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Psalm 138 1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your Name, 3 For you have glorified your Name 4 When I called, you answered me; 5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, 6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, 7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; 8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; 9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Our personal pantheon
The ancient Jewish prayer puts it this way: Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Our tradition holds that there is one God. But while we declare ourselves to be monotheistic, throughout scripture we get hints that there may be more than one god in the picture.
When Moses gets into his dueling match with Pharaoh, it’s really a battle of Egypt’s gods vs. the God of Israel. It’s clear that the gods of Pharaoh have some power. When St. Paul went to Athens, he wandered around the Areopagus and noted all kinds of different gods. There was even a statue to an unknown God, the Athenians covering their bases. The author of the psalm we heard in church yesterday (reprinted above) says this: Before the gods, I will give you praise.
We may think it quaint, the notion of many gods. We may think we’ve reasoned ourselves out of such primitive mythology. But it may be that we have our own pantheon.
It’s mere hours after the Super Bowl, one of the great religious rituals of our culture. Millions pay attention, offering devotion. What god is worshipped there? What of our fascinations with sports and entertainment, with Travis and Taylor (Sorry for your loss.)?
The ascendancy of the heresy of Christian nationalism makes a god out of country. Folks ascribe messianic qualities to politicians. This veneration happens around the world, as it has throughout history.
We worship technology and pay homage to those who bring it to us. It may well be that AI takes over the place of supreme being in our lives. (Read the book Genesis, by Henry Kissinger, Craig Mundie and Eric Schmidt.) We place high value on access to social media. What if we had to give it up?
We worship gods of affluence, success, education, good parenting, health and fitness. We worship the god of being right or righteous, which can morph into self-righteousness in all its unattractive manifestations. Think Dana Carvey’s church lady. Of course, there is the delicious idol of righteous indignation, and there’s the way we savor resentments.
A cutting edge for me: we can live in a me-centered universe, mindful of course that there’s peril in that. (Did you know that ego stands for edging God out?)
You get the idea. All kinds of things tug at our hearts, vying for attention and affection. There are all kinds of things that we might be inclined to worship. They may be good and noble things. They will always be part of our lives. The challenge is how we order them. How do we avoid giving our hearts to that which will not satisfy our hearts?
A priest I admire talks about the challenge of leading a parish. He repeatedly speaks about keeping the main thing the main thing. In his mind, the main thing is discipleship. It’s following Jesus. Another way to think about it is to make the great commandment (love of God and love of neighbor) our guiding principle. As theologian Andrew Root puts it, it’s about remembering that God is the star of the story. As Evelyn Underhill put it, God is the interesting thing about religion and people are hungry for God.
Think about the gods in your life, tugging at your heart this week. I’ve suggested a few, which may or may not resonate with you. I’m guessing you could name others. How might you keep all those affections in perspective? Before the many gods in your life, how can you praise the Lord who is one, the one from whom all blessings flow?
-Jay Sidebotham
Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!
RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth
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Psalm 84 1 How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! 2 The sparrow has found her a house 3 Happy are they who dwell in your house! 4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you! 5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, 6 They will climb from height to height, 7 Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; 8 Behold our defender, O God; 9 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, 10 For the Lord God is both sun and shield; 11 No good thing will the Lord withhold 12 O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you! This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Calling All Pilgrims
In reading Psalm 84 (heard in church yesterday and printed above) I was struck with the mention of pilgrims (v. 8). As far as I can tell, it’s the only place in scripture where the word is used. It got me thinking about what it means to be a pilgrim. Suspending immediate associations with Thanksgiving plays, perhaps we can hear the word in another way, and see how it applies this Monday morning.
For starters, it suggests movement. If there’s a desire to be a pilgrim, you can’t stay put. In my work with RenewalWorks, it was a bit of a revelation to me how much resistance there can be to movement when it comes to church folk and the spiritual life. I get that. In a world of rapid change, increased anxiety, uncertain future, our souls hanker for something solid and steady, reliable and predictable. Nothing new about that. The Psalms are filled with images of God as a rock, stronghold, and refuge.
