Love Your Neighbor, Not Tolerate - August 1

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 75, 76; PM Psalm 23, 27; Judges 5:19-31; Acts 2:22-36; Matt. 28:11-20

Yesterday, one of the most monumental and beloved pastors in my hometown died from injuries after being hit by a car on his bicycle.  I didn’t know Steve well, but we both officiated my sister and brother-in-law’s wedding together.  He was the Senior Pastor of the largest PCUSA church in Memphis and was known as an advocate and warrior for justice and love.  The rabbi of the largest synagogue in the south wrote, “By emphasizing deed over creed and an expansive Christian faith that encompassed all of God’s children, Steve was a mirror of my own Jewish teaching of ‘tikun olam,' healing the brokenness and seeing God in every human being. We were brothers and kindred spirits.”

I write about Steve this morning because in the very best way, he taught an entire city about the power of Christian love and how faith communities could be places of hope and healing and resurrection.  He wrote two opinion pieces in local newspapers that have challenged me. I remember initially finding humor when a woman was seen sweeping the steps of Idlewild naked.  Many people were joking and writing silly things online including one of the local papers. The paper joked about what she was doing with a bag of dog food.  Steve penned an Op-ed about her and her fight with mental illness and his fierce struggle to love her and the challenge for all of us to see her with dignity.  I can still remember his response word for word: “alcoholism, mental illness, and homelessness.  And her name is Marilyn.” 

A few years later, after he retired, he wrote a bold and beautiful piece about what he learned in ministry where he pointed out that Jesus never said, tolerate your neighbor.  Jesus said Love your neighbor.  Tolerate your enemy?  Nope.  Love. “It makes all the difference in the world.” This fits our Gospel today, where we hear the Great Commission in Matthew’s Gospel.  We are the recipients of this commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Do you know what Jesus commanded?  It actually was very little, and it all requires love.  There are no commandments from Jesus’ mouth about who should be leaders of the church, or who can be married, or how we set up governments to care for her citizens.  Nope.  Feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, clothe the naked, love your enemy, welcome children, and love your neighbor.  Maybe many of us have just been working on tolerating our enemies and our neighbors.  I guess that is better than nothing, but it is not what Jesus commanded. Jesus pushes us to grow for the rest of our earthly lives in how we understand this commandment.  Today, I am wondering how can we all go a little bit farther?

-       John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

What is the difference between tolerance and love for you?   What are some practical ways of loving our enemy?

Daily Challenge

Read the link from the reflection piece.  Spend time reflecting one of the 12 things Steve learned in 39 years of ministry.

Mutual Understanding - July 31

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 69:1-23(24-30)31-38; PM Psalm 73; Judges 5:1-18; Acts 2:1-21; Matt. 28:1-10

In my last semester in college, with only a few electives left, I spent the semester at the University of Wales in Swansea.  I lived in a little flat off campus with six other wild college students: Mattie, Johnny, Stu, Jules, Ben, and Dan.  Mattie, Stu, and Dan where Welsh students, with Stu being from Northern Wales.  Johnny, Ben, and Jules were English.  I would sit and play football (soccer) on the PlayStation with Johnny and he would talk really fast, and I would be shaking my head.  Then he would say, “Oh you want me to say it like an American so you can understand” and he would spout off a ridiculous American accent and we would all laugh.  Mattie was probably the hardest to understand.  His accent was best described as a high pitch mumble, and I was the only one who struggled to decipher his words.

I loved the accents, and I treasure those few months, but as I read the story of Pentecost in our Lectionary, I thought of my time in Wales.  See, even though we shared a common language, there were a number of cultural barriers that kept us engaged with one another and having to dig deeper and learn how to understand what each was saying. 

A few years later, I ended up in India for several weeks.  I remember showing up in a small village in central India five hours after we were scheduled to be there. We were greeted with drum lines and dancing and dinner served out of teak leaves. We had a translator who would translate the local language to Hindi and my friend, Milind, would then translate the Hindi to English.  I can’t imagine how much was lost in translation, but it was inspiring to share and learn from one another.  I was so struck by how their culture was so focused on an event and a relationship where our Western culture had been so focused on time. 

The story of Pentecost that we read in Acts is a miracle because the crowd gathered hears each other speaking in their native tongue.  They understand each other.  But it can’t just be about language, can it?  There must be a broadening of culture that is understood at that moment.  Their understanding of each other has to be much deeper.  It’s not just what they say, but the stories and culture that cause them to say it. 

We seem to be angry than ever at the words and the stories that we share with each other.  If you are oblivious to this, you must have somehow managed to resist the urge to have a social media account.  Well done!  It seems to me that we focus a lot more on the words, then pausing to ask why someone might have said or shared what they did.  What are the experiences, the narratives, the culture that has caused someone to arrive at their position?  It still might be wrong, or crazy, or dangerous, but the Spirit of Pentecost drives us to go further. 

My friend, Eric Law, says the goals of dialogue should not be mutual agreement, but mutual understanding.  This is what we should seek when we engage with one another.  It seems like we need the Spirit of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s help to help us manage our life today.   Good thing we are told at Baptism that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever.  Maybe we should remember that as we work collectively to engage one another. 

-John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

What are the foundational experiences you have had that have led you to have different beliefs that other people?  What might some of the experiences be that others have had that would lead them to a different position?  

Daily Challenge

Today, something will be said, or you will read something that is offensive.  See this as an opportunity to engage in mutual understanding.

Showing Up For Each Other - July 30

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm [70], 71; PM Psalm 74; Judges 4:4-23; Acts 1:15-26; Matt. 27:55-66

I can still remember answering the phone.  I was a youth minister and had served the church for about three years at that point.  It was 6:30am and I was awakened by the vibrating on the nightstand and the flashing name of my boss, the Rector of our church.  Mark was calling to let me know that a parishioner had not awakened from her sleep, the mother of three of the youth in my youth group.  “I’ll meet you at the house,” he said. 

I can also remember feeling totally unprepared for that moment.  I was the king of silly games and creating church trivia and orchestrating the world’s finest Messy Olympics.  Staying up at lock-in for hours on end or planning a ski trip was a breeze, but I had yet to handle any serious pastoral concerns, and the death of a parent was a first.  I remember the dread of not knowing what to say, or even worse, wondering what would happen if I said the wrong thing. 

Mark met me outside and walked me to the back porch.  I sat down next to the two oldest and we just sat.  Not a word was said for what felt like an hour of time.  I am sure it was much less.  Finally, the oldest child said, “Thank you for being here.”

