, cling to God as your strong rock, the castle to keep you safe.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• Who is a “rock” in your life?

• In what ways do you lean upon God?

Daily Challenge

If you are able, go on a walk today. Look for a rock that can bear the weight of cares and concerns in your heart.

“Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” – June 10

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 72; PM Psalm 119:73-96; Eccles. 9:11-18; Gal. 5:1-15; Matt. 16:1-12

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…for you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters”. (Galatians 5:1, 13)

I wonder if preachers during the time of slavery in the U.S. explored this text from Galatians for a Sunday sermon. If so, how were they heard? Did those who owned slaves think about their human livestock in this context, or did they reflect on other aspects of their lives that held them captive – like fear of disease, crop failure, etc.? Did sharecroppers, living day to day for meager wages, hear these words of promise, that they would be released from their staggering yoke of work and instead take Jesus’ yoke, in which the burden was light (Matthew 11:30)? And what about slaves? Slave-owners were known to impart their religious beliefs and practices to their slaves, and sometimes slaves would attend worship. Would these words be used as a cry for rebellion and resistance among enslaved peoples?

Slavery is messy, complicated, and painful. It has been for more than 500 years. As I reflect on its historical context, ours is not the only country that leveraged the lives of people with darker skin or different ethnic background for their own financial gain. Human bondage as big business was begun by the Portuguese in the 15th century; explorers kidnapped people from the western coast of Africa and took them back to Europe as slaves. Other European nations followed suit soon after. As trade expanded, King Charles I of Spain authorized taking African captives directly across the Atlantic to new territories, as the western lands were being discovered and settled by European explorers.

In 1619, when kidnapped Africans were first brought to the English colonies (that would become the United States), they were to be indentured servants, working off their debts to regain their freedom at some point. A disparity between indentured servants emerged, as those with lighter skin were more likely to be released from bondage, while those with brown or black skin were held, and their servitude transitioned into a perpetual state of slavery. There were physicians and scientists who perpetuated the separation based on science, giving accounts of their research that defined people with dark skin as a different and lesser race – in intellect, morality, and motivation – than those with white skin. While these assertions of scientific racism have been debunked repeatedly, the roots of a systemic power differential grounded in white supremacy spread widely, affecting our societal, ethical, and spiritual contexts.

Brothers and sisters, we are called to freedom by Christ. I believe a warning is included that we are not to use our freedom as an opening for self-indulgence that would embed us more deeply in systems of privilege and hierarchy. In Christ there is no first or last, East or West, Jew or Gentile, slave or free. As Christians we have an imperative – the one rule that undergirds all the others – to love our neighbors as ourselves. Rolled up in this, we get to acknowledge and reach out to our neighbors who are not experiencing freedom in the same way. We have this invitation to bring true, selfless love (agape) into the public space – loving all people, and shining light on policies that reinforce self-serving paradigms where only some people are free.

We shall love our neighbors as ourselves one day…what will you choose to do to start getting there today?

-- Katherine+

Want to know more? Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis made comments on June 9, 2020, about systemic racism and her personal experience. Click here to read her story.

Questions for Reflection

• In what ways do you feel free today, and how do you feel enslaved?

• Think of someone you know who has a different experience with freedom than you.

Daily Challenge

Read Bp. Baskerville-Burrows’ message in the link above. Ponder where you see white supremacy in the institution of the Episcopal Church.

How do you approach Jesus? - June 9

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 61, 62; PM Psalm 68:1-20, 24-36; Eccles. 8:14-9:10; Gal. 4:21-31; Matt. 15:29-39 

As I sit reflecting on today’s readings, our dog Allie quietly reaches up her head and rests her chin on my foot. I feel a soft warm touch and look to see her gentle dark eyes. I did not even know she was beneath me…how did she get there? And what does she seek? Allie is a 60-pound, black and white Staffordshire terrier mix, with short hair and deep love for our family. Like many dogs, she always welcomes a scratch behind the ears or a pat on the head, but what’s really going on here is that I am sitting in her chair. The moment I stand, she claims the seat again and falls right to sleep. That interaction of how she announced herself hangs with me. What are the approaches we use to interact with others?

In the 15th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, many people approach Jesus. How do they present themselves? Yesterday we read of the Canaanite woman yelling for the Messiah to have mercy on her and help her afflicted daughter. Then, she kneels before him. Today we hear of great crowds flocking to Jesus, who is sitting on a mountain. Others bring someone else in need to his feet for healing. Some sit, listen, observe, and learn. Maybe others hang back, watching Jesus from the fringes. We also read of the scribes and Pharisees testing Jesus, examining his responses for errors and inconsistencies.