In RenewalWorks, part of our work has been to identify archetypes of churches. About 25% of the churches were identified as “Complacent.” There was no expectation or desire for transformation in those communities. One rector whose church was assessed as complacent called me to tell me (tongue in cheek) that in light of the assessment, the church was changing its tagline: St. Swithen’s: We’re spiritually shallow and fine with that. In the spiritual life, it’s tempting to say: “Can’t we just keep it the way it’s always been? We’ve never done it that way. We’ve always done it this way.” (Just so you know, these are some of the words clergy dread most.)
So for starters, we have to ask ourselves, quite honestly, whether we’re interested in movement, in being a pilgrim. For better or for worse, that movement seems to be part of the spiritual experience. Note that Abraham was described as a wandering Aramean. Note the centrality of exodus or return from exile in the Hebrew Scriptures. Note how Jesus told disciples: Follow me. Note how the first Christians were called people of the way, a name which suggests movement, as opposed to the later developing name, Christian, which frankly has an institutional ring, and hints at arrival. Note the more recent wisdom of Pope Francis who said: “There is no such thing as a stationary Christian. A stationary Christian is sick in his (or her) identity. A Christian is meant to walk. To move.”
Given all that, if we decide to go for it, we may need to get clear about what it is to be a pilgrim. It’s different from being a tourist, as wonderful as that can be. They can be awesome experiences of discovery, and tons of fun, but they don't always help us know God better. It’s different from going on a mission trip, as wonderful as that can be. They can be awesome expressions of generosity, but it can also have an air of superiority.
So what’s a pilgrim? Here are insights from an anonymous author on a website called seetheholyland.net: “A pilgrim is not a pious tourist. A pilgrim and a tourist may follow the same itinerary, but the pilgrim is on a sacred journey in which God is encountered through places, people, and situations….The pilgrim travels with the expectation that the one who returns will not be the same person as the one who set out.” The article goes on to detail some markers: A pilgrim will leave behind business concerns. A pilgrim will have an open mind. A pilgrim does not travel alone. A pilgrim respects the host country.
Here’s the deal. Whether we cross oceans or borders, or never cross the street or our home’s threshold, we are pilgrims. We are each and all on journeys to encounter the Holy One. In so doing, there is the prospect of being transformed, wonderfully, amazingly, into the likeness of Christ.
Imagine such a journey! Are you ready for that as you make your pilgrimage through this first week of February?
-Jay Sidebotham
Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!
RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth
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Psalm 19 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, 2 One day tells its tale to another, 3 Although they have no words or language, 4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, 5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; 6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens 7 The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; 8 The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; 9 The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; 10 More to be desired are they than gold, 11 By them also is your servant enlightened, 12 Who can tell how often he offends? 13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Einstein was onto something.
“We are in the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written those books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order, which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God. We see a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations.”
-Albert Einstein
I find myself wondering if Albert Einstein was tapping into the wisdom of the author of Psalm 19. (We heard the psalm in church yesterday, and it's included above.) The psalm seems to have two parts. At first, I thought they were non-sequiturs, the first part speaking of the marvel of creation, the second part speaking of the marvel of God’s law, the perfection of commandments.
The quote from Einstein made a connection. Adopting the vision of a child (Jesus said that was a good idea), Einstein notes the insight that creation conveys a definite plan, a mysterious order, a universe marvelously made. In light of that, the human mind perceives certain laws, even if only understood dimly, even if our “limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellation.”
So what’s the so-what factor this Monday morning? We can start by recognizing that our call is to live in radical amazement, a phrase attributed to Abraham Heschel. Any attentiveness to the beauty and miracle of creation, always surrounding us, can help us live that way. Recognizing all of that, we are to respond by living according to certain laws.
The psalmist speaks of those laws in verses 7 and 8: The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent. The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.
And what might we know of those commandments? More to the point, given that we’re talking about the so-what factor, how are we meant to live?