Today’s Gospel is the account from Matthew of the end of the crucifixion. Jesus’ is left on the cross, then taken down when it is evening and his body is placed in a tomb.  I find it interesting that the author makes note that “many women were also there, looking on from a distance.”  And when he is placed in the tomb, and Joseph of Arimathea leaves, Mary and Mary Magdalene are there, sitting in the tomb.  They just show up.  The text simply says, “sitting opposite the tomb.”  I wonder about their grief and how much each of the Marys, who so loved Jesus, must have felt and the comfort that they brought each other in that painful place.  I wonder if the women looking from afar would have brought calm and peace to each other in that moment of death and despair. 

Our world seems as broken as ever these last few months.  Maybe it has always been this painful and broken, and technology is now able to open our eyes to the reality of sin and brokenness. I keep wondering how we will fix or relieve the pain of others, how we will heal the divisions we have made, and mend the ripping of the common fabric of our nation. 

It strikes me especially this morning of the profound power of the women in this text, specifically the Marys, who show up for each other.   They don’t try to change the outcome, or come up with a plan for new leadership, or find the next steps of living after Jesus. They just show up for each other.  Maybe we are being pushed to consider that in all of our desiring to change the outcomes of the world, we might be paralyzed to respond. Or worse, when we try to take away others pain, or anger, or justify what has caused it, we are missing the opportunity to pause, listen, and be present.   Maybe all that is really needed is the presence of each other in our common life together. 

Showing up is a little bit more difficult these days, I’ll admit.  But maybe we are being invited to consider how our presence in the world and each other’s lives is far richer and more important than we may have ever considered. Instead of trying to take away someone’s pain, we need to learn and listen.  Maybe we just need to find out how to be a little more present to each other and let God do the rest.  

-       John+

 Questions for Self-Reflection

When someone says something difficult, how often do you respond?  What is a profound moment of healing that you have received as a result of someone else’s presence?

Daily Challenge

Practice the pause and don’t respond technique today.  Here are a few options of things to say:  “That sounds very X” or “It sounds like you are feeling Y” 

Writing the Next Chapter - July 29

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 72; PM Psalm 119:73-96; Judges 3:12-30; Acts 1:1-14; Matt. 27:45-54

As I read Acts, I feel a loss for words.  I want to write something profound.  I am finding the rhythm of reflecting every two to three weeks for six consecutive days to be both life-giving for my spiritual life and an increasingly daunting challenge.  Some days it comes easy.   A word or phrase emerges from the reading and a whole narrative is constructed, or a memory washes over and the words begin to flow easily from my fingers.

Today is not that day.  I have sat, prayed, daydreamed, and drifted off down many different avenues and I still feel empty.  The irony of this is not lost in our Acts reading.  The evangelist Luke, and the author of the Gospel of Luke, is beginning to write a new story.  In the very first verse, he shares that he has already written all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day he was taken up to heaven. He is starting a new story here.  And it will take us through Europe and Asia Minor and tell us the unbelievable story of the early church.

We as Christians focus so much of our attention on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christ is paramount to our faith and Luke wrote the longest of the four recognized Gospels.  It is the only place we hear the story of the good Samaritan and the story of the prodigal son.   But we are reminded today that the story as told by Luke wasn’t over yet. 

As I struggle through these words and my own attempt to tell a story, we are reminded the story was yet complete when Luke wrote his first volume.  Much more of the story still needed to be told.  We needed to learn about Stephen and his faith.  We needed to learn about how the disciples grew in their understanding of God or how Lydia was moved to be baptized, or Paul was in prison, or Saul became Paul, or the great shipwreck at Malta.  Those stories are foundational to our faith and they all came after the story of Jesus.

As these words slowly come out, maybe there is a call for all of us to be reminded that our story has yet to be written, but it too matters.  The way you and I respond to God’s love is a part of the next volume to be written, to share the faith for the ages to come.  How we reach out in love, how we follow the Risen Christ, how we renew and grow in our faith, will be the next story told.  It is a holy story about God’s love unfolding in this world and the next chapter is about you and me. 

-John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

Do you have a faith bucket-list?  What are the stories you would like to make come alive? 

Daily Challenge

If you are up for it, have fun trying to write your own obituary.  If that is too daunting, try making a list of five things related to your faith that could a faith bucket-list. 

And the Nose Fell Off - July 28

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 61, 62; PM Psalm 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; Judges 2:1-5,11-23; Rom. 16:17-27; Matt. 27:32-44

On our journey through the Holy Land back in March, we visited the place that many people today believe was Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion.  The early historian and priest Jerome believed the name was derived by the skulls that were left there. But in 1842, A German theologian noticed a limestone rock just north of the Damascus Gate that looked just like a skull.  In 1883, British Major-General Charles George Gordon endorsed this site as the true “place of the skull” as referred to in the Gospels.  Our group was shown a picture from the turn of the century, and I have to admit, it looks just like a skull.  Many support the claim that 2,000 years of weather might suggest that the site once had an even stronger appearance of a skull than it does today. 

But as I stood in the shadow of Golgotha, I couldn’t see it.  I kept looking at the picture and trying to compare and believed I was being bamboozled.  Turns out, strong rains in February 2015 made the nose fall off.  I kid you not…it is hard to imagine the “place of the skull” because the nose fell off.

Now, I don’t think we need to see Golgotha in its original form to wrestle with the true weight of our Gospel story.  But if we believe that Bible is not just an account of the past, but a story that invites us into a living and breathing engagement with the Risen Christ, how too does the setting where the story takes place change?  And where are we struggling to see the story, because it looks a little different than we thought it might?   Maybe it’s not our fault, it’s just the nose fell off. 

Our story of hope rests in the belief that Christ’s crucifixion was not the end.  That story has a setting and a location, but the story is still being written because the truth applies to our life as well.  Maybe things have changed in a way that are keeping you from seeing the story lived out in your life as well.   Maybe some rough weather and years of living have changed the setting.  I’m betting my life that hope is still there.  We just need to help each other do a better job of finding it. 

-       John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

Where do you struggle to see hope in your own life?  How have things changed over the past six months?  Six years?

Daily Challenge

Spend some time pondering how the setting changes a story.  Think of your favorite book or movie and how the setting impacts that story. 