Regardless of their posture, Jesus has compassion on those who gather. He cares for their physical well-being. He wants them well and strong. He wants them to understand God’s truth as he heals their eyes, voices, bodies, and souls. He welcomes them, creating a space of hope and openness. You see, Jesus is a visionary guy, and he’s also a heart-focused guy.

I believe Jesus has compassion for where you are right now. You may be yelling, weeping, hungering, questioning, or just numb. Regardless, you are part of his vision and heart. He wants you fed, spiritually and physically. He wants you healed. He wants you to follow him. How will you approach Jesus? And who will you bring along?

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• How do you approach others? Quietly? Verbally?

• What healing do you pray for today?

Daily Challenge

Call someone who you know is ailing. Listen to them. Ask them how you can pray for them. Then, approach Jesus in prayer.

When you go to the house of mourning, carry a chess pie - June 8

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; PM Psalm 64, 65; Eccles. 7:1-14; Gal. 4:12-20; Matt. 15:21-28

A childhood friend from Montgomery had a family tradition: when going to a funeral, always bring homemade chess pie to the family grieving the death of their loved one. This was a way to show support and love. As I think about that act of care (and the delicious pie that went along with it), I am struck by what solidarity comes from mourning.

My friend Erin lost her mom to cancer five years ago. She helped care for her mom until the end. Last week, Erin started a meal sign-up for Gayle, whose mother just died from a long battle with cancer. Friends take turns, delivering food and spending time on the back porch in conversation. Bound together across years of shared dinners in a supper club, we are not feasting at a delicious common meal in a large group right now. Rather, we are sitting with Gayle in grief, sharing stories, tears, and space. Though grief can make us feel so alone, what solidarity comes from mourning.

And so, these words from Ecclesiastes today echo in my ears:

“It is better to go to the house of mourning
   than to go to the house of feasting;
for this is the end of everyone,
   and the living will lay it to heart.”

While some joyous events like graduations and weddings have been curtailed or postponed, grieving does not stop. The writer of Ecclesiastes instills aspects of wisdom today, drawing us into reflection about our lives and our mortality. Perhaps during this time of conflict, illness, and isolation, it is a little easier for some to slip into a mode of pondering some of the realities around us. Maybe others of us would rather ignore harsh truths, as it can be overwhelming.

By wandering around in the “house of mourning” and “laying to heart” the truth that death will inevitably come to each of us, how can God direct us toward deeper, centered living today? How can reflecting on the losses we have experienced shape the choices we make to love those who are still with us? How will we lend our hands, voices, and prayers to those who need our support?

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• For whom or what do you mourn?

• What disturbs you about grief or mourning?

Daily Challenge

Think about the losses you’ve experienced, and those who have shared their grief with you. Then, pray to God. As you exhale, offer up the pains and joys that you feel or remember. As you inhale, breathe in God’s hope of resurrection in Jesus. Close with the Lord’s Prayer.

Unity in Christ

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 55; PM Psalm 138, 139:1-17(18-23);Eccles. 5:8-20; Gal. 3:23-4:11; Matt. 15:1-20

The news and social media and conversations that are taking place all around us can become a heavy weight of uncertainty to carry because we’re in the middle of multiple crises that are emotionally charged and complex. I’m finding it hard to sort everything out and figure out which information is most truthful. There are no easy answers and there is logic and wisdom from every angle.

I’m noticing varying strong voices and views regarding these crises are creating divisions. I’m worried about our communities, our nation and world. I’m wondering how we’re going to get through these challenging times without creating more death, destruction, and divisiveness.

I’m also noticing a strong desire that we become more united. I think we all want the same things…we all want for ourselves, our families and our world for people to be healthy, connected, and thriving in safety and basic needs. I’m wondering that, if we all want the same things, how can we get there? But this is a world we haven’t yet seen.

As I’m noticing patterns and wondering solutions about current events, listening to Paul’s familiar words about Jesus are comforting and reassuring when he says, “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Paul sets up a glorious and beautiful picture of peace and unity among all people as one human family in Christ. Christ came to liberate the world of sin and reconcile us, which means we are ALL restored as members of God’s family in unity. Paul proclaimed this good news at a time when there were multiple crises, speaking to hierarchy and religious tensions. The good news he proclaims is God’s promise for all people to be one. What was true then is also true now. As baptized Christians, we are united in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. This unity in Christ should lead to a flourishing for ALL people. Let us strive to create a world we haven’t yet seen by becoming united in Christ.

— Susan Oakes

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.  

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• What are you noticing and wondering about our world lately?

