the Temple of God

1Corinthians 3:13 You realize don't you that you are the Temple of God, and God Himself is present in you?

What does it mean to be God's Temple? God is the source of the sacred fire burning within me that brings me life. But that fire must be tended, and the Temple cared for if it is to be a place where God's Presence can shine like a light into the world. So I need to tend to the fire, the spirit within, through all my spiritual practices -- like this reading and writing, like my contemplative practices and being part of a supportive community. And I need to tend the Temple by keeping it in good repair attending to its needs, providing the right fuel so all of its systems run effectively.

My church recently completed a renovation of our Parish Hall. It took literally years to get the right plan executed. At first the plans were grandiose--a big expansion of our footprint and a huge budget. What we ended up with was no increase in actual floor space, but a well designed much less expensive and more efficient use of the space we have. And now the electricity works, the systems are reliable, the windows open -- it's a beautifully designed but simply executed space that really addresses the congregations' needs. Our bodies are the same way. They need the right fuel -- good healthy food -- and environment -- physical and lots of fresh air -- in order to be healthy so that we can carry out God's work. We need to get our systems checked periodically and address issues before they get serious if we can. Our bodies are the Temples of God and need to be treated with respect.

Prayer: Dear God, Holiday times are indulgent times, yet I know that's not always best for my body. Help me keep in mind that I am your Temple when I make choices this holiday season. Amen

Faith expressed in Love

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

Here we are finally in the New Testament and back to Eugene Peterson's vigorous translation, The Message. Since we are going through the Bible roughly in the order it was written, however, we are not starting with the Gospels, but with Paul's letters, which were the first Christian documents circulated. Galatians is understood to be the oldest.

Paul is telling us what freedom in Christ means. It doesn't mean doing whatever we want, licentiousness or seeking only our own pleasure, but it's not about the rules either. Rules can only affect our outward behavior, but faith in Christ changes us from within. This faith, expressed in love, then guides our actions, transforms our desires so that at times we joyfullly follow the rules as the best way to express that faith-love, and at times we break them to serve that same expression. It's no longer about the rules at all! We are driven by true freedom, a freedom to love extravagantly all whom we meet, a freedom that brings joy, serenity, loving compassion

Paul compares the results to the fruit of a well-tended tree (5:22), gifts that are the natural result of living a faith filled life. He also describes the dangers of a self-filled life (5:19-20) which in Eugene Peterson's vivid contemporary language sounds like a list of all the ills society now struggles with. In fact, he describes this life of "trying to get your own way all the time" (5:19) as a sort of compulsion, an addiction that wants more and more of whatever it is --- sex, food, drink, money or material goods -- compulsively, because these are not what is ultimately satisfying. The life of the spirit, lived in the freedom of Chirst, begets a life of peace, serenity and joy, precisely because it satisfies our deepest needs as human beings.

My son says -- he's 22 -- that in fact, it is therefore a selfish choice to follow Jesus, becuase it really is in my own best interest, and I would have to agree. It is the ultimate selfishness to live a faithful life, filled with joy and peace and community, but paradoxically, we achieve it by withdrawing from self-interest and pursuits of the fulfillment of our material appetities. It says in the prayer book about Jesus, "His service is perfect freedom." That is the central paradox of Christianity: submit to Christ and find true freedom. There's a Rumi ppoem that describes this paradox as a cool fountain on one side and a pit of fire on the other. Those who go into the fountain, find themselves inthe fire and vice versa. If we try to avoid what is difficult, surrender ourselves to rules and externals, even a person or leader, we only find ourselves in more difficulty. Of such leaders, Paul says, "They want to shut you out of the free world of God's grace, so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important." (4:17) All such submission is slavery and contrary to Christ's call.

Christ has set us free. Live life as a glorious dance with Spirit, faith expressed as love. By blessing others with our care and service, we send out waves of love that touch lives we don't even know about in a never ending cycle of love and compassion, bringing about the Kingdom of God right here on earth.

Prayer: Dear God, I am earnestly seeking my role in the establishment of Your Kingdom on earth. Guide me to that unique expression for which you have called me and teach me to surrender all that I am to that vision when I have found it. Amen.

You have need of nothing

2 Maccabees 14:35 O Lord of all though you have need of nothing, you were pleased that there should be a temple for your habitation among us.

The Supreme Lord has need of nothing. God is Presence everywhere and doesn't need a roof, a place to sleep, a place to hang out. We build our temples, our churches, our mosques, for ourselves, to set aside sacred space apart from our daily lives so that we can take the time and the space necessary to experience the Presence of God. Even though God is with us always, as close as our breath, that realization, that understanding, is hard to stay connected with in the hustle and bustle. So we set aside space and time to put away all our material cares and needs and allow ourselves to be Present with God.