A Track to the Water's Edge - July 27

Today’s Reflection: AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; PM Psalm 64, 65; Joshua 24:16-33; Rom. 16:1-16; Matt. 27:24-31

I am reminded today of a story found in the works of a South African woman, written in 1890 called “Dreams” by Olive Schreiner.  Her work was first translated and introduced to the United States by Howard Thurman, a spiritual leader to Martin Luther King, Jr. The story is an incredibly powerful allegory about the fight for freedom, one that inspired King. 

In this story, a woman wakes from her sleep and is trying to make her way to freedom.  She encounters a wise old man.   She goes up to the water’s edge but there is no bridge. She asks the old man: “How do I get across? There is no bridge”. He says: “You must take off your clothes. They are dragged down by them who go into the water so clothed”. She takes off her clothes. She has a baby. He says: “Put that baby down, when you are in the water, you will forget to fight, you will only think of him.”  The baby draws blood.

She puts the baby down. The man says, “Go.”

She reaches the water and the woman yells, “For what do I go to this far land which no one has ever reached? Oh, I am alone! I am utterly alone!”  The man says, “Be quiet, listen. What do you hear?”   She answers: “I hear the sound of thousands and thousands and thousands of footsteps of those who came here before me.” He says, “How does a locust get across the stream? Some come down and jump into the water, and their bodies get washed away. Then some sink and the others pile up on top of them and their bodies build a bridge so the others can cross.”   She said, “Who is going across this bridge?” His reply: “All of humanity.” “And what about those who are washed away? What do they get out of it?” she asks. “They beat a track to the water’s edge.”

The story strikes a chord with me in the sacrificial way we are called to live and model our lives.   The fight for beloved community where all people are restored to the fullness of life through God’s justice has been a life long journey where many have yet to see the fruits of their labors, and yet they still beat a track to the water’s edge.

This old story rang a chord again in today’s reading from Romans’s as we hear Paul name Phoebe, Prisca, Aquila, Epanetus, Mary, Andronicus, Ampliatus, Urbanas, Apelles, Aristobulus, Herodion, and that’s just getting started.  He is naming people who have a profound impact on the early church. With the exception of Phoebe (and likely only because her name was employed in the Scriptural justification for the ordination of women), these are names that we do not know. I have read this passage many times in my life, and still only remembered Phoebe. It hit me in reading that list of names, that there must be millions of people who have gone before who have helped share the vision for Beloved Community, and shaped the faith that inspires so many, this radical way of Love, and these people are names that I do not know. 

I keep foolishly believing that if I work hard enough, or can inspire enough people, God’s kingdom, God’s radical love, and the way of true freedom for all people will have fully arrived.  And I forget, that for two thousand years, people have been beating a track to the water’s edge.  Yep… I have an ego to work on.

So what about us? What is our purpose in this journey with God. Maybe it is just to beat a track to the water’s edge.  And maybe knowing the story that others have been doing just the same, can inspire us, and help us see that we are a part of something much larger, something for the rest of humanity to cross. 

-       John+

Questions for Self-Reflection 

Where in your life do you feel like you are making no progress?  Why then do you try?   Is it worth it? 

Daily Challenge

Spend some time today on Google or Wikipedia trying to learn the name of one person who you did not know before that has positively affected the life of other people.

Time flies (or does it?) - July 25

Today’s Readings AM Psalm 55; PM Psalm 138, 139:1-17(18-23); Joshua 23:1-16; Rom. 15:25-33; Matt. 27:11-23

I saw The Music Man on public television when I was a child. Robert Preston and Shirley Jones and young Ronnie Howard. I loved it. My mom recorded the movie on our VCR, and my sisters and I watched that VHS tape ad nauseam. In the scene where the ladies of River City are preparing for their performance of Grecian Urns at the outdoor festival, the mayor’s wife prods their practice along proclaiming, “Tempus fugit, ladies, tempus fugit!”

Upon opening the Bible to the excerpt from Joshua appointed for this morning, I feel like I’ve stepped into a time warp. Joshua is now “old and well advanced in years.” How did the time fly so quickly? Just yesterday we read an action-packed account of God protecting Joshua, the Israelites, and Gibeonites from the five kings of the Amorites by inciting mayhem and hurling “huge stones from heaven” (hailstones) at those enemies. Through praying to God, Joshua stops the sun in the sky for a day. Big stuff! And today, it begins, “A long time afterward…” What did we miss in the middle? I’ll tell you. Conquests. Allotment of tribes across the lands of the Jordan River. A survey of peoples and boundaries. Lots of names.

What I love about getting to fast-forward to where Joshua is near the end of his life, is that we’re given the gift of his wisdom and experience, as he surveys all he has done. Hold fast to the Lord your God, he says. Observe the laws of Moses. God is faithful to the promises made to God’s people. Be very careful to love the Lord your God, and do not stray toward serving other gods, unless you want to see a flash of divine anger from the Lord.  

There are times during this summer that I wish I could command time to go faster. Where is the fast-forward button? I want to be past this time of physical separation from extended family and dear friends. I want to gather together for an outdoor festival or indoor worship service, free from fear, conflict, and plague. And time doesn’t work like that. Together, we get to do the hard work of living out our faith. Exile did not end immediately. And this time of trial and toil is similar.

Let us draw near to God in prayer, and cast our burdens upon the Lord. Let us offer support and encouragement to one another. Let us listen to a diversity of voices. Let us speak and act from a position of God’s love, for that is the gift given to us.

We will get to a place where our story will be told, and it will open, “A long time afterward…” We will have learned a lot. We will have regrets and successes. The Lord our God will still be with us.

Time flies, and waiting is the hardest part.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• What part of the here-and-now do you want to slow down?

• What do you want to hurry up and move past?

Daily Challenge

Take a moment today to slow down. Appreciate where you are right now. Name five blessings that surround you, and give thanks to God.

Confession time – July 24

Today’s Readings AM Psalm 40, 54; PM Psalm 51; Joshua 9:22-10:15; Rom. 15:14-24; Matt. 27:1-10

“I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." Psalm 51:3

Church has been a place of comfort for me. The cadence of the week was brightened by Sundays worshiping at the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery. I have memories of leaning against my dad, nestled against his side, while services were conducted. My sisters and I would sit on needlepoint kneelers, drawing on bulletins with stumpy, eraser-less golf pencils. My mom would gently put her hand on a shoulder or knee to indicate the whispering was not so quiet.