• What do you dream about for our world?

Daily Challenge

• This week, try listening to understand without responding, relating, correcting, fixing, or engaging other than trying to understand. You might or might not agree and that’s ok because nothing has to be resolved. The point is to try to understand those around you. You might also share a thought, feeling or dream with someone else, asking them to simply listen to understand.

Lord, Save Me!

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 40, 54; PM Psalm 51; Eccles. 5:1-7; Gal. 3:15-22; Matt. 14:22-36

Oh, you of little faith…who among us this day cannot relate to Peter? Last week was a horrible week for our nation, this week isn’t shaping up to be any better, and things might still get worse before they get better. Things have been changing so fast, it’s hard to keep up or know what to do.

We are experiencing human tragedy on so many levels right now. People are dying, suffering, isolated, protesting, rioting, pleading for life, unemployed, having their means destroyed, grieving and lamenting. We must also remember that the suffering from isolation, illness, vulnerability, and marginalization was happening before our current situation began. On a brighter note, we are learning and making hard decisions about how to open things again safely for our overall well-being and SpaceX did send Bob and Doug into outer space (some have joked about the appeal in leaving planet Earth).  I’ve experienced the full range of emotions through all of this – anger, sadness, fear, and even joy.

If I’m not careful, though, it’s the doubt that can take over. Like Peter, with all the storms of the world around me, I get scared, confused, overwhelmed, and I lose hope. Our help is in Christ. Peter says, “Lord, save me!” Lord, save us all! It’s our faith that keeps us afloat.

A friend of mine from Austin posted a picture of herself recently wearing a t-shirt that says, “Energy, Intelligence, Imagination, Love - #WeAreTheChurch” and reminded me that we are Christ in the World. We must carry with us out into the world the faith in the way of Love that Jesus teaches. This way of Love is the way to healing, wholeness, truth, justice, peace, freedom, safety, and reconciliation that we’re all hoping and praying for right now. When we doubt who we are in Christ, we sink and drown. We have much work to do, but we cannot do it without Christ. Let us reach out to Jesus to save us and trust that we will be saved by our faith in Christ.

 — Susan Oakes

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.  

Questions for Self Reflection

• What thoughts, feelings, emotions, emerge as you experience the historical events that are happening?

• How are you responding to events and others?

• When and where is Jesus reaching out to save you?

Daily Challenge

• As you watch the news or scroll through your social media feeds, use the lens of Love to filter through everything and try to discern where you see Christ most alive around you and within you.

You are my Disciples - June 4

Today’s Reflections: AM Psalm 50; PM Psalm [59, 60] or 8, 84; Eccles. 3:16-4:3; Gal. 3:1-14; Mat. 14:13-21

As my reflection for today, I’m taking a more light-hearted approach and retelling the gospel narrative in today’s context. As you listen, try to identify the place where you fit in.

Now when Jesus heard that the people were dying from disease, both physical and cultural plagues, and that many were suffering, protesting, angry and questioning over the ills of the world, He withdrew to spend some time in solitude. But the people wouldn’t leave Him alone with their thoughts and prayers. He could sense their distress during these troubled times and had compassion for them, saying, “Truly I tell you, if you click on this Zoom link, we can figure this whole thing out.”

So, all those who were sending thoughts and prayers gathered with Jesus via Zoom and immediately began pleading for him to handle things because there are too many people to feed. But Jesus took charge of the meeting and said, “hang on, hang on, hang on…you’re telling me there are too many people and they’re about to get hungry…let’s dig a little deeper here…who are ‘they’ and what are they hungry for?”

Some said people are hungry for actual food, others said they are hungry for connection, while still some said people hunger for communion at Church. As Jesus encouraged them to continue, more responses came: they thirst for the ability to do virtual school, they are hungry to work and have a home, they are starving for freedom and safety and they are craving to be accepted for their differing races, who they love, and their abilities without judgment, even the earth is crying out in hunger pangs.

“Jesus,” they exclaimed, “please do something!” To which Jesus responded, “Now I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers and, don’t get me wrong, you definitely need to keep sending those. But YOU are my disciples, YOU do something!”

They looked at each other perplexed, then Jesus inquired, “you’ve named all the things, and I’ve taught you the mission love and serve, so tell me what you have to offer. I’ll help you get started…what is your greatest desire for the world? For my greatest desire is that same desire that’s dwelling within you.” Finally, one person broke the silence to offer their extra laptop to a student, then another said they are a teacher, someone else offered their pantry and kitchen for people to help prepare food, while others offered their time and vehicles to distribute food and other goods. The energy picked up and the ideas were flowing like crazy. There were many who suggested ways to care for caregivers and support those who are suffering most from the virus. Several wanted to learn how to become visiting Eucharistic ministers and connect with each other in new ways. Some wanted to know how to be allies. They offered money, book studies, phone calls, and time and energy to join task forces and support efforts in a variety of ways. They continued brainstorming their resources and each decided they have something to offer and can hold each other accountable for feeding the “hungry.”

