At the full market price

1Chronicles21:24 David replied to Araunah, “No, I’m buying it from you, and at the full market price. I’m not going to offer God sacrifices that are no sacrifice.” (The Message)

David has taken a census, “substituting statistics for trust.” (21:8) In order to appease God’s anger, and make up for his wrongdoing, he is building an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. Araunah offers him the property gratis, along with the animals and grain needed for the sacrifice and David refuses. He wants this to cost him something.

Am I willing to pay the cost? Whenever I make a decision, for good or for ill, all of its ramifications may not be apparent at that time, but whatever they are, I need to deal with them and accept them. There may be unexpected costs, perhaps financial, certainly emotional, but they are part and parcel of the cost of living. Do I want to eliminate risk, somehow get a free pass because “it wasn’t my fault”, I had no way of knowing how things would turn out, or am I willing to pay the price whatever it is, because that is what I signed on for when the decision was made?

Whatever happens to us, we pay for with our lives, whether deserved or undeserved. Many innocent Israelites paid for David’s sin. Perhaps what this is saying to me today is bear the cost and don’t count it. Reckon it as the price of living, the price of loving, the price of engagement in the world, the price of redemption and serenity.

Prayer: Dear God, I try so hard sometimes to figure out all the angles, plan for all contingencies, and still end up with costs I didn’t anticipate. Teach me to accept all that comes my way as part of the gift of your grace, whatever the cost, that I may always be grateful for where you have brought me. Amen

Shout Bravo! to God

1Chronicles 16:28 Shout Bravo! To God, families of the peoples, in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength; Bravo! (The Message)

Some days I just want to praise God. Today is one of those days. I woke up rested. The sun is shining, the air clear and unseasonably warm. I took the dogs out for our morning constitutional, running and walking fast, so I am energized as well. There have been improvements at home, and I feel calm as I face the future. On such a morning, I often feel overwhelmed with gratitude, and just want to thank the Lord of the Heavens for all God’s glorious gifts.

I love Peterson (the author of the Message, the contemporary paraphrase of the Bible that I am reading right now) and how he uses new language to get across the power of the events he describes. Who of us hasn’t had that experience of leaping to our feat shouting “Bravo!” at the end of a particularly exciting or excellent performance? And, yet, every day we wake up to the wonders of a Creation more exciting and excellent than anything that man can devise. Why not shout “Bravo!” to the Creator of All? It gives wings to my heart just to read it! Was it Einstein who said that either nothing is a miracle or everything is a miracle? Today I am in the "everything is a miracle" crowd, moving into my day overflowing with gratitude for all that God has brought into my life.

Prayer: Dear God, Today you have blessed me with a sense of awe at the splendor of your creation, and deep gratitude for all the blessings you have bestowed on me. Remind me that each day holds this potential for joy and gratitude, for that deep awareness of your favor and the incredible blessings of my life. Keep me humble in the face of all that you are. Amen.

David knew for sure

1Chronicles 14:2 Then David knew for sure that God had confirmed him as king over Israel, because of the rising reputation that God was giving his kingdom for the benefit of his people Israel.

So here is David. He was anointed by Samuel as a young shepherd boy, too young to fight in the battles. He went to Saul, played for him, was betrayed by him, fought him, lived in exile for years, gradually built around him a huge force of skilled warriors and only came back to his native land when Saul and Jonathan had been killed. Then he became king over Judah, reigning in Hebron for 7 years, before he became king over all Israel. And only now, as he witnesses how he is viewed by the surrounding kings – King Hiram of Tyre has sent an envoy offering cedar, lumber, masons and carpenters to build him a royal palace – is he sure that God wanted him to be king.

Two thoughts come to mind in response to this. The first is: Wow, he did all that and he wasn’t even sure?! I don’t know about you, but I usually want my directives from God to be a lot clearer than that. “How do I know I’m on the right road?” usually means “Show me what’s going to happen.” But if we knew, if we were sure where everything was going, we wouldn’t need faith and trust in God, would we? We also might race ahead of ourselves, rushing to get to the “result” we think God wants, and not experience the road we are actually traveling on. David acted, he didn’t wait until he was sure, but he dealt with each situation as it came up, never getting ahead of himself. He knew if God wanted him to be king, God would bring it about in God’s own time; he refuses several opportunities to kill Saul and make it happen. When the Spirit nudges me in new directions, it just gives me hints of what the very next step might be – which may include taking no step at all, because maybe it is just time to stand still and be where I am. Then I start to get responses, synchronicities that start to inform my path, let me know that I’m headed right for now.