There was a time, however, when the connection and experience of church became deeper for me. I believe it was Holy Week, leading up to Easter…but my memory on the exact date or occasion is foggy. (I was probably about 10 or so.) What I do know is that there was a service of confession that happened. People could go up to the altar rail for prayers and absolution. I watched some folks file up to the front to kneel. There were tear-stained faces as parishioners trickled by to their seats. The light in the sanctuary was bright yellow. And I felt moved to go forward but was stuck. My family was rooted to our pew. My dad was on the outside. But I decided to go up to the altar. I cannot really name why…I had no specific wrong to name. I simply felt a tugging within me, and a need to kneel. The words from Psalm 51 resonate deeply with this memory: “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” Though I could not put words to it, I could feel the 10-year-old sins rolling around within me. And so, I pushed past my dad and went up. I do not recall what I said, if anything. I can remember bowing my head and tears streaming hot down my cheeks. And as I returned to my family, I felt cleansed in a different way.

I wonder how Judas felt as he went to turn himself in, confessing of his wrongdoing: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” He handed over the payment for betraying Jesus to the authorities. Did he feel some measure of weight was lifted from his soul through repentance? I feel great compassion for him today.

Friends, sin burdens each of us. How are you called to wrestle honestly with those sins before you today? Know that you do not wrestle alone, and nothing can separate you from the love of God.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

How does sin tug on you, or trip you up? What actions do you take to confess wrongdoing and make amends?

Daily Challenge

Think of someone you have wronged. Make a confession to God of that sin and ask God’s forgiveness. Pray also about how you might make amends.

Cock-a-doodle Denial – July 23

Today’s Readings AM Psalm 50; PM Psalm [59, 60] or 66, 67; Joshua 9:3-21; Rom. 15:1-13; Matt. 26:69-75

When our family lived in Huntsville, I occasionally took the kids shopping with me at the local Kohl’s. Though I went for a focused reason, we would inevitably wander over to the toy section, conveniently located between the toddler boy clothes and the restroom. (What an ingenious trap of commercial upselling set for beaten down parents and their energetic children!) While in the mire of “I want” and “I need”, a shrill chirping noise began sporadically sounding. The best I can tell, it came from the area of the emergency exit by the toy section. Perhaps it was a door or smoke alarm that was malfunctioning? Whatever its genesis, it was annoying and happened each time we were there.

It was bothersome to me; it also got the attention of my kids. Robinson was probably 2 ½ years old when we first heard it, and he would ask, “Why that noise, Mommy?” And then he grew disquieted. The high-pitched beep scared him. He wanted to go home. “That creeps me out,” he says, even today, of that sound. That repetitive sensory experience was enough to break the toy-grabbing desires of a tiny tot.

It is a sound foretold by Jesus that rouses Peter to awareness in the gospel from Matthew today. Not an electronic beep, but the crowing of a rooster. “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times,” Jesus says.

I can imagine sitting near Peter, in the darkness and swaying shadows of the courtyard, outside with the warm breeze blowing. Can you hear the noises of the earth and of the people in it? At this hour, Jesus is undergoing examination in a trial by the elders and chief priests. Peter has followed along from a distance, to stay informed of what is happening. As he waits near the guards, people are milling about. A servant-girl recognizes him and says, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” Peter dismisses her assertion. He moves to a different location outside the house and another servant-girl says to folks around her, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” The second denial: I do not know the man. A little more time passes, and darkness and denial are enveloping Peter, who earlier in the evening had stated so clearly to Jesus, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” The third denial comes. And the cock crows. Peter weeps.

Have you been awakened by a sound or sensory experience, to face a painful truth about yourself that you’ve been avoiding? I have. It is disquieting and gut-wrenching. It’s like a tear amidst the fabric of who we think we are. It can be devastating. And yet, Jesus calls us back. Jesus offers redemption and reconciliation. Jesus loves us, just as he loves Peter. Though you may be facing a hard truth about yourself or the world around you, know that you are loved.

And so, it is time for me to stop. Robinson has walked in making the “ding-a-ling-a-ling” sound.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• What sound quickly gets your attention?

• What is the voice or gesture you use to get the attention of others?

Daily Challenge

Pray that God opens your eyes to something you’ve been in denial about. Ask for the courage and patience to explore that space, and perhaps ask someone (friend, spiritual director, counselor) to help you in that soul work.

A woman of valor: Mary Magdalene – July 22

Today’s Readings AM Psalm 116; PM Psalm 30, 149; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Mark 15:47-16:7; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Today is the day in the lectionary cycle that we can remember and celebrate Saint Mary Magdalene, one of the Galilean women who accompanied Jesus and His disciples in ministry. Mary Magdalene was named as being present at the crucifixion and burial of Jesus the Christ. And we read in Mark’s gospel today the story of Mary Magdalene and other women who made preparations, bought spices, and went to the tomb where Jesus was buried, so that they could anoint his body.

What an upsetting time for these friends. They witnessed the closing of one chapter, the ministry and miracles of Jesus of Nazareth, punctuated by betrayal, trial, and violent death. To process what they have experienced, they planned to do the next right thing in saying goodbye: anointing the body laid in a tomb. What they did not know was that ministry in the wake of Jesus’ legacy was about to shift in a new direction.

Mary Magdalene and the other women anticipated that the biggest challenge they would face would be moving the large stone blocking the tomb. They actually walked into the beginning of another chapter of Jesus: resurrection! The heavy stone was rolled aside, and a young man in radiant white clothes (which is a nod to someone of heavenly or angelic proportions) spoke to them, with a message of comfort and wonder:

‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’

Mary Magdalene is an inspiration to me for faithfulness and perseverance. The holy scriptures we have about her presence in ministry during this holy time in Israel paint a picture of a woman who is devoted, focused, and open to hearing and receiving the salvation offered in the healing grace of Jesus. In this vignette today, I am struck by God working around and through Mary Magdalene. Her expectation was to continue working through the grief and devastation of Jesus’ death. Her experience became something very different; she witnessed the proof of resurrection. An empty tomb. An angelic message. Hope refreshed in miraculous surprise.

Mary Magdalene is another reminder that God is with us in our sufferings and shares with us in our consolation. If you are facing disappointment or loss during this season of instability and separation, I pray that the life and witness of Mary Magdalene can breathe a bit of encouragement in your heart this day.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• What is a source of pain and loss for you today?

• What is the one thing you can do to process and address that pain?

Daily Challenge

Think of people who have supported you through a hard time. Reach out to one of them. Reflect on your experiences, and give thanks to God in prayer.