At this point, Jesus said, “See…You’ve got this! It’s going to take some work and it won’t be easy, but you already have everything you need to be my disciples. I am always with you in Spirit. Always remember your baptism and the promises you made on my behalf. As you go, I bless you and your offerings in My name to be My hands and feet in the world, now go in peace to love and serve. And for the love of Me, and all things Good, remember to wash your hands and wear a mask!”

— Susan Oakes

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.  

Questions for Self Reflection

• What do you think people are hungry for?

• How do you fit in?

Daily Challenge

• Offer some prayer time for the needs of our community and then brainstorm some practical steps towards resolving, learning about, or supporting those needs in some way. Share with a friend.

Return to the Breath - June 3

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:49-72; PM Psalm 49, [53]; Eccles. 3:1-15; Gal. 2:11-21; Matt. 14:1-12

I’m sitting on my deck. It’s a quiet, early morning, except for the birds singing their chorus and the sound of my own breath. The sun is beginning to peek through the trees, casting singular rays of light between the leaves and beginning to warm the day. I close my eyes for a moment to take in the warmth, the singing, and my breathing. As I open my eyes, I feel the sun rays more profoundly…those glorious rays are pointing directly at ME. I feel summoned by God in this moment. This gives me the urge to breathe in the morning air deeply into my lungs and feel its presence in my whole body. I’m immediately reminded of the phrase I learned in yoga, “return to the breath,” and I feel empowered.

That same breath that blew over the waters at Creation…Ruach (in Hebrew) ... is the same Spirit that empowered the disciples at Pentecost…and it’s the same breath of life that I’m breathing in this moment.         

*****

Lately, however, I have been haunted by the words, “I can’t breathe.” These are the words George Floyd cried out in his final moments of life. These words also hover over those who are suffering from Covid-19 and the people caring for them. Some of us are suffocating from the overwhelming responsibilities of managing caregiving, household, and work, or loss of work and trying to handle basic needs. We’re becoming more and more politically divisive. In many places, creation is gasping from the contamination and destruction of our earth. There is so much destruction and chaos happening right now. But if we are hopeful, it also feels like a shift towards creativity might be coming. I’m curious about what the Spirit might be up to.

The wisdom in Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a season for everything, and that God has ordered creation this way. While I strongly affirm that God does not cause the suffering we’re all experiencing, I do believe that God is present and uses all of life to somehow reconcile us. These words from the passage stand out to me, “it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.” I hear the emphasis in these words that God’s gift is for ALL people in cooperation with the whole of creation. Perhaps the wisdom in this passage is that this season of loss, grief, and suffering presents a time for us to remember that breath that created the world is still moving and we are sharing it. Maybe it is a time to return to the breath, focus on our breath, the same Spirit of God, and experience the presence of God, to pray and listen for creative ways we can work together to fulfill our Christian mission to love and serve the world.

— Susan Oakes

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.  

Questions for Self Reflection

• How do you feel God’s presence?

• Where do you see hope? Curiosity?

Daily Challenge

• Return to the breath. Sit or stand tall with your feet firmly rooted in the ground. You may close your eyes if you wish. Take 3 deep breaths… in the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer…filling your lungs and whole being with the breath of life…hold each breath for a few moments before pushing your breath out again. You may choose to do this several times during the day, giving thanks for the moments of gratitude, offering a prayer of lament or intercession, or simply as a cleansing breath to return to your center.

Church has left the building - June 2

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 45; PM Psalm 47, 48; Eccles. 2:16-26; Gal. 1:18-2:10; Matt. 13:53-58

Church has left the building! Unbelievable, right?! Today we hear that Jesus is rejected in his hometown by their unbelief, so it seems like something unbelievable needs to be said here today. And I feel a sense of irony as your seminarian who has returned home to offer this reflection (that was intended to evoke a little chuckle). Of course, we know that Church is not the building, Church is the people, and Covid-19 has kicked us out of the church and into the world.