The Jewish tradition calls the faithful to repeat the Shema daily: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind." The prophet Micah said that this is what the Lord requires: To do justice, love mercy, to walk humbly with your God. (Thanks for reminding us, Bishop Budde. Thank the Lord for Bishop Budde.) When Jesus was asked for the greatest commandment, he said it was simple, if not easy. It was not one thing, but two. It involved a complete love of God with all that we are and have. And it involved loving neighbor as self. Like my initial reading of Psalm 19, we might see these as non sequiturs, as separate pursuits. Jesus didn’t seem to think so. And while I don’t think any of us will fully live in obedience to Jesus’ commandment, we are each called to take steps in that direction. How might we take those steps this week?
One more insight from Albert Einstein, here paraphrased. He said that we have a choice in life. We can see nothing as miracle or we can see everything as miracle. Like that child entering that library, sensing marvelous intention, may we walk through this coming week with radical amazement. May that point of view, that way of being, help us step into a life marked by deeper love, which is what our Lord commands.
-Jay Sidebotham
Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!
RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth
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Psalm 36:5-10 5 Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, 6 Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, 7 How priceless is your love, O God! 8 They feast upon the abundance of your house; 9 For with you is the well of life, and in your light we see light. 10 Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Wellness
How does one go deeper in the spiritual life? The question is prompted by the psalm heard in church yesterday and included above. The psalmist speaks to the Holy One: With you is the well of life and in your light we see light.
I’ve been reflecting on the image of the well of life, pondering ways we might tap into resources God makes available to us to go deeper. Are we open to that? Are we looking for that? Do we ever sense that the well has gone dry?
In my work with Episcopalians through the ministry of RenewalWorks, we sometimes identified archetypes of congregations. Some churches were extroverted, singularly focused on outreach and mission. Some were troubled, not in a sense of having a church fight, but restless or hungry, looking for more than they were currently receiving. Some were complacent, fine with the way things were, not looking for anything more, not expecting transformation. In fact, resisting such.
A friend leading a complacent parish called me to say that in light of that assessment, his church was changing its tagline. Underneath the name of the church, the tagline would read: “We’re spiritually shallow and fine with that.” A tongue in cheek response, but one with meaning, as we think about whether we actually would like to go deeper.
For some folks the desire for a deeper life is there, but they are not quite sure how to tap into it. Sometimes, instead of digging down and going deeper where they are, they try to find another well somewhere else. If that doesn’t do the trick, they move again. People try different churches. Different jobs. Different programs. Different relationships. Some people contend with burnout. The well has gone dry. Jobs can do that. Family dynamics can do that. Political engagement can do that. Church involvement can do that. Exhaustion sets in.
So what is it that helps people dig deeper? I ran across a bit of wisdom attributed to either George Herbert or Dolly Parton. Pick one. Here’s the quote: Storms make the oak grow deeper roots. As George and/or Dolly indicate, sometimes the challenges of life give us no choice but to go deeper. When I’ve asked Episcopalians what it was that contributed to their own spiritual growth, the most common answer I get is crisis.
I believe, indeed I hope, that it doesn’t always necessitate suffering to go deeper. But it may involve some spiritual practice, an attentiveness to where we might see God in our lives. That can be commitment to a rhythm of prayer. It can involve reflection on scripture and engagement with the wisdom of people who seem to know something about the deeper life of God. It can involve silence. It can involve service. As I send out this email, I’m wondering what has been helpful to you in terms of going deeper in the spiritual life. I’d love to hear.
Last week, I quoted from Henri Nouwen’s book Life of the Beloved, with an excerpt that pertains to spiritual depth. He reassures his reader who is on a spiritual quest: “Every time you listen with great attentiveness to the voice that calls you the Beloved, you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply. It is like discovering a well in the desert. Once you have touched wet ground, you want to dig deeper.”
What might it take for you to dig a little deeper in the spiritual life this week? May we all receive the grace to draw strength from the well of life. Apparently, it is there waiting for us.
-Jay Sidebotham
Interested in RenewalWorks for your parish? Learn more about how RenewalWorks works!