Choose humility: Mind your own little red wagon! – July 21

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 45; PM Psalm 47, 48; Joshua 8:1-22; Rom. 14:1-12; Matt. 26:47-56

“Mind your own little red wagon, Katherine.” My mom would say this to me often…which means that I went to her often with a complaint or report about actions of others in our household. It means, also, that I was the resident tattletale. I faithfully reported out-of-line behaviors day-in and day-out. “I’m gonna tell Mom!” was probably my most commonly uttered phrase for several years. I chose to be judge and supervisor of all sibling actions, as the oldest of three girls. (It’s a wonder my sisters still talk to me!)

Judgment. The apostle Paul asks in the letter to the Romans, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother?” In this time in the early Church, there was much strife over who was “in” and who was “out”. Was it just the Jews who were circumcised and followed the special days of devotion and ate a kosher diet? What about Gentiles, others from varied faith and ethnic backgrounds? Paul is trying to manage and quell tension from afar, and so we have this piece of his communique, issuing a command to stop their earthly nonsense, because it is God that is the supreme judge. We all will go before the Lord for examination, “For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’” (I can almost imagine Paul shouting these words.) He takes this tone to grab their attention, and to make that command – that edict on behalf of God’s reign. The scripture he quotes is from Isaiah --

Turn to me and be saved,

            all the ends of the earth

            for I am God, and there is no other.

By myself I have sworn,

             from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness

a word that shall not return:

“To me every knee shall bow,

                    every tongue shall swear.”   (45:22-23)

We hear these words again, yet offered in a lyrical promise in the letter to the Philippians —

          …so that at the name of Jesus

                     every knee should bend,

                    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

          and every tongue should confess

                    that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.   (2:10-11)

Whether you hear better through a stern command or an appealing promise, the invitation remains the same. We are summoned to follow God. We are summoned to turn away from those other things in our lives that distract, disaffect, and discourage us. We are summoned to bow down to the Lord…and by humbling ourselves to God, our lips profess the Good News of God in Christ. Our eyes are opened to the deep needs and joys awaiting us. We can move, live, and grow in new and surprising ways, always following the footsteps of Jesus.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• Of what (or who) are you judgmental these days?

• What does it take to get your attention: a gentle appeal or a demonstrative command?

Daily Challenge

Take time today to pray on your knees. If your body will not allow you to do this, then as you pray, imagine yourself on your knees in prayer. As you humble yourself before God, be attentive to the feelings that arise in you.

It's not easy to wake from sleep - July 20

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Joshua 7:1-13; Rom. 13:8-14; Matt. 26:36-46

…it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11b-12)

As I sit this morning, the words “wake from sleep” are calling to me. And it’s more than splashing my face with cool water or hugging a family member at the start of the day. This action of waking up is presented in the shadow of the apostle Paul’s retelling of the law of God: love does no wrong to a neighbor.

Paul was really good at presenting these summoning messages to peoples spread all across the Mediterranean. He recounted the laws of God, and then cast an image of what a faithful response to living into this new age of the Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. In this section of Romans, Paul advised those receiving his letter about living faithfully with God.

I sit here wide awake, and yet I wonder how spiritually groggy I am about living into loving my neighbor as myself. It’s not that I fear I’ve settled into a secret life of debauchery or licentiousness, but what other works of darkness have been swallowing me up? Denial, fear, distraction, dissatisfaction…

The disciples battled with sleeping through critical times, too. In Matthew’s account of Jesus praying at Gethsemane, he entreated his friends Peter, James, and John to stay awake as he (Jesus) prays in the garden, wrestling with fear and dread. Peter and the Zebedee sons keep nodding off.

And so, as I reflect on this Monday, what is the invitation extended to you and to me in this call to stir from slumber? Paul’s letter to the Romans says to “put on the armor of light”…and then, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”. This is a reminder of our baptism, in which we are renewed with a new garment, a new name, a new boldness. And what about Jesus? What does Jesus invite us to do? He tells his friends, “Get up, let us be going…” as he points out the truth of the betrayal and sin around them.

On this Monday, let us be roused from drowsiness, embrace the gifts of love and hope in baptism, and stand up. Let us address truth and sin. It won’t be easy, and Jesus is with us.

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

• What "works of darkness" drag you down?

• What inspires and wakes you up?

Daily Challenge

Think of a smell, taste or touch that heightens your awareness. Reflect on what that experience does for you and pray that God opens your eyes to love more boldly today.

Starving for Jesus - July 18

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 30, 32; PM Psalm 42, 43; Joshua 6:1-14; Rom. 13:1-7; Matt. 26:26-35

My first thought when I read today’s gospel passage where we hear the words of institution by Jesus at the Last Supper was “Oh! How I have missed hearing these words in church at the Service of the Table for communion!” And my next thought was about Peter and how deeply I connect with his longing to do the right thing, yet his inability to follow through. That’s me. That’s all of us. I sat with this gospel passage to let it settle in with me prayerfully and then it struck me. We are starving for Jesus.

Who knew the last communion we would experience together in person would have been four months ago? We still have spiritual communion and are connected through Christ, even though we are missing all that we share through face-to-face connection. And I’m here to tell you, the Church is still open, regardless of the doors being closed and despite the enormous challenges. We’re being fed in ways that might be different, but these new ways are nourishing, nonetheless.

In some weird sense, you could say we started a new diet by fasting. We’ve cut out everything as we know it and added back only the essential nutrients of worship and discipleship.

We are feasting on the Word now more than ever in our practice of praying the Daily Office. The daily engagement of scripture and prayer is my bread of life right now. I am surprised how fulfilling digital ministry has been for me, and my sense for so many of you who continue staying connected. It provides a crucial connection point with Jesus and our community.

An important component of the Daily Office is the Confession of Sin. Like Peter, we turn our backs on Jesus and often come up short. We fall short with our family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. Confession and reconciliation restore us to Christ and each other, and give us sustenance.

As we are fed, we share what we have with others. At my seminary, our Cross is outside the chapel as a reminder that Christ is out in the world among the hungry, and we are called to get out of the church building to feed God’s people. I think St. Stephen’s is doing a darn good job of being the Church out in the world, nurturing the needs of our own members, as well as the ongoing needs of the vulnerable and marginalized. 

Like you, I am craving the time when we can share the meal of communion as a community gathered together. Trust me, the clergy and staff are brilliantly creative in their efforts to make this a new possibility. It will be different, and we don’t know when that day will come, but it will be the sweetest communion you’ve ever shared. In the meantime, they are cooking up some new ways to connect so that St. Stephen’s can be and do Church in ways that satisfy our deep hunger and bring us communion with Jesus and each other wherever we are.

 -- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

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: In what surprising ways are you being fed? What are you hungry for lately?