I have to admit…I’ve never felt called to digital ministry, in fact, I’m someone who has resisted it. There are so many reasons I’d rather keep doing things the old familiar way. Yet here we are. Suddenly, we’re doing church in ways we never dreamed would be possible. Churches are beginning to reach new people and people who would otherwise not be able to attend in person. This is a good thing that we might not have anticipated before. Besides online worship, we’re also thinking about new ways of being and doing church during these times of Covid 19 and I truly believe this is where it starts to get more interesting. It’s challenging, to say the least, but so far it’s working and it’s giving us something to think about!

The text from Matthew illustrates God’s power to work from insignificant and humble beginnings. The people of Nazareth found it hard to believe that God would raise a prophet from among them, from a carpenter’s son, this person they grew up with and thought they knew so well. But God was doing something crazy, unexpected and transformative in Jesus.

As the Body of Christ, maybe God is doing something strange and new in the Church since we’ve been kicked out. Maybe we don’t already know all there is to know about being the Church. We don’t know how long this pandemic will last, but it won’t last forever, and we WILL be able to gather again. And I can hardly wait for that time to come, but for now, Church has left the building and it’s being transformed. And we get to be a part of this new and crazy thing that’s happening! How can we harness this?

Maybe it’s a good thing that Church has left the building!

— Susan Oakes

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• What is something you’ve noticed that Church is doing well that has surprised you? 

• What new and different ways can you envision Church becoming?

Daily Challenge

• Try to conscientiously recognize moments when you see people being Church around you and recognize when you are being Church in the world, even pushing yourself to notice times that you could be Church in new ways that you haven’t done before.

You will be changed - June 1

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Eccles. 2:1-15; Gal. 1:1-17; Matt. 13:44-52

As I entered seminary, one of the first charges to our class was to be willing to be changed. We were encouraged to let go of whatever fears and doubts we might have, and even to let go of our hopes and dreams. By letting go of whatever images we hold of who we are, what it means to be a priest, what we already know, and even our own hopes and dreams, we’re more easily able to receive the transforming work of the Holy Spirit during seminary. The goal, they said, is to be changed. Through all the joys and pains, successes and failures, they said, you will be changed.

Friends, this message is for all Christians. God has big plans for our lives and the goal is to be changed. As Christians, we are changed by our baptism into the Risen Life of Christ. The Holy Spirit has been empowering the Church for 20 centuries, working across time and space, changing Christians as members of the Church.

I see this change reflected in the convictions of Paul’s message to the Galatians. He has already been proclaiming the grace of Christ crucified to them. But they are forgetting what Paul has taught them about the Cross of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Though Paul is astonished that they are abandoning God’s call to them, his zeal for Christ is contagious. He preaches and teaches with great energy and clarity, indeed with his whole life as a person changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I often hear people say they are looking forward to things getting back to normal, that they can hardly wait to have their lives back from this pandemic we’re all experiencing. I am eager for a new normal to become established, myself. But before we rush back to the way things were, perhaps we can use this time of pandemic to receive the Spirit of Christ in new and different ways by embracing the creative tension that is present. Paul was a devout Jew who was called by God to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles. Upon receiving this call, rather than going back to his comfort zone or conferring with others in Jerusalem, he went away to Arabia. It is unknown exactly what he was doing there, perhaps it was a place to pray and discern his next steps. Regardless, he took an intentional step back before emerging again with a new embodiment of Christ. Sometimes our next best move is to have an active posture of listening and allowing ourselves to be changed by the Spirit of Christ.

-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, this summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.

Questions for Self Reflection

• What doubts and fears, hopes and dreams can you let go of all of today?

• What is something you will not take for granted once you are able to do it again?

• What is something you hope will not return again?

• What creative tension do you feel lately?

• How can we as members of the Church be changed?

Daily Challenge

• While you are spending time at home today, take some time to sit in silence and simply listen. You might hear traffic, birds, children, pets or other sounds; you might be able to let those sounds float by your consciousness and hear only your breath or heartbeat or possibly the even the Spirit.

Go to Church or the Devil will Get You - May 30

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13); Ezek. 36:22-27; Eph. 6:10-24; Matt. 9:18-26

On I-65 between Birmingham and Montgomery, there is this obnoxiously large sign, “Go to Church or the Devil will Get You.” There is a picture of a little man with elf-like shoes and a farming scythe.  I usually laugh when I drive by. Sometimes, I want to pull over and take a picture.  I have always thought the idea of a little man with horns that talks us into to doing bad things is pretty silly. 

