Questions

I'm excited about a new initiative taking shape in the United Methodist church, my extended spiritual family. This initiative is called 6 Questions for the United Methodist Church and it involves exactly that, asking questions for the betterment of our denomination and, more importantly, the congregations that are in ministry in communities throughout the world. Check it out at: www.umcyoungclergy.com/6qumc.

Moving out or Staying Put

I read Exodus 40 today which talks about the consecration of the tabernacle as a holy space. The bible reading guide I'm using--Transformation Journal--used this text as a background for 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 in which Paul tells us that our bodies are a temple(read dwelling place) for the Holy Spirit.
What struck me though, was the fact that God was visibly present for the Israelites. they could see God's presence. And because they were able to see God, they knew when to move out and when to stay put. I wish it were that simple today. Maybe it could be if I looked hard enough. Jeremiah 6:16 says that we are to ask and seek the good way(God's way) and walk in it.
Lord, help me to see you more clearly so that I can know when you would have me stay put or move out and which direction you would have me to go. Amen

Exodus Musings

I've been reading in Exodus lately. Most of the time, when I think about Exodus, I think about the Israelites escaping Egypt and heading to the promised land. Turns out that there's a lot more to this book. The last few days I've been reading in the middle of the book where several chapters tell about the design and making of the tabernacle--the portable temple that the Israelites worshipped in until Solomon built the Temple. Must have met in that thing for 100 years or so, and we9those of us who've been part of a church plant that is) complain about setting up chairs in a school for a few years.
Anyway, reading all this stuff about how many cubits long and wide and tall the altar and the table and the tent were, I actually had a few thoughts that were helpful. First of all, it's amazing to me that most of these chapters (19-35) are made up of God talking to Moses and Moses talking to God. Wow! Exodus 33:11 tells us that God spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with a friend, and Exodus 34:29-35 that Moses was glowing after he talked with God. Awesome! In the midst of this I found a prayer--"Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people."(Ex. 33:13) I want that to be my prayer; that the sign of God's favor in my life would be that I would grow in my relationship with God.
The last phrase is interesting also--"Consider too that this nation is your people too." I wonder if this has to do with the early part of chapter 32. Moses is up on the mountain and the people decide that he's been gone so long that maybe he's not coming back, so they talk Aaron into making them a golden calf to worship. (I think this must have been the thing to do culturally back then.) Needless to say, God is not to happy about this and look at what God says to Moses in Exodus 32:7 "Go down at once! Your people whom I brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely..." Kind of reminds you when a parent gets upset with the kids and suddenly they're YOUR kids. I just thought that was kind of funny myself. Personally, I have a prayer for these kinds of moments: "It's a good thing God loves you, because I'm having a hard time. Lord help me!"
These chapters also impressed me with the holiness of God. The tabernacle, which Israel thought of as God's home on earth was unique, it was extravagant, it was set apart from the everyday. The idea of "set apartness" or separateness is part of what holiness means. God's holiness is what sets God apart from creation. These chapters, honestly, are strange. They remind me that God is different from me, from us; that God's ways are not our ways, as Isaiah 55:9 says. And yet creation shares some of God's holiness, especially humanity. We are created in the image of God and one of the central themes of scripture, of the activity of God among us throughout history, has been to call us back to holiness, back to the one in whose image we were created.
Lord, speak to me as you spoke to Moses. Teach me your ways, so I can know you more and love you more deeply. So be it.

Reflections on Tiller

For 2 days now I haven't been able to stop thinking about the murder of Dr. George Tiller. First of all I think that I can't believe murder is an acceptable solution to any problem. And unfortunately the action of Mr. Roeder will reinforce the views many have of Christians as intolerant. I want to shout to the world that this man does not represent the vast majority of Christian people, and he certainly does not represent the Christ we know and follow. I am pro-life and because I am pro-life, I could not take someone's life, no matter if I thought of them as a murderer. I am deeply disturbed that this action was taken and is being condoned by people who call themselves pro-life. I'm no angel. I can't say that I've never had a violent thought in reaction to a heinous injustice. I can say that Jesus has changed me so that I reject these thoughts and instead try to pray for those whose actions I find abhorrent.
Secondly, I have been thinking about the whole abortion issue. One of my colleagues asked our bible study group why we thought the abortion issue wasn't talked about in the church. The answer for most in the group seemed to be that it was too contentious an issue, that people could not talk about it in a civil manner. How sad! And yet, I wonder if discussing it is the issue. I can't say that every abortion, generally speaking, is right or wrong, rather, I think it is a difficult decision made by real people who are often in very difficult circumstances. i do have serious reservations about the late-term abortions performed by Dr. Tiller. At the same time, I think there are circumstances when abortion might be the best choice for someone if the life of the mother is jeopardized by carrying a baby to term and the baby would not survive outside the womb or when a woman has been raped. Really, who am I to say? It's so easy to say whether something is right or wrong or when it's right and wrong and in the midst of doing so to forget that we're passing judgment on real people.
I feel strongly that abortion should be the last option when nothing else will do. It should not be a convenience or a way to avoid responsibility; indeed it cannot be because it carries a heavy price for those who make the decision to have an abortion. In the final instance I think the following story states my position more eloquently than mere words could. A woman from Mozambique said she couldn't understand why the church in America talked about abortion so much, trying to find just the right words to make everybody happy. She told how a young woman in her village became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. This woman did everything she could to persuade this young woman to carry her baby to term. When the young woman made her decision, she went with her to the clinic, took her home, and nursed her back to health. I'd like to think I would do the same.