If Only I Had... God's Perspective

A few weeks ago, the alternative lesson from the Old Testament was from 1 Samuel 8. It's one of those stories I find funny and heart breaking at the same time.

In the story, the Israelites come to the prophet Samuel, who is the prophet of Israel at the time. They come to Samuel with a simple request: "We want a king."

Up to this point, there have been no kings or queens in Israel. A series of temporary leaders called Judges have been providing order since they left Egypt. This was because the LORD God was the king of Israel and the leaders had resisted a royal leader that would undermine God's place at the head of the nation.

Now that system of judges (as with any government) had not been perfect and especially in the recent past, the leaders had not been great. But asking for a king from Samuel was, in essence, a rejection of God.

The comedy in the story comes out when Samuel tries to talk them out of this idea. "Don't you know what a king will do?" he asks. "A king will tax you, take your sons to die in the army, take your daughters to serve in his palaces, take the best of your wealth for himself and not guarantee your well being." And the people more or less respond, "Yep, that's what we're looking for."

Reluctantly, Samuel agrees, Saul is anointed king, and most of what Samuel warned about comes true in the coming years. But it's that moment of decision that I always find interesting. Samuel is blatantly honest about what can happen if they go this way and how it won't work out the way they expect, but they don't care. They blind themselves to it and want it anyway.

They've convinced themselves that there's this one thing out there and if only they can get it, then everything will be fine.

How often do I get stuck thinking that if I just own this gadget, or have this much money, or finish this one goal, then everything will be fine and my problems will be gone? Meanwhile, the prophets are trying to warn me, "It won't be as good as you think and it won't fix all your problems." And they're always right.

The point of this story as well as the commandment against idols and Jesus' many warnings about wealth is basically this: anything, put to it's proper use in line with God's rule can be good and life giving, but when they are elevated above God as the thing we put our ultimate trust in... Well, we're bound to be let down.

We can get caught up thinking "If only..." but the truth I struggle to live into is that even IF I obtain that thing God is God and I am not and God has ordered the universe to work best in the rhythm of generosity, compassion, mercy, and love, not my desires.

God help me to keep my priorities in order.

From the Gray,
Pastor Ari

“I think I'm ready to admit that I've spent all my resistance on someone I can't resist.” -The Waiting, "Hands in the Air"

You Are Not Trash

Much of our North American culture is built to be thrown away.

Fast food is served in paper and plastic that's meant to be disposed after use and most groceries are sold in packaging that's thrown away after use. Most minor appliances are cheaper to replace than repair. It's expected that devices like cell phones will be replaced every 18-24 months. The average American creates about 4.4 pounds of trash per day.

It safe to say that we expect many things in our lives be temporary and quickly obsolete.

But that's not how God operates.

The Bible tells of a God that refuses to give up and throw away his people. Though they complain about God in the wilderness. Though their rejection of God leads to exile. Though they crucify Jesus. God sticks by God's promises to redeem, repair, and resurrect those in need. It strikes me that even in Revelation, the image of the new creation is not one where the earth is eliminated, but is made perfect and complete by the arrival of heaven.

There's an important lesson in that I strive to remember from time to time. You are not trash to God. God won't throw us away. God's grace isn't temporary.

The Reality of God isn't a throw away culture.

From the Gray,
Pastor Ari


"And in this day when something's worth is based on what someone would pay, it's nice to know I'm worth one Jesus to You." -Everybodyduck, "Tetelestai"

Singing and Dancing into Lent

Last week, most of the Christian world started the season of Lent. It is a time thought of by many as serious, reflective, or even somber because most churches observe Lent with quieter, more restrained worship and "disciplines" such as giving up something you love, special offerings for the poor, and additional time in prayer. It's meant to be a time for focusing closely on our mortality and our need for God. (To be fair, one of my professors once said, "Lent should be sober, not somber.")

Many people love the tone of Lent and find the reflective tone to be one of the richest experiences of the church year. (I am one of them.) But I also know people who struggle with it and have had people describe Lent as "a downer." Instead of sharpening focus, the practices of Lent seem distracting or grating to them.

Therefore, it seemed like a happy coincidence to me that Seth Godin's blog on Ash Wednesday this year was about changing how we approach unfair situations, asking if we go in "kicking and screaming" or "singing and dancing."

Over the past couple years, I've started thinking about Lent more in terms of a time to strengthen my relationship with God. As I reflected on Godin's words, it struck me that I never (okay, rarely) think about giving time and attention to people I love as a "downer." Instead, strengthening my human relationships is something that leaves me fuller and happier, both during and after. Why should strengthening my relationship to God be different?

If you are one of those who find Lent a downer (or maybe just someone looking for a new way to think about Lent), let me offer you this paraphrased food for thought:

"What if, instead, we went at it with singing and dancing? What if we walked into Lent determined to learn more, do more and contribute more than anyone had ever dreamed? What if we saw this break from the normal as an opportunity to grow or to invent or to find another path? ... It seems far better than the alternative."

Whatever path is before you, may God bless yours this Lenten season.