Evil, on the other hand, seems as real as anything.  And it’s a whole lot bigger than a little elf man with horns.  I have been struggling with what to say in face of such evil in our world.  I probably don’t need to say too much as white men have dominated the conversation for too long, and instead need to do a better job of listening to my friends and other people of color.  I am heartbroken at the image of George Floyd’s life having been snatched from him for the crime of being born another color than me.  I am heartbroken from the story of Ahmaud Arbery.  Probably the most heinous of all was watching a video this week of a white woman threaten a black man who was bird watching in Central Park by calling the police and reporting that a black man was terrifying her and she was scared for her life.  The look in her eye and the sound of her voice as she changed cadences for the soul purpose of striking terror in the other’s life, left me with chills.  I also struggle with a theology that requires me to see all of these people, especially the ones terrifying others as beloved children of God and how to reconcile that.  And if all of these people are children of God, then how do I protect myself from the same evil that infects them, probably me, and much of our world.   

Listen to the author of Ephesians, “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Cosmic powers of darkness.  Wow! The author then gives us an incredible image. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.”

Are you too struggling with how to respond? What if we saw our faith as the very armor that equips us and protects so that we can be agents of peace and reconciliation? What if our faith is the armor to speak love to fear and truth to power?   As Episcopalians, our faith asks us to repent of evil, and to acknowledge our role in it. That’s why there is grace, but we have to do this work and allow the Holy Spirit work and change us over time.  It might even be that this very work is the source of the armor of God. I don’t know that the devil will get you if you don’t go to church, but I do know that if you show up, the work you will be required to do is the work of reconciliation, of learning to pray for forgiveness for the wrongs we have done and the wrongs we have left undone, and to fight the forces of evil in this world.  Good thing we have some armor, a breastplate, and some new shoes for the journey.   Maybe we should see ourselves as superheroes.  Kind of scary, but also really cool.

-John+

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• How do you speak up against evil? How do you fight against it? If you struggle to, what keeps you from doing so? 

 Daily Challenge

• Spending some time reflecting on courage.  Share something with a friend or loved one that you wouldn’t have said before, that for you is working to undo the forces of evil in this world.

No Saints Allowed, Sinners Only - May 29

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 107:1-32; Jer. 31:27-34; Eph. 5:1-20; Matt. 9:9-17

I think I finally had a little come apart in the age of COVID-19. Yesterday, I was in the office and talking with our finance manager, Ann, and I just looked at her, and said, “I don’t know how to do all this.”  I was a little more honest and transparent than that.  The even-keeled Rector that Ann has gotten to know over the last year and a half had vanquished in plain sight and doubting Thomas was left in his place.  I feel like we are managing a start-up at Saint Stephen’s.  I guess most professions are evolving at lightning speed.  It is both exciting, and possibly the most challenging endeavor I have ever faced.   Ann calmly listened. “John, just read your reflections.”  When I laughed, she smiled, and then offered some real wisdom, “you don’t have to have it all figured out.”

I keep thinking we are going to hit perfection.  I want the best for our community.  I want our church to be the community that God calls us into, but my ego sometimes gets in the way.  I have dreams of our church being the shining example for the Christian faith for how we can reach out in love to all people, how we can model stewardship of creation in a way that inspires the world, how we can be the very best at preaching and teaching and modeling pastoral care for each other.  Which is why I found today’s Gospel reading so arresting. 

Jesus is hanging out with the fringe, often referred to as the tax collectors and prostitutes, and he is being criticized pretty heavily for it. To which he responds, “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  Jesus wants no business with the people that have it all together.  And those people need to be around the sick, not for the sake of fixing them but probably because the well have no idea what God is really about.  I once saw a church sign in Nashville, “No saints allowed, sinners only.”  That’s the real beauty of church, not only do we not all have it together, we aren’t supposed to. 

It hit me in our reading for today, that not only should perfection be wiped from our goals, but maybe we will even lose something when we believe that we finally have it all together.  Maybe we lose the dependence on God and on each other, we lose the reality that we are sinners in need of grace. Be gentle with yourself. It’s ok.  No saints allowed to this party.

- John+

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• Are you comfortable with your imperfections?  

• In what ways do you rest with your own brokenness? 

 Daily Challenge

• Make a mental list of some of the things that you need to work on and then give thanks to God for making you the person that you are.  It doesn’t mean that we don’t need to change, only to remember there will always be things to work on.

Free your mind and the rest will follow - May 28

Today’s Scripture:  AM Psalm 105:1-22; PM Psalm 105:23-45Zech. 4:1-14; Eph. 4:17-32; Matt. 9:1-8

 The lyrics of a hit song from when I was in sixth grade come to mind when as I read today’s lesson from Ephesians: “Free your mind and the rest will follow.” En Vogue wrote a song about judgment and prejudice and our ability to essentially place people in boxes based on our knowledge, knowledge that is limited and based on stereotypes.  Freeing your mind was about finding freedom because you could be alleviated of what you learned over time which kept you from finding the fullness of life. 