Daily Challenge: Give special attention to the Confession of Sin and The General Thanksgiving found in the Book of Common Prayer under Morning Prayer.

Can't We All Just Get Along, Leaning into Conflict - July 17

“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another

with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:9)

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 31; PM Psalm 35; Joshua 4:19-5:1,10-15; Rom. 12:9-21; Matt. 26:17-25 

Can’t we all just get along?! As someone who tends to avoid conflict, this plea by Rodney King during the 1992 Los Angeles riots resonates with me. I am happiest when everyone is living in harmony. But getting along and living in harmony doesn’t just happen. I admire King for his efforts in trying to bring about peace and seeing that the violence was destroying their community. His appeal for peace continued with these words, “Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out. Let’s try to beat it.” There’s some wisdom to uncover here.

Avoiding conflict is dysfunctional. Trying to work it out is absolutely what’s needed for us to get along and this requires intentional effort. The intentional effort of trying to work it out becomes more than getting along, but peacemaking. And the hard work of peacemaking is what our world needs. But since we all seem to have our minds made up already, practically speaking…how do we do this hard work of peacemaking?

I’m afraid it’s going to require a willingness to engage conflict rather than shutting people out who have different ideas or beliefs. For example, how can we reimagine schools, colleges & universities, and seminaries functioning in a few weeks with the Covid-19 cases and death tolls rising? We can’t just get along or avoid conflict on this issue. We have to engage in trying to work it out. Even the seemingly simple matter of wearing or not wearing a mask becomes a volatile issue because we can’t seem to agree on that one decision – though it’s being mandated. So, what’s it gonna take for us to lean into conflict and learn to get along?

The Wednesday Bible Study has been having some real talk lately about life and our everyday struggles to get along, and how Paul’s message fits in. Discussing the meaning of love was especially beneficial for all of us. Love is more than an emotion that we feel. It involves being and doing. We determined that liking everyone is not necessary, but we do have to know how to love people in the way that God commands which is agape love. Agape love is unconditional and involves patience, kindness, humility, grace, generosity, truth, hospitality, and hope. Agape love is eternal and draws us near to God.

What Paul is preaching is how to fully participate in God’s mission for the world. For this mission to work in our communities and world, it’s like any successful relationship which involves 100% mutual participation - not 50/50 meeting halfway in the middle - but going all the way with full participation. What Paul is preaching - with all the Do’s and Don’t’s of the Romans passage - is to lean into the conflict of things (and this is very much easier said than done). He’s calling for a decentering of ourselves in exchange for centering God. Let God’s love guide our thoughts, words, and actions. This takes time and effort. In fact, this peacemaking is a life-long practice.

Here’s the clincher. God is at the heart of each of us, not just me and you, but every person. The experience of living fully engaged with one another in agape love allows us to experience our shared life in the Spirit. Sharing our lives and participating in God’s mission collectively changes our hearts by opening them to the love of God that dwells among me and you and everyone else, rather than shutting each other out. Can we let go of our personal ego, lean into conflict together through agape love, and allow God to draw our hearts closer together for peacemaking? Can’t we all just get along?!

-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

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: Are you a conflict avoider or do you lean into conflict? What is one conflict you would like to engage?

Daily Challenge: Think of someone who is hard for you to love. Now think of that person as a beloved child of God, made by God in God’s image and made for love, creativity, beauty, and goodness. Pray for this person today.

Bold Beauty - July 16

“…a woman came to (Jesus) with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment,

and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table.” (Matthew 26:7)

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 37:1-18; PM Psalm 37:19-42; Joshua 3:14-4:7; Rom. 12:1-8; Matt. 26:1-16 

What comes to mind when you hear the word “beauty?” How would you describe beauty?

I see an example of beauty in a broken shell. It reminds me of combing the beach with my daughter, Kat, when she was a little girl, and my mother. When Kat collected her bucket full of broken pieces of shells, Mama and I glanced at each other in confusion because we have only picked up (mostly) whole shells. Kat exclaims that they’re ALL beautiful, even the broken ones, and she shows us the colors, patterns, and textures she sees, even in their brokenness. There’s beauty in brokenness, beauty in this memory of loving and binding relationship, and beauty in God’s creation. Beauty is all around us.

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes in every part of life. It can engage any of the five senses and be experienced through the full range of emotions. Beauty is shared and experienced through the mind, body, and soul, and it has a way of cracking our hearts open. When our hearts are open, Beauty ennobles us to think, to take action, and is often beyond words. I have come to recognize Beauty as sacred and transcendent. This morning’s gospel passage captures bold beauty.

Just outside the scene, there’s surging energy with people gathering from far and wide for the Passover festival at the Temple. Riots are not unusual during the time of the festival and emotions are raging more intensely from within the palace of the high priest as they conspire to arrest and crucify Jesus. Jesus knows he will soon be put to death and this woman who is not named and does not speak apparently knows also. As a woman, she takes a risk and approaches him boldly with her extravagant offering of ointment. While oil and water would have been acceptable, the woman chooses very costly ointment and she uses it lavishly by pouring it generously on his head. Though she doesn’t speak, she doesn’t need to in order to participate in his suffering and mission of love and service to others. I sense that her heart is broken. She is moved to give this gesture used for burial and fully present to this intimate and important moment with Jesus, amidst all the distractions beyond them. Her actions and presence speak for her. And Jesus receives her offering, even defends her offering by lifting her as an example of self-sacrificing love and service that they must continue after his death and resurrection. This is bold beauty.

Now… Consider 2020 which is not unlike the scene in Bethany Village outside Jerusalem with heightened emotions and tensions.  We’re suffering the loss of human contact and the death of our dreams for graduations, birthday celebrations, weddings, vacations, concerts, and so many other hopes we’ve envisioned, not to mention devastating death tolls being caused from the social, environmental, economic, and physical ills of our communities and nation. And we’re reimagining life looking ahead.

It’s part of the human condition to experience suffering, loss, and death, and these experiences make us vulnerable and break our hearts. But through the cracks, our suffering opens our hearts to Beauty. Beauty is a reflection of God and Beauty heals. We all could use some bold Beauty in our lives right now!

-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

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 define beauty?

Daily Challenge: Look for beauty today. Describe it in detail and notice how it makes you feel and how it reflects the nature of God to you.