The danger is that we begin to mistake the place that we have put aside for God, for God Himself. We start to treat the temple, the church, the mosque as the Divine Presence Itself. It is there to remind us, to support us in opening up to Presence. It can never stand in for it. Yet this is a mistake people make over and over again. In Islam, they don't allow any representations of human beings or animals in their mosques for fear of just this error. The iconoclasts of early Christianity destroyed icons because they felt the icons were themselves being worshiped. Icons are meant to be windows opening to the divine; it's not the window that is important, it's what the window allows you, or invites you, to see. The Buddhists say that their teachings are a finger pointing to the moon. We get caught up examining the finger and what it means instead of following its direction and looking at the moon it points to. So with all discussions, explanations and representations -- even this blog! None of it has value in itself, but only insofar as it draws us toward a realization of the Divine Presence that is always available.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for this forum to speak of you to others. Let me never be confused about where Truth lives and mistake the messenger for the Message. Amen

The spirit was rekindled

1Maccabees 13:7 The spirit of the people was rekindled when they heard these words.

What a difference a few words of encouragement can make! In this instance, Simon was encouraging the people of Judah, after the death of his brother Jonathon, the second Maccabee brother to take the leadership position and die trying. He has just reassured them that he will carry on the work of his family.

I have experienced a rekindling of my spirit lately. I have been working to increase my practice through some outside marketing, and I am not the world's best businessperson. I find it easy to become discouraged or confused or overwhelmed -- it is just not my bailiwick! Several weeks ago, I was finding myself dreading Monday mornings, not experiencing the usual uplift I do after my Sunday Sabbath rest. I was feeling the pinch of needing to generate more income, along with a feeling of hopelessness that I could actually accomplish this task. I have set off on marketing junkets before, but they have never gotten very far. This time, I was referred to a group, the Job Club, which was meeting at a nearby Church. I was intimidated the first couple of meetings, but several weeks later, I am feeling energized, and capable, and more than that, I am actually getting some stuff done! There is nothing like going into a room with a tentative idea, offering it up and getting back, "That's a great idea!" along with 10 tactics for moving it along. WOW! I have been running like crazy (mostly on my computer), busy creating and checking off lists of tasks, and really moving the whole process forward. What's more, I am eagerly looking forward to the next step! That tells me I am finding the right focus, that the Spirit is energizing me because my purpose is in line with my spiritual purpose, with God's purpose for me. I welcome my day of rest, but also wake on Monday excited about the week to come, all God wants me to offer the world and the various ways I am figuring out to let people know about it. And a great deal of the credit goes to this small, faithful community that has gathered around me (as I have gathered with them for each of us), where I have learned I have something to offer others in their pursuit of work and purpose, as well as coming to understand what God calls me to give to the world. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Dear God, Thank you for the faithfulness of this small community, for their support in helping me move my business forward in such a positive way. As I seek to live more and more in Your Kingdom, I ask your continued guidance that the choices I make, the services I offer will further your work in the world. Amen.

They did not believe

1Maccabees 10:46 When Jonathon and the people heard these words, they did not believe or accept them because they remembered the great wrongs that Demetrius had done them in Israel and how much he had oppressed them.

These Maccabees -- it's just battle after battle! This little turn of events interested me, however. The Israelites have just received an amazingly generous offer from one of their enemies seeking an alliance. He wants no tribute, will free all captives and offers to pay for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. But the Jewish people don't buy it. History tells them they can't trust these honeyed words. And it turns out, they are absolutely right!

How often am I taken in by sweet words, promises about the future that don't reflect the reality of past behavior? Or just by stuff that sounds too good to be true? It's not that people can't change; they can, but it's hard and incremental, and until you can see the changes in someone's behavior, even the beginnings of changes, all the promises in the world are just smoke.

And am I guilty of the same behavior? Making promises, even with the best of intentions, that I can't deliver on? Saying what feels good, or makes me looks good, or appeases others, but not what I really mean or believe or can actually make happen? I know that I believe too easily in others' good intentions, but perhaps I also believe too easily in my own. Can I be straightforward and honest at times it would be easier just to go along with the momentum? Or do I set other people up to be exploited, or disappointed, by my too glib promises?

Prayer: Dear God, Help me discern a person's genuine capacity to follow through on their commitments. At the same time, make me more honest in my own promises and commitments. Help me resist the easy promise that doesn't fit with my actual desires or intentions. Make me fearless in speaking the truth, the truth tempered with compassion. Amen

Let us make a name for ourselves

1Maccabees 5:57 So they said, "let us also make a name for ourselves: let us go and make war on the gentiles around us."