From the Gray,
Pastor Ari

“So tame my flesh and fix my eyes; a tethered mind freed from the lies.” -Mumford and Sons, “I Will Wait”

Why Laziness is Not My Problem

I've been reading through a daily devotional online called "10 Things to Abandon for Spiritual Growth." This morning's devotion was focused on laziness. "Work gives us purpose," the author wrote. While I agree with that and that laziness is not a trait to be admired, I found myself thinking that for me and many people I connect with through my congregation, the problem is not that we don't work enough, it's that we work hard at the wrong things.

I hear all the time that people are too busy or tired (often from my own mouth). Our culture celebrates and encourages hard work and often work more than we have to by not taking all our vacation days. Even our free time can feel like work as we fill it up with clubs, committees, and kids' activities.

No, I don't think laziness is a problem for as many people as my devotional's author seems to think, but I do agree that God intends for us to do work that has a purpose, and that's where I think we (or at least I) have room to grow.

Just being busy isn't the same as doing something meaningful. I find it easy to fill my time with things that keep me busy, but can then get to the end of a day thinking, "What did I actually do today?" Sometimes I legitimately waste that time, but just as often I make myself busy with activities that don't do as much for my health, my attitude, or my relationships as an alternative would. I choose poorly or fail to make a decision in the first place and end up dealing with whatever comes up.

In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about making ourselves busy with worry, but then says, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and God's righteousness." I think Jesus was partly saying, "Prioritize your life according to God's purpose for you so that you don't make yourself busy or crazy out of worry or fear."

We are made by God to have purpose in our lives, but sometimes we need to say no or not now to some things so we can be busy with things that serve that bigger purpose. I've been doing some of this myself recently because I found myself repeatedly thinking, "I'm too busy to do the things that really matter to me." As I've made a few things I care about more important, I've found myself no less busy, but feeling more satisfied and less stressed and tired.

No, I don't think laziness in general is a problem, but maybe being less lazy about setting good priorities is a good goal "for spiritual growth" (as the title of my devotion says). Then I can work harder at work that's worth doing.

“It's as crazy as it's ever been; all we have is now.” -Live, "Run to the Water"

What My Daughter Taught Me About Gratitude

A few nights ago, I was putting my daughter to bed when she asked me, "How much money was our house to buy?" I told her the amount, which is roughly what you would expect to pay for a "starter" home in our area.

My daughter, who thinks that ten dollars is a huge amount of money, gave me a look of awe and surprise at a number on a scale far beyond her weekly allowance. Then I watched her mind settle on a reason for this astronomical number and she smiled warmly as she said, "It must cost a lot because we have such a nice house."

I was surprised at her answer. A nice house? I don't think we live in a dump, but it wouldn't be confused for the Ritz-Carlton by anyone. And to be honest, when I'm in my house, what I tend to notice is the chips in the paint, the stains in the carpet, or the cracks in the driveway. I tend to see my house as a to-do list of things to be fixed, but I realized in that moment that my daughter saw it very differently. To her, our house is amazing and beautiful.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about gratitude. It's been a common theme through what I've seen, heard, and read lately (I even talked about it in my sermon this past Sunday), and I've been thinking about how connected it is to other things. Gratitude makes it hard to be envious, angry, or hold grudges. It decreases worry and increases generosity. It seems to be a common theme among people I perceive to be happy most of the time (and therefore wish to emulate).

And it is not how I would describe my usual attitude toward my to-do list house.

But my daughter sees the house differently and she is grateful to live in "such a nice house." For a moment during bedtime, I could see it through her eyes and it reminded me of the plastic bag scene in American Beauty. I hope and pray that I can find that type of gratitude more often, even -- especially! -- for ordinary things. Then maybe I would have more moments like my daughter's wonder or like my son looking in the laundry and shouting, "Yes! My shark shirt is clean! Awesome!" I can't imagine that would be a bad place to be.

“If you wanna kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel.” -U2, “Mysterious Ways”

Happiness and Simplicity (Addenda to Last Week's Blog)

Last week I wrote a blog article about the documentary "Tiny" and how the subjects of the film had found happiness by simplifying their lives. Since writing that blog post, I've continued to mull over the themes and ideas in the movie. And as I've continued thinking about these things, it just so happens that I've stumbled across a couple of related nuggets on the interwebs this week.

One of the inevitable questions that arises from pondering the happiness of living in what is roughly the size of a walk-in closet is "What is happiness, anyway?" I mean, this is something we all strive for and we are bombarded with advice throughout our lives about how to earn it or buy it or make it or find it, but what is happiness in the first place? Is it a state of being? An action? Is it even reasonable to believe it should be our default emotion?

An article shared by a pastor friend on facebook this week suggests we may have our assumptions about happiness all wrong. The article, titled "5 Scientific Reasons Your Idea of Happiness is Wrong," from Cracked.com can be found here. (Yes, I realize that Cracked.com isn't exactly a reputable news source, but, hey... internet.) Knowing your time is precious and attention is short (at least if you're like me), here's the Cliff's Notes version of the article: 1) for most of human history, it was assumed that happiness is like luck, meaning it just happened or it didn't, 2) you physically cannot feel happy for very long, and 3) having lots of possessions, having lots of choices, and making personal happiness a major goal in life all tend to decrease happiness.