RenewalWorks: Helping churches focus on spiritual growth
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Psalm 29 1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; 3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; 4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; 5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, 7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire; 8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe 9 And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, "Glory!" 10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; 11 The Lord shall give strength to his people; This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Have you heard the voice of the Lord?
When people tell me that they heard God talk to them, I have a variety of reactions. I can be skeptical. Are you sure? Have you been working too hard? Need some sleep? I might consider psychiatric referrals. I can be jealous that I’ve never heard the voice they describe. The cynic in me can assume they’re trying to ratify a personal agenda by claiming God told them to do something. Our politics seems to be full of that these days. As Anne Lamott has noted, we can safely assume we've created God in our own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people we do.
And sometimes I think: “That is simply amazing that this holy event happened to you.”
Maybe you can tell that all this talk about hearing the voice of God is a spiritual growth opportunity for me. I got to thinking about the voice of the Lord when I reflected on the psalm heard in church yesterday (included above). The psalm speaks about the power of that voice, how it can break cedar trees, split flames of fire, shake the wilderness, make oak trees writhe, strip the forests bare. Yikes. Where do we experience that kind of power in the voice of God? And if it is there for us to experience, is it always as dramatic as this psalm makes it out to be?
I commend to you a column written by David Brooks, printed in the N Y Times on December 19 entitled: The Shock of Faith: It’s nothing like I thought it would be. His evolving relationship with the Holy One was not conveyed with wilderness shattering, tree stripping force. Rather, he describes a gradual, unfolding process, with quiet and unsuspecting moments of epiphany. A subway ride where he looked at fellow passengers, recognizing each had a soul and deducing that there was a higher source of all that soul-ness. He describes revelation that came to him on a mountain hike, when the voice of the Lord was heard through the glory of nature. Not the hurricane force voice of Psalm 29. More like the still small voice, the sound of sheer silence which Elijah heard in his encounter with God on the holy mountain. (Read the story in I Kings 19.)
I was thinking of where the voice of the Lord came in the life of Jesus. On occasion, we read that God’s voice sounded to bystanders like indecipherable thunder, though Jesus got the message. Since yesterday we observed the baptism of Jesus, we begin the season of Epiphany by hearing the voice that came from heaven at the Jordan River, a voice that said: You are my beloved. It’s quite similar to the heavenly voice heard on the last Sunday of this season, when Jesus is transfigured in Stephen Spielberg special effects mountaintop glory. The heavenly voice speaks of Jesus’ belovedness.
Henri Nouwen zoomed in on that voice from heaven when he wrote his beautiful book called Life of the Beloved. It’s written for a secular friend to explain Nouwen’s faith. The book is centered on the voice Jesus heard in baptism. Nouwen claims we can hear that voice as well. He wrote to his friend: “All I want to say to you is “You are the Beloved,” and all I hope is that you can hear these words as spoken to you with all the tenderness and force that love can hold. My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being – “You are the Beloved”.
Nouwen recognizes that we are surrounded by competing voices: “It certainly is not easy to hear that voice in a world filled with voices that shout: You are no good, you are ugly; you are worthless; you are despicable, you are nobody—unless you can demonstrate the opposite.”
He reassures his reader: “Every time you listen with great attentiveness to the voice that calls you the Beloved, you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply. It is like discovering a well in the desert. Once you have touched wet ground, you want to dig deeper.”
We may not hear God speaking to us in the voice of James Earl Jones, as much as I would like that. But God’s voice is there for us, as David Brooks found out. We can hear it in the most ordinary places, like a subway car. We can hear it in nature, maybe a morning walk on the beach or in the woods.
Paradoxically, we can hear that voice as we address the suffering of the world. For those of us who swim in the Christian stream, we hear that voice in scripture, in worship, in community, in sacrament. In Epiphany, we are reminded that we find that voice in Jesus himself, the word made flesh, God speaking to us of a love from which we cannot be separated. That voice has power, the power to change our hearts.
Listen this week. Can you hear that voice speaking directly to you, speaking of your belovedness?
-Jay Sidebotham
