Canonized Contradictions

Repost from 11/20/18

I may have mentioned this before, but have you ever noticed in Proverbs the following two verses?

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.  Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. (Proverbs 26:4-5)

I'm reading Inspired by Rachel Held Evans.  She quotes Timothy Beal as saying, "The Bible canonizes contradiction."  

We want answers.  We think we would like God to say, "Do this, not this.  Be this, not this. Here I am, and here are all the answers." God doesn't work that way, and the Bible certainly doesn't work that way.

She goes on to say:

"When God gave us the Bible, God did not give us an internally consistent book of answers.  God gave us an inspired library of diverse writings, rooted in a variety of contexts, that have stood the test of time, precisely because, together, they avoid simplistic solutions to complex problems."

I think we can rest assured that if we think the answer is clear cut or simple, we are wrong.

Sinner

Reposted from 5/30/17

These were the people who wore their brokenness on the outside, people whose indiscretions were so other, so uncommon, their entire personhood was relegated to the category of sinner.  They were the people the religious loved to hate, for they provided a convenient sorting mechanism for externalizing sin as something that exists out there, among other people with other problems, making other mistakes.  (Searching for Sunday, Rachel Held Evans).

Have you ever been in the hospital and heard someone refer to a patient as the "infected arm in room 201"?  I think some nurses and doctors might do that in order to stay detached from the patient.  It's easier, isn't it? To see the patient as only the aliment instead of a person?

What Rachel Held Evans is talking about is a little of that, but it also includes something much for sinister, much more sinful.

Do we see a person and judge them by the sin we believe they have, rather than seeing the person? Do we do that in order to feel better about ourselves?

If I call the person in front of me an addict, am I saying - at least subliminally - that "I don't sin like that."

If we see label a parent as a "poor mother," - because in our eyes, her children aren't behaving the way we would expect them to, or she isn't doing what we think she should be doing - are we feeling better about ourselves?

When the Pharisees scoffed, and called someone a prostitute, or a tax collector, or an unclean leper, did it make them feel better?

At least I'm not like that person.

The Wind Blows Where it Chooses

Repost from 7/5/17

"The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

I think that verse is one of those lovely verses in John that we know must be true, but we just don't take the time to know what it means. At least for me, this is true. I've read it, but I"m always distracted by the rest of the very lovely chapter, and I don't think about this verse.

This morning, I was reading a chapter from Rachel Held Evans book, Searching for Sunday; she was writing about this verse. Jesus is trying to explain -- well -- everything to Nicodemus, and Nic isn't getting it. So, finally, Jesus tells him to compare the spirit to the wind - in fact, he uses a word that means both spirit and wind. 

Think about it. You see the work of God in the world, if you will look, but like hearing the wind, you don't know where God comes from, where God is going. You can't predict the wind (or God); you can't control the wind (or God). Even though we try.

If we look, we will see the work of God everywhere. Evans says we will recognize God's work by the fruit - fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Where have you seen those lately?

A few days ago, I was driving to work, and I saw a turtle trying to cross the road. In our impatient world,  no one is going to wait for the turtle to cross the road, or even notice that it is there. A turtle crossing the road is going to die. Horribly (for the turtle). I often just drive by, in a hurry to get where I cam going and do what I need to do, but today, I stopped and turned around. I was going to get the turtle out of the road.

As I was driving back to the turtle crossing, I saw a very large, black SUV coming down the road, right at the poor, slow turtle. Surprising to me, it stopped, right before it hit the turtle. A large (by large, I mean tall, athletic, young) man stepped out of the car. He rescued the turtle.

Kindness, right in front of me. 

The spirit moving. 

It wasn't a bit thing (unless you were the turtle), but maybe it was a big thing. Maybe it was God at work in that man's life, and in my life, to make himself known.

The wind blows where it chooses.

Woman of Valor

I was so saddened to hear of the death of Rachel Held Evans (RHE).  I've read three of her four books, and watched on twitter as she stood up for those who are oppressed, forgotten, hurting.  I was inspired by her, and learned from her. I will miss her voice, but so will the world.  

One of the phrases I remember from the book, A year of Biblical Womanhood was "woman of valor." It answered my concerns about Proverbs 31, and I still remember and am blessed by her explanation.  Many today are calling her a "woman of valor." And I agree.

This week my posts will focus on RHE.  I will bring back some of the writing I did earlier, but today is new.

Below is where my mind was wondering as I thought about the phrase woman of valor.  These are four sketches of four woman. One of them is RHE.  I hope you see yourself in some of this, because, you, too, are a woman of valor.

She works hard during the day,

answering questions,

typing reports,

bringing together those who disagree.

On the way home,

she stops at the field

to pick up her son from practice.

She grabs carrots, cereal, and milk,

and then, with the help of all,

fixes dinner.

Homework, dishes, baths, 

all a coordinated effort.

She is a woman of valor.

She sits by the side of her elderly husband,

holds his hands.

She tells him stories of their lives together,

stories he doesn't remember.

She is alone in the memories,

but sits with him,

so that he is not alone.

She cries, she hurts, she loves.

She misses him already.

She is a woman of valor.

She married, had two babies

She wrote four books,

Questioning, living, searching, inspiring.

She blogged. She tweeted. She taught.

She stood up for the oppressed,

escaped the church that she loved and couldn't support,

led others to freedom.

She invited everyone to the table,

sharing faith.  Pointing to God.

She died too soon.

She was a woman of valor.

She served others all her life.

Preaching the word of God.

Teaching forgiveness and grace.

She hardends herself against the arrows of prejudice.

She welcomes the homeless, and loves the grouchy.

She feeds people bread and juice, soup and peanut butter sandwiches.

People call her "woman preacher" on a good day.

"Sinner" on the worst days.

But she has a call, and she told God "yes."

She is a woman of valor.

Whether you work with wool or flax,

bring food from afar,

buy fields or stay up late at night.

Listen to others sing of your valor.

Whether you are a soccer mom, or a single woman,

a woman is is never alone, or one who is lonely, or both.

share your gifts

speak your mind

stand up for those who are hurting.

You are worthy.

You are a beloved child of God.

You are a woman of valor.

Hear us sing about you.