The article's scientific advice for being happy? "[S]top worrying about being happy and instead divert your energy to nurturing the social bonds you have with other people." So stop thinking about myself and work at loving others? Why does that sound familiar? (All this reminded me of this great 10-minute TED talk by Michael Norton on "How to Buy Happiness." Hint: you can't spend it on yourself.)

The second nugget I found this week was a posting by a facebook friend who is decluttering her life through an online activity. There is a group on facebook that is challenging people to simplify their lives by going through closets and drawers and recycling, giving away, or throwing out at least one thing every day. There was a game element to it (something like electronics on Fridays or 12 things on the 12th), but I can't seem to find the official page anymore. I'm going to contact my friend for the name and I'll post it in the comments. (Or if anyone else knows what it is, please do the same.) It seemed like a happy coincidence to find that just days after writing my last blog article.

As for me, I haven't jumped whole hog onto the tiny house or trash something everyday band wagon yet, but I did take the initiative over the weekend to clean out my tupperware cabinet of mismatched or broken things. That felt like a big accomplishment and now I feel happy every time I open that cabinet. At least for a moment.

"Clap along if you know what happiness is to you." -Pharrell Williams, "Happy"

Don't Just Do Something, Sit There!

(Note: A version of this article first appeared in the summer 2014 newsletter for my church.)

“Be still and know that I am God.” -Psalm 46:10

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.” -Exodus 20:8-10a

OK, quick. What is the meaning of the 4th Commandment listed above? 

If you said, “We should go to church,” then you answered the same way as almost every confirmation student I’ve ever asked that question. You would also only be partly correct. 

Most people (including Martin Luther in the Small Catechism) latch on to the phrase “keep it holy” and immediately think about religious services on Sunday. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s not a complete understanding of the commandment for a couple reasons. 

First of all, the Sabbath day is technically Saturday, not Sunday. The Jewish holy day begins at sundown on Friday and goes to sundown Saturday. Christians moved their holy day to Sunday because it was the day of resurrection. Therefore, some may quibble that keeping Sabbath and attending Sunday worship are not the same thing.

But the bigger issue is that focusing solely on attending worship misses the rest of the commandment: you shall do no work. The word sabbath (or “shabbat”) in Hebrew literally means “to rest.” Two reasons are given to rest. In Exodus 20, the author references the story of creation and says we should rest because God rested on the seventh day of creation. In Deuteronomy 5, the author points to the Hebrews recent slavery in Egypt and basically argues, “You know what it’s like to be overworked, so take time to rest and don’t overwork yourselves, your servants, or your animals.”

I think this command to rest (in addition to spending time with God) is an important one for us today. Much of our identity as residents of the Western World and as Americans is tied up in working hard and being productive. And on it’s own that’s good, but taken to the extreme, we can start to think we need to work hard all the time or always be doing something. (I have a friend that likes to quip, “We’re not human beings in America; we’re human do-ings.”) It seems that sometimes even our “recreation” activities can be exhausting. 

Remembering this side to the 4th Commandment can be important for us, because just like the other commandments, this commandment is meant by God for good. Just as we have better lives when we don’t lie, steal, or kill each other, we have better lives when we take time to rest. Taking time to rest increases our creativity, makes us more present to our loved ones, helps to improve humor, patience, and gratitude, and can even make us more productive when we return to our work. 

(It should probably be noted that rest doesn’t have to mean doing nothing at all, but taking a break from our normal labors for something that lets us recharge and refocus. I’m reminded of the stories of 19th century Americans who would spend all Sunday sitting still in high back chairs, which doesn’t strike me as either holy or restful.)

As we begin the summer season, I pray that we will all take Sabbath time in these coming months (in whatever form that looks like for you). May we remember God’s command for us to rest and God’s concern for our health and well-being. And may we continue to learn that sometimes doing God’s will may mean doing less. 

"I am heading for a time of quiet, when my restlessness has past and I can lie down on my blanket and release my fists at last." -Paul Simon, "Quiet"

Strength Enough to Have Enough

Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" -- is one of the more popular verses in Christian circles. It's an easy-to-understand, bumper-sticker-ready, spiritual-pep-talk kind of verse. "Set your sights high, because if Christ is with you, no task is too difficult!" 

At least that's what I thought, until I was reading the full passage today and when I connected that verse with the verses immediately before it, I had a light bulb that was just like Inigo Montoya's words to Vizzini: "I do not think it means what you think it means."

So here's the full passage, and consider that Paul is writing this from prison: "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:10-13)

Paul isn't saying he can conquer the Roman Empire single-handedly or perform a miraculous healing (though I don't put anything beyond the power of God). Paul is specifically saying that Christ gives him the power to be content. At peace. Joyful. To find comfort in having enough. 

I know being content is something I struggle with often (usually in the realm of wanting some home improvements or a more reliable car), so this insight really hit home for me. This verse is still a good reminder to find strength in God for difficult tasks, but being content at all times? That would be a welcome miracle indeed.

"It's just enough to be strong in the broken places." -Jars of Clay, "Faith Enough"