Bridges of Connection - July 15

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 38; PM Psalm 119:25-48; Joshua 3:1-13; Rom. 11:25-36; Matt. 25:31-46

An icebreaker I use frequently with events is a game called “this or that” where I’ll draw a line down the middle of the room and present a variety of pairs, and the participants choose a side based on their preference for either “this or that.” Here’s a couple examples, snacks that are salty or sweet? Read a book or go to a party? The goal is to mix and mingle and have fun. The stakes are low. But what about the choice between Auburn or Alabama? Still pretty low stakes, but emotions emerge around your side being the right and best side. I’d never ask the following question because it’s too risky…Republican or Democrat? I mean, can we even be friends if we’re not on the same side? I say that with a fair amount of sarcasm, but we all know that politics often create a harsh line that can damage relationships – sometimes beyond repair. With or without politics, the year 2020 has given us plenty of choices that separate us between “this or that” side – drawing sides between who’s right, who’s wrong? Who’s in, who’s out?

I’m hearing a similar theme of who belongs and who doesn’t across all the readings from today. In Joshua, we hear that God is driving out the Non-Israelites as the Israelites cross the Jordan carrying the Ark of the Covenant. In Matthew, we hear Jesus describe the judgment of nations and the separation of the good from the bad. In Romans, we hear “a hardening has come upon part of Israel” (11:25) that divides some from the others based on acceptance of Jesus. There is a distressing sense of chosenness and rejection, and it seems to be based on God’s judgment. But if we take a closer look, there’s hope! The Psalmist encourages us, “Behold, I long for your commandments; in your righteousness preserve my life” (Ps. 119:40). Righteousness is being in right relationship with God through the commandments and God offers us a timeless and life-giving bridge of connection through living in covenantal relationship.

From Joshua, the Ark of the Covenant represents the presence of God with the Israelites because it contains The Law – which is the bridge that keeps us in right relationship with God and our neighbor.  In Matthew, Jesus tells us that by serving others we serve Jesus himself. And Paul writes that God’s mercy is for all people of all time and places, and God calls each of us to participate in this mission of salvation for the whole world. These are bridges of covenant with God. There are other bridges that connect us, also, such as communion and prayer. Each invites confession and reconciliation to restore broken bridges; this can sometimes be the most difficult and yet fruitful kind of bridge. Each also invites intercession, praise, and thanksgiving for the abundant and universal gifts of mercy, love, and grace that keep us connected.

I don’t know about you, but I’m longing for connection rather than separation. God invites us into relationship and life in Christ. Contact a loved one to check in. Better yet, consider someone who challenges you from “that side” and ask God to soften your heart towards them. Find a way to connect with nature. There are many options to explore and I encourage you to build a bridge of connection in some way this week.

-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

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. 

Question: In what ways do you feel separated? connected?

Daily Challenge: Many bridges exist. What bridge are you approaching…does it need repair in any way? Does it involve others in any way? Does it offer a way to connection for someone else? Take steps towards building a bridge this week.

Who is that Broad? - July 14

Today’s Readings:AM Psalm 26, 28; PM Psalm 36, 39; Joshua 2:15-24; Rom. 11:13-24; Matt. 25:14-30

I was excited to see what I drew for this week’s readings and the story of Rahab appeared from the book of Joshua. I’m not going to pass up a chance to highlight a prostitute as an unlikely Biblical hero and I’m very curious about what Rahab is up to. I’m reflecting on the whole chapter 2 of Joshua for today’s reflection, which includes yesterday’s passage along with today’s for the complete story of Rahab. So who is this Rahab broad? There are very few women who are named in the Old Testament, but here we have Rahab, a non-Israelite (she’s a Canaanite) and a prostitute. These descriptors introduce us to Rahab, but what makes her important enough to be named?

Joshua is preparing to conquer Jericho as part of his mission to bring the Israelites to the Promised Land of Canaan. In doing so, he sends two spies to scope out Jericho and the first verse says that they go to the house of the prostitute named Rahab and spend the night there. Not much is left to the imagination here. While I don’t think their sexual escapades are the point, I do wonder why they choose Rahab, the prostitute.

Prostitutes in this Hebrew context are neither protected by nor under the authority of a husband, living on the outskirts of town and most active under the darkness of night. Prostitution thrives with an imbalance of power, resulting in prostitutes being desired, yet shunned. So Rahab is someone who is living on the margins of society, both physically and socially, with unconventional freedom. As such, Rahab has a unique and complex allure.

Now, I wonder why Rahab takes such a high risk to protect and assist the Israelite spies. She cleverly outsmarts the king of Jericho, sending the king’s men on a wild goose chase in search of the spies. Perhaps she is tired of being the town prostitute and living at the bottom of society - or tired of being identified as someone who lacks wisdom or morals. Perhaps she feels she has nothing to lose.  The text does not tell us what we might be assuming about her motivations.

What the text does tell us is that this misfit Canaanite is faithful to God. The Canaanites have heard about the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and their hearts are “melting” with fear and knowledge of the Lord’s presence with them, proclaiming, “The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below” (2:11). In this moment she is claiming her faith.

Another interesting part of her identity is Rahab’s name, which translates to mean “broad” in Hebrew. That’s befitting for a prostitute as a slur. But she is so much more than a prostitute; she is wise and faithful. Rahab broadens the boundaries between the insiders and outsiders of the covenant by facilitating the destruction of the line that divides the Israelites and the Canaanites. She aides their mission and makes an oath with the spies who are able to safely return to Joshua with the news that the Lord has given the Promised Land to the Israelites. Her decisive action to assist the spies through her faith in God makes her vital to the success of Israel’s inheritance of the promise God made to their ancestors.

This female, outcast, “broad” of Jericho discerns God’s will through wisdom and chooses to follow God’s mission through her faith. Rahab not only knows who she is, but more importantly, she knows WHOSE she is. She belongs to God and is faithful to God. That is her true identity and purpose!

-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

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

• When have you been surprised by someone else’s faith?

• When have you risked for faith?

Daily Challenge

Identify someone or a group who is marginalized and investigate something new you might learn from them.

Practicing Love and Light - July 13

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9, 15; Joshua 2:1-14; Rom. 11:1-12; Matt. 25:1-13

It’s summertime, 1984, and I’m all set to go to college in the fall. My parents have said I’ve been a pretty easy kid to raise and I have plenty of friends. I’ve made good grades, been active in church, and mostly stayed out of trouble my whole life through high school. I’m not perfect, but I’ve had a pretty easy time growing up thus far. As the time for moving to college gets closer, people frequently ask if I am ready, to which I reply with a hearty YES! This is the “before times” and my lamp is filled with oil. What I am not ready for, is how to keep my lamp filled. As I begin college, I’m pretty certain I have my life under control. I’m not mad at God, I just feel like I’m fine on my own. My selfish behaviors during the next few years determine that I am foolish. Thankfully, this isn’t my last chance to fill my lamp.