That brings me to the second thought, that our call is not just between us and God. It doesn’t mean just following what I have in my heart and mind and spirit. If it is a path that God has ordained for me, I will also receive confirmation from the community around me, in the form of support, positive reflections, encouragement, and perhaps witnessing the positive impact of whatever it is I am doing in people’s lives. It is this knitting together between the personal and the communal out of which true vocation comes. Too often, I think, we expect young people in our culture to go off into a closet and “figure out what they want to do” with their lives, or tell them what they should do. But that figuring out is really to become part of a conversation between them and the world around them. Where are their gifts encouraged and supported? Where does their “deep gladness meet the world’s deep hunger”? (Frederick Buechner) At that intersection, we find our life’s fulfillment.

Prayer: Dear God, You have blessed me with many gifts, skills and abilities. Be with me and guide me as I move into a new period of my life. Teach me to listen subtly to your call, but not to wait for it. Help me discern Your Presence in all that I do, that You may guide my feet to your path. Amen

God gave him what he asked.

1Chronicles 4:10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.

All right, I couldn’t resist stopping and commenting on the Prayer of Jabez. I know someone’s written a book on it – how you, too, can pray for a big estate and a fancy car, and God will provide! It’s the same idea as the Secret – the law of attraction, which says if you think about a BMW you’ll attract a BMW – but better not let in any thoughts about a VW bug! (Worse, maybe you’ll attract it when you’re crossing the street!) And there are other versions of what I would call a Gospel of Prosperity. There’s nothing wrong with prosperity; in fact, it is a great blessing all who enjoy it need to be thankful for. The principles behind these ideas are true – but this take on what the Gospel, prayer, God are all about is just 100% wrong. In the same way that some Pharisees of Jesus’ time took the Law of Moses and made it into a measuring stick to beat others up with and ensure they came out on top, this use of spirit, while accurate, completely misses the point.

The abundance that Jesus talks about is a spiritual abundance. It’s not about having more stuff; it’s about having faith in the face of disaster, knowing that somehow God will see you through. Jesus spoke of being in the world but not of it. Using these spiritual principles purely for material gain is adopting the world’s values of materialism and wealth as your own; it is trusting in stuff that is not God. There’s a reason Jesus said it was hard to impossible for a rich person to enter heaven; I believe it’s because when you’re rich, it’s really hard not to think that your riches are the source of your security, instead of God. Then they become the center of your life. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be, too. Jesus calls us to seek spiritual treasure, so that we can face changes of fortune with equanimity, resting in the Presence of the One Unchangeable Immoveable Eternal Dynamic in all creation: God.

Prayer: Dear God, You have blessed me with prosperity; let it not be a stumbling block in my journey to You. Let me be grateful for your bounty, yet ever mindful that the only Source of true prosperity lies in You. Amen.

Abraham's family tree developed

1Chronicles 1:29-31 Abraham’s family tree developed along these lines: Ishmael had Nebaioth (his firstborn), then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah—the Ishmael branch.

The first several chapters of 1Chronicles are a mind numbing list of names: sons of sons of sons with an occasional woman thrown in. My computer doesn’t recognize any of these names, and underlines each with its jagged red line saying, “this can’t be spelled right.” There are, however, some interesting things that come to light. Oddly, despite all the time given them in Genesis, neither Sarah nor Hagar are mentioned by name, but Ishmael, Hagar’s son, is given prominence as the first born, and despite the fact that they were both sent away, we are given his lineage as well as the lineage of Isaac, the father of the Israelite nation. Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, however, is mentioned, though Genesis is silent about her. Later on, we discover that Joab, David’s right hand man, as well as his brothers Asahel and Abishai, were actually the sons of David’s sister, Zeruiah, and therefore, his nephews. We also encounter Jabez, famous for his prayer of prosperity, which God answered. But mostly it is genealogy of the not very interesting kind, a bunch of names, son of, son of, detailing all those who formed the community of Israel both before the exile, and the names and duties of those who first came back to Jerusalem from Babylon.