In this letter to the Ephesians, the author says, “you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds.  They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.”  The author is claiming that the mind is useless for the Gentiles because of their hardness of heart. This is a pretty odd thing to lift up in our tradition, a tradition that values education, philosophical reasoning, and the pursuit of knowledge. 

I am beginning to wonder if one of the concerns of spending less time with people in this physically distanced reality, is the risk of spending too much time in our own heads.  We either spend too much time reading articles on Facebook or making snap judgments about the people we see on the cover of articles or walking around the grocery store.  As it pertains to judgments, some of those might be warranted, but what the author of Ephesians could be suggesting is the limitations of our mind if our heart is hardened. 

Consider this – everything we have been discussing as a society struggling to figure out how to live in a pandemic is based on knowledge.  ‘How do particles spread?  Rates of infection?  How to clean?  How to gather? Who is contagious? What is contagious?  Why do some people get affected and not others?’  If we are waiting to discover some complete amount of knowledge for how to live and be and thrive, we will spend the rest of our lives living in the walls of our minds. 

 Instead, how do our lives change when we focus on what comes from the heart?  ‘How can I care for that person who is stressed out?  How can I reach out in love to my neighbor who is scared or lost her job?  How can I listen to my friend who is sick and hurting? I wonder if these are more important questions to frame our lives.  At the root of these questions are not some sort of knowledge or wisdom, but a loosening of the heart to have compassion be the driving ethic of how we live.  It’s probably not wise to throw out all of our knowledge but considering how our hearts might guide our lives more deeply seems like a worthwhile expression.  Maybe it’s to free our mind, and the rest will follow. 

- John+

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• What knowledge do you work to obtain?  How do you strengthen your mind?  How do you strengthen your heart?  Are those done differently?

Daily Challenge

• Pick a day to fast from reading the news or doing research on a topic related to current events.  Use that time to pray or reach out to a neighbor or friend in need.

Fashioning a Canopy - May 27

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 101, 109:1-4 (5-19) 20-30; PM Psalm 119:121-144Isa. 4:2-6; Eph. 4:1-16; Matt. 8:28-34

 We have reached the point in the year where there is no escaping the fury of the Alabama heat.  With the most pleasant spring of recent memory, this weekend brought change with vengeance.  While the temperature didn’t break 90 degrees, it didn’t matter.  Coupled with the sweltering humidity, if you left the comfort of air conditioning this weekend, images from this upcoming Sunday when we hear the story of tongues of fire touching the people gathered might have come to mind.  It was hot!

 And maybe I feel that way because I went for a bike ride at the hottest point of the day on Sunday, and the sun beating down on the black pavement of the road through Oak Mountain State Park just amplified the sun.  But here is the thing - there was a moment where the ride took us into a beautiful canopy, and everything changed.  It was as if it got twenty degrees cooler instantaneously. 

I am interested in this image of a canopy in this morning’s reading from Isaiah.  “The canopy will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm.”  It is a prophetic text giving an image of what the Kingdom of God or the reign of God will look like, but the metaphor means the heat is still there, we only get more comfortable resting in it. 

I think about the pain and suffering in the world a lot.  Maybe it is the vocation of walking with people at all moments of life, but I think we are all there.  We see it in our newsfeeds, in the phone calls with loved ones and friends.  We pray it when we open the prayer list in the weekly email or hear it on Sunday.  If we aren’t careful to sit with others or our own pain, we might be tempted to fix it in a way to that minimizes that pain.  Words roll off our tongue like, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” or “it’s really not that big of a deal.”  What this often conveys is our own discomfort with what others are experiencing.   

But I wonder if this image from Isaiah is a more helpful image for us to adopt.  Instead of fixing other people’s problems, what if we were to provide a canopy, a safe respite where its 20 degrees cooler, where people can sustain their own pain in a way that allows them to also experience the grace of God, find respite, if not refreshment.  Not only are we beginning a true Alabama summer, but in the midst of a pandemic, we seem as fragile as ever.  Maybe what we need most is not to be fixed of our problems, but some respite from this heat.  How could you and I fashion a canopy for each other?

— John+

 Questions for Self-Reflection

• What problems of others do you try to fix?  When you want to help someone, what does that look like?

 Daily Challenge

• Think of a specific problem that you have worked to alleviate for another person, especially if that person or relationship has crossed cultural boundaries.  Think of one way you could have responded differently now. Try that approach next time a situation arises.