The gospel passage from this morning is a continuing conversation between the disciples and Jesus about the “end times”, aka, the second coming of Christ in the age to come. Jesus knows he will soon die and be resurrected, the temple will be destructed, and there will be much loss and suffering. He has been presenting himself to the disciples as a sign of the Kingdom of Heaven present both now and in the end times. He’s teaching them how to prepare by saying - watch me now and do as I do, and you will know the Kingdom of Heaven. He’s showing them how they will keep their lamps filled with oil. Jesus tells the disciples to “keep awake!”, for we do not know when the time will come. The point here is not that we have to know when, but to be ready.

Jesus has spent his whole ministry teaching his followers how to be ready. Most simply stated, being ready is the ongoing practice of decentering ourselves by loving God and loving our neighbors with our whole heart. Being generous with love is how the wise maidens keep the oil replenished in their lamps. Someone else cannot share our love for us – as the foolish maidens request – we each have to share our own Love and Light, and that’s often easier said than done. By loving others, especially those who are hardest for us to love, we are embodying the love of Christ in this world and hastening the Kingdom of Heaven.

Are we ready for the end times? That’s a super scary question! During the Eucharistic prayers, we proclaim the mystery of faith, saying “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!” The early church was expecting the return of Christ to be imminent, but we are still waiting for the time when Christ will come again. This is part of our Christian hope, a glorious time when God will be all in all. We are striving for this even now.

Being either a wise or foolish maiden is too dualistic for me. I’m both on any given day. We don’t know when the time will come, but if we’re accepting the teachings of Jesus, we know what to do. Though we mess up along the way, it’s ultimately HOW we live out our lives through faith in Christ that prepares us.

-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian

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 if Jesus was talking to you today, preparing you for the Kingdom of Heaven…in what ways are you being wise and foolish?

Daily Challenge

Think about a favorite scripture passage that describes what it means to be Christ-like and connect how you embody that text through your life.

Did you see Jesus in the Gorilla costume?

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 20, 21:1-7(8-14); PM Psalm 110:1-5(6-7), 116, 117Deut. 34:1-12; Rom. 10:14-21; Matt. 24:32-51

Have you participated in the experiment where you are asked to count in a video the number of times the people wearing white shirts pass a basketball?  It is a famous psychological test called the “Selective Attention Test.”   The premise is there are six people and three are wearing white shirts.  Two basketballs are introduced, and the people weave in and out of a circle passing the balls.  You are supposed to count how many times the people wearing white shirts pass the ball. Most people get the correct answer, which in the video I saw was fifteen times in the forty-five seconds or so.

But that is not what the test is really measuring.  In the middle of the video, a person in a large gorilla costume walks right across the screen.  Weird, right?  Here is what is even weirder: only thirty percent of people notice the gorilla.  Seven out of ten people completely miss a person in a large gorilla suit walking directly across a screen with basketballs being thrown around the gorilla!  And those people are paying attention!

This puts an interesting twist, on Today’s Gospel when Jesus tells the disciples to “Keep awake for they do not know when the Lord is coming.”  The Gospel of Matthew uses the image of a thief coming in the middle of the night. The disciples are supposed to be vigilant.  What if they are waiting for the Lord and a giant gorilla walks right by and they miss all the fun.  I’m being facetious, but think it’s worthy of consideration, that we sometimes might be so focused that we miss the real beauty of waiting.   What if the disciples were vigilant, but they were focused on the wrong stuff? 

As Episcopalian or Anglican thought has it, we often live very much in both/and world.  We wait for the Kingdom to come, and yet we proclaim that it has also arrived. We wait for Jesus, and yet we know that Jesus is present.  I wonder sometimes if we miss some of the beauty of God’s world coming to live in our midst.  Stories of hope, love, reconciliation, resurrection, joy, peace, and grace because we are bogged down looking for something else.  What would you see if you weren’t trying so hard to count the number of times a basketball is passed or something else hyper-focused?  Would you see Jesus walk by in a Gorilla suit or something even more extraordinary?  

-       John+

Questions for Self-Reflection

• Are there specific things that you seem to focus on in life?  Maybe to count, or observe, or pay attention to?

Daily Challenge

If you are out today going to a store or walking in your neighborhood, and the place if familiar, try to find five things that you have never noticed before.

The Creepy Jesus Vibe - July 10

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 16, 17; PM Psalm 22; Deut. 31:7-13,24-32:4; Rom 10:1-13; Matt. 24:15-31

When I was a youth minister, someone gave me this cartoon that hung out on one of my bulletin boards for several years.  It said, “I like that Jesus guy, but his followers sure give me the creeps.”  What is it about followers of Jesus?  We are all just that, and yet, let’s be real, we don’t want to give off too much of the creepy Jesus vibe. 

Now Jesus is not only my life but my profession.  I don’t just try to follow Jesus, but it is my calling to lead others to his radical way of love.  And yet, I am writing about the creepy Jesus vibe, and my hunch is you all know what I am talking about.  It’s that phrase in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.”  Ouch, Paul!  They love God, but they don’t know what they are doing?  Paul continues, “For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness.” In my own language, they care more about loving God than living into God’s radical way of love.

I am wondering if part of what that creepy Jesus vibe is living into that nasty temptation to love God more than to love what God is inviting us into: a way of living with God through love.  And I wonder if that is what Paul is pointing us to in his Epistle to the Roman people. I saw a story recently of people sharing images of Christians yelling hateful things at other people.  In many places in the world, I suspect this is how we are perceived to be, people obsessed with telling others how they are doing it all wrong instead of people who live a way of service, love, humility, empathy, and compassion.  And I am wondering if all of that stems from glorifying Jesus above glorifying what God is inviting us into: that is the radical way of love. We become more obsessed with our love of Jesus then the life that flows from his love.

I love the point Paul makes towards the end of this passage – “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.” I think we get it right when we see all people as children of God, and when we lose the judgment and move to love.  Maybe it’s how we can be followers of Jesus and drop the creepy vibe part too.

 -       John+

 Questions for Self-Reflections

• Are there parts of the Christian faith that bother you? 

• What about as your identity as a Christian?

Daily Challenge

Today, pay attention and notice when you are judging others.  We likely all do it, but paying attention and naming it may be the key to learning to suspend judgment.