So what is this list of names? I imagine for a people scattered, first by Assyrians and then by the Babylonians, these names were a grounding, a reminder of the people they had once been. Each name represented a person, a story, one of the many stories that weave together to form the story of Israel and its relationship to God. Perhaps this was a way of reminding themselves of who they were, of paying homage to those that went before, of recording their truth in the face of a culture that wanted to wipe them out, that defined them as powerless, faceless and pitiful. They are a concrete expression of the heritage these returnees didn’t want to forget. I am reminded of the Vietnam Memorial, which is primarily a list of names, the names at Ellis Island and other entry points for immigrants to this country. Watching Henry Louis Gates tracing African-American roots back to slave ancestors, my own exploration and understanding of those forebears who came here from other countries and started anew, reminds me that we all, I think, have a stake in those that came before, and owe who we are to the sacrifices they made. Perhaps this was their way of remembering.

Prayer: Dear God, I feel you calling me to take the time to remember and honor those who came before me. I know that everything in my life is built on what they did, and saw and sacrificed. Let me also be aware of those today who, all around the world, are being uprooted from their homes, sent into exiles of one sort of another, who have lost family and friends in wars and genocides, and struggle to remain connected to their land, their culture, their place on this earth. Teach me how to honor them. Give them your peace. Amen

If you live in my presence

1Kings 9:4 As for you, if you live in my presence as your father David lived, pure in heart and action, living the life I’ve set out for you, attentively obedient to my guidance and judgements…

Okay, first God appeared to Solomon a second time. Wow! Twice! I can’t say God has appeared to me even once, so that in itself is just remarkable, blows me away. What is it like to have God appear to you? It must be terribly frightening, as well as so exciting and affirming, definitely a peak experience. That of course is something God does in your life, and you have no control over it, who he appears to and who not. It’s not something I expect to happen to me.

But this idea of living in God’s presence, that is something I do try to do. It is the focus of these devotions, of my reading and meditation, and various other activities which I would call “contemplative”. It is the process and intent of the contemplative life, to live in God’s presence. Brother Lawrence calls it “Practicing the Presence of God” and its possibilities are available to me every moment of every day. And what does that require of me? A slowing down. An intentional awareness. I need to stop, breathe and pay attention. Step out of the mind’s incessant chatter to feel the air on my cheek, notice what is around me, right within my grasp. In those moments of stopping and noticing, of stillness and paying attention, I can see God’s presence in the wonder and beauty of creation, experience it in the simplest things, my breath. In those moments, God is my breath, moving in and out of me, sustaining me, giving me life. When I pray, when I meditate, when I read the Bible and reflect on its meaning for my life, when I call on the Holy Spirit to speak to me through scripture, or writing an icon, or through interactions with groups I belong to at my church, I also feel this connection. Something shifts in me. I move from anxiety to calm, from agitation to peace, from worry to equanimity. That I guess is the surest proof I have of God’s presence in my life.

Prayer: Dear God, Remind me to take the time to be still for your presence. Help me to resist distractions, so that I may rest intentionally, unapologetically and wholeheartedly in your peace. Amen

Two solid weeks!

1Kings 8:65b They started out celebrating for seven days – and then did it another seven days! Two solid weeks of celebration!

The temple has been finished, Solomon has prayed, sacrificed and blessed the people to dedicate the temple and the whole congregation of Israel is present to witness it. And so they celebrate. Two whole weeks!

There are times when it seems the Christian path is all about discipline, going through the narrow gate, self-denial and serious prayer – and we are in Lent, which is a serious time. But there is also a time to celebrate. When I celebrate God in my life, do I give it my all? Or does it feel self-indulgent? Jesus tells many stories where he likens the Kingdom of God to a feast, often a wedding banquet, which is a time of joy and celebration. I believe that is where this path goes: as I appreciate God’s presence in my life and give thanks for it, I discover a joy in living, a sense of celebration in the every day. Joy, celebration, these are the fruits of walking God’s path, not solemnity and seriousness. So have I had my joy today? Have I celebrated the Godhead and its many gifts in my life?

Prayer: Dear God, It’s easy to forget when life is difficult and we are walking in a serious time, that your will for us is joy and celebration, that they are the fruits of the heart’s discipline. Give me a heart of celebration today, and every day. Amen