Being Rooted in Love - May 26

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 97, 99, [100]; PM Psalm 94, [95]1 Sam. 16:1-13a; Eph. 3:14-21; Matt. 8:18-27

One of my favorite elementary school science experiments was when the teacher would take food coloring and place in the water of a white pedaled flower.  Almost overnight, the carnation or rose would begin to take the color of the food coloring mixed with water.  Pink water, pink carnation.  Green water, green rose.  Voilà! 

Which leads me to this beautiful passage in Ephesians where the author prays for the Christian community, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts, as you are being rooted and grounded with love.”  To sum up the Christian faith, at least as I understand it, ‘you (and all of humankind) are unconditionally loved by God.’ I know a lot of traditions like to focus on other things, maybe what you are supposed to believe, or how you are supposed to pray, or what you are supposed to wear or not wear, eat or not eat.  Some traditions are even concerned with who we love.  But consider this – if the premise of our faith is God’s love, then our Christian faith should be about modeling that love for the world and each other in return.   

And while a lot of traditions worry about rules, and who is in and who is out, think about the image offered in Ephesians – you are rooted and grounded with love.  Maybe living our faith out in this world is as easy as remembering that we are loved, dwelling in that love, and letting it change the way God’s beauty is reflected in this world.  When we will fill our vases with God’s love, we begin to reflect that love in a way that can be recognized by others. To live as God calls us, we have to be rooted in love.

Today, instead of worrying about who you are, and who you are not, what you have done or what you have left undone, spend some time resting in the reality that you are unconditionally loved as a child of God.  And if you are worried about becoming a better person, or a more faithful person, then this scripture would point us to focusing on being grounded and rooted in love as a faithful place to begin.

— John+ 

Questions for Self-Reflection

• Do you believe that you are loved unconditionally by God?  Are there things that you wish were different or you could change? Are those barriers to accepting God’s love?

Daily Challenge

• Think of a person or people that frustrate you.  Remind yourself that they are a beloved child of God, just as you are.  Does this change your feelings or approach to that person or those people?

Moses' Longterm Plan - May 25

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 89:1-18; PM Psalm 89:19-52Joshua 1:1-9; Eph. 3:1-13; Matt. 8:5-17

I have always felt sorry for Moses.  He spends his whole life being the go-between for God and God’s people.  He is not known for his communication skills.  After spending his early life in Egypt, he leads his people to freedom only to end up wandering in the desert for forty years.  And just before his people arrive in the promise land, he dies. He will not see what he has been promised and what he worked so hard to ensure that his people will inherit. 

I remember saving for an entire year the $475 which was half of the cost for me to attend the National Scout Jamboree in Fort AP Hill, Virginia in 1993.  It felt like an eternity.  I can’t imagine saving for 40 years.  There are so many stories of people slogging away and saving, to purchase a home, attend college, or retire debt, but always with an end in sight, and outcomes that the person will one day experience something of the magnitude of their own promise land.  This is why the story in today’s reading from Joshua is so amazing:  Moses never experiences what he has fought so hard for his people. I am sure he wanted to be in the promise land just as much as anyone else, and yet one of the most revered leaders in all of Scripture dies just before experiencing God’s big promise and that joy is passed to Joshua.  He pays off the mortgage and yet never gets to walk through the front door.

Which leads me to the question our Old Testament challenges me with: is Moses such a faithful leader because he plays the long game and sacrifices his own fulfillment for the life of his people?  It is interesting to me that what seems to be one of the pervasive threads within our societal conversations is ‘what is freedom,’ and ‘aren’t we protected to be able to do what we want to do while exercising that freedom?’  How can a government require that a church offer (or not offer) in-person worship, or require a person to wear a mask, or ask businesses to reduce the number of patrons?  That seems to limit our personal and protected freedoms?  People seem to be pushing back with great force. 

And I am not a legal expert and cannot speak to what is right and fair in the eyes of our legal system or constitution.  But as a person of faith, I do believe we look for the virtues that are embodied within Scripture, especially when held up as examples of being faithful, and learn to let those virtues inform our own praxis of Christian living.  And today we read about Moses and Joshua.  Could Moses, even in his death and loss of seeing what his people finally came to see, be a window into how we might sacrifice our own needs, rights, and privileges, especially if it was for the wellbeing of our people?  At the very least, could we learn to say, ‘this isn’t about me, but what is best for my fellow humankind.’

—John+

 Daily Questions

•  What are some of the things that you are working to accomplish?  Do you have a 5, 10, 40-year long term plan?  How will your plans benefit other people? 

Daily Challenge

• Pick one thing to give up this week which will directly impact other people and make other lives better?  It could be a physical thing or a thought or idea that is shaping you.