1Maccabees was written in the second century B.C.E. and describes the revolt of the Jewish people under the leadership of Matathias and his five sons, the most famous of whom is Judas Maccabeus. The soldiers speaking in the above quote have been duly impressed by Judas' astonishing victories over forces five to ten times as numerous as his own. They are stirred to imitate him. Unfortunately, their intentions are way off. They are not following God, but instead seeking their own glory. As a result, they are doomed to failure.

I think I spent the first half of my life going after the glory. It wasn't fame per se, necessarily, that I was aiming for. I was never particularly ruthless in my ambition, and I imagined there would be benefits to others, but it wasn't about them, it was for me. It was to gratify that inner longing to be seen and recognized. What I didn't understand, and am now just beginning to, is that seeking one's reknown, seeking to be known by the world, seeking to be seen and acknowledged by the people around us does not lead, ultimately, to the most rewarding life. I am very impressed when I come across younger people who have already figured this out. The most rewarding life, the one that Jesus of Christianity calls us to, is to live in service to God, to seek first His Kingdom.

I am reading a wonderful book by the Quaker Richard Foster on The Freedom of Simplicity. One point he makes is that outward simplicity begins with inner simplicity and it is this call to seek God first in all things which moves us toward that inner simplicity. If I have one call, one passion, one direction, that is, to seek God's will for me, rather than my will for myself, to seek His Kingdom first and foremost, that is a point of clarification. What things are unnecessary in the light of that intention? What things lose their importance in the light of that one, sacred purpose? He talks about obedience being the avenue to develop true humility, which leads us to the Joy and Peace that Jesus promises us, that God promises us. I don't think it was an accident that the biggest achievement of my career came after I returned to my faith. And even with that grounding, achieving what I had longed for was often powerfully able to pull me off my intentions, to push my focus away from where God was calling me. It's not that we achieve perfectly our purpose; that, frankly, is impossible. It's that, as Thomas Merton says, "I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you." It's an uncertain path, leading through dark woods, but we are led by the light of faith, and in that we must find hope and contentment.

Prayer: Dear God, I have been stumbling and losing my way. The requirements of life, the needs of the world have pulled me away from reaching toward You. Help me to keep my focus clear. Give me the tools to be mindful of You and where You are calling me. Give me insight to discern where I am serving Your Purposes, and where I am not, and give me the strength to say no to all that pulls me away from Your Path. Amen.

I choose

Susanna 23 (Daniel 13:23) I choose not to do it. I will fall into your hands rather than sin in the sight of the Lord.

This short story is one that appears in the Greek translations of Daniel, but not the Hebrew ones, so it is relegated to the Apocrypha. Daniel makes an appearance at the end, which is how it gets associated with his book, and it can be placed right before Daniel (the Daniel that appears is a young man) or directly after. A short and simple story, it describes how two elders of the community lust after the beautiful Susanna and conspire to make her give in to their desire. This quote is how she replies to their threat to accuse her of adultery unless she has sex with them.

How often do I refrain from doing the right thing because I am afraid of the consequences? These elders are hoping to use Susanna's fears about being accused of adultery (a crime punishable by death) to get her to do something she knows is wrong. As I read through this verse, it was as if I knew what it was going to say. Think about it. If she gives in and sleeps with these two guys, who's to say what they'll do? Perhaps they'll keep demanding more and more of her, risking exposure for the wrong she was actually doing. Perhaps they'll betray her, like David's son Amnon did after raping his sister Tamar. Then what would she have gained? Susanna decides to remain true to God and the principles of a God-driven life. Then at least, she can bank on her own innocence in God's sight. If she gives in, she has nothing to count on. This is an example of what I would call Right Action.

I've never had to make such a decision under threat of death as Susanna does, but each day I make little decisions when potential rewards are offered for doing what I feel isn't right, even in small and seemingly insignificant ways. If I can hold onto those principles, hold onto listening to God's call even in those small ways, I can hold onto a kind of integrity of a God centered life. God within, guiding me: this is the call of integrity. As I get older, this call to integrity becomes more and more important to who I am. If I am God's, I must live the integral, whole life that God calls me to. Otherwise, what's it all about? The choice is mine, as it was Susanna's. If I choose to follow God, I will suffer (all living involves suffering) but I will be whole and out of that wholeness comes the capacity to be with my suffering and not have it destroy me. Because God will be there as well, and following his call ensures that I will know and experience His Presence. If I am broken inside, through not living according to God's call to me, if I am split in my loyalties, making decisions based on their effects in my life rather than what is True and Right, then the inevitable suffering will break me in half; I won't be able to stand it because the Source from which I draw my strength won't be so available. My access will be challenged by all the wrong choices, wrong decisions, practices that take me farther and farther apart from God.

Prayer: Dear God, I have never had to face the difficult choice Susanna does, but every day I make little choices which build on one another in an accumulation of either a strong, integrated soul or a weak split one. Guide me in my small choices so that I may stand whole before you and follow Your Call to service. Amen.