This has been a dramatic week here in America and around the world too, with the terrorist attacks in Spain, elections in Kenya and violence in Venezuela just to name a few. I have had so many emotions that it’s been very hard to process them all. We were on vacation the last couple of weeks thus we have not had a chance to process any of this in community with thinplace (the weekly gathering we host at our home in Nashville.)
What do we do with all of the junk that is coming up in our hearts and minds?
I’ve been doing a lot of pondering on how to process all of the craziness of the last few days. Andy Wade has two great posts on living into Shalom in the midst of conflict that if you have not read, I highly recommend! Part 1 and Part 2
And part of this week’s gospel lesson is also helping me process what I am feeling.
Sunday’s gospel reading includes Matthew 15: 10-20
The Pharisees have just given Jesus and his disciples grief about the fact that they don’t wash their hands according to ritual law and they don’t “follow the rules” on all the stuff that the Pharisees think are important in order to be “IN” especially when it comes to eating
Jesus responds :
16-20 Jesus replied, “You, too? Are you being willfully stupid? Don’t you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated? But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It’s from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That’s what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands—that’s neither here nor there.” THE MESSAGE
and
16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
It’s what we vomit up that matters to God…
What comes out of our mouths that reflects what is happening in our hearts…
So how is my heart doing?….
I feel like I’ve had too much hate and violence brewing on the edges of my heart of late.
Anger at the way our president reacted to the racism and violence in Charlottesville. Anger at the evil that lurks in the hearts of my fellow citizens. As a follower of Jesus i am called to love… to love my neighbor and pray for my enemies and those who persecute me. This is hard work today. Hard to love in the midst of so much hate and so much brokenness. And it’s hard to see the image of God and the face of Jesus reflected in a Nazi flag waving, gun toting, anger filled young man….but Jesus loves him too. Even in his hate, even in his anger, he is loved by God …but God isn’t about hate and isn’t about sides and isn’t about violence.
And too much grief that threatens to overflow into bitterness, or anger, or harshness towards other people.
I have also had to really look at my heart in terms of racism. I grew up in the South and my high school was built on a Civil War battlefield and to top it all off, our mascot was the Rebel and our fight song was “Dixie.” For all of you who did not grow up in the southern United States, that is like we were still fighting the Civil War and had the Confederate Flag as a part of each football game. Back then, I didn’t think anything about those symbols being racist, or anything about how these symbols looked to someone who is African American. They were just symbols of the South to me. Thankfully I know better now, and have grown to see how much pain these symbols cause, and how destructive and evil the love of these symbols can become. Honestly, I didn’t really have any friends who were black until after college. That really is sad, but it is the honest truth. Thankfully, my parents raised me to see that all people are equal in God’s sight, all people of all colors and creeds are God’s children. Thankfully I was raised that the KKK was evil and racism was too. This was in stark contrast to some of my relatives who were extremely prejudiced and very racist. As a kid growing up in the South, I wasn’t allowed to call the Civil War the Civil War, it was the War of Northern Aggression, or the War between the States. And when my grandmother met my future husband who is from Ohio, he was considered a “damn yankee.” And she meant it. So there is sadly, still so much of the South that is stuck in the mindset of 1855 or worse, 1865. People who are still very afraid of any change or anyone who doesn’t look or think like them. These white southerners still want to be in control and still want to dominate their world. This is not the Kingdom of God. 
So now what?
Today I have to ask myself, Am I trying to control my world? Or am I letting God be in control?
Am I afraid? What are the things I am afraid of? Can I let Jesus hold these fears and have my anxieties about the world, politics etc?
Can I choose to love, pray for and reach out to people who don’t think like I do? Even the racist members of my family? How do I love them? How do I share the love, joy, peace, and hope of Jesus with them? And what are the tangible things I can do to bring God’s justice and mercy to my neighborhood and my city? How can I be a part of the white majority that fights as Jesus would for people still suffering in my city right now from injustice and a broken system that essentially “enslaves” them?
Yes, with God’s help I can start with baby steps in all of these things.
What about you? How is your heart today?
What do we do with all the emotions that violence, and evil, and hatred bring up in us?
For me, I need symbols and rituals to help me connect.
LIGHTING CANDLES:
We have a candle lighting ritual we do at the beginning of thinplace each Sunday night.
You can see that here.
We ask God to fill us with God’s hope, peace, joy, love and light. And when we end our time together, we blow out the candles and ask that God help us take hope, peace, joy, and love to the world and be the Light of God in our neighborhoods and jobs and schools. You can do something like this on your own, with your whole church community, or with your family around the kitchen table.
PAPER HEARTS:
This week at thinplace we will all get a handout with three heart outlines drawn on the page. See photo below.
- On the large heart we will write down all the emotions that are swirling around including all the things that are bringing us stress and pain. And take the time to really talk to God about the things in our heart.
- On one smaller heart we will write down all the things we are grateful for. Write these things down in that heart.
Gratefulness and thankfulness help us experience the shalom of God and when we see all the gifts God is giving to us we are able to give love and peace away to others.
- The second smaller heart is the heart of confession. Write down the things you want to give to God to carry for you and the things you want/need God to forgive. Write these things down in that heart.
As we close our time together, we will then give that heart to Jesus and put it at the base of a cross and allow Jesus to have the stuff that is causing our heart grief and pain and causing us to vomit things that hurt others and ourselves.
I am praying this weekend, that we all can feel God’s hope, peace, joy and love, and that we can be God’s lights in our neighborhoods, our families, in our schools and places of work so that we can share in God’s shalom for all people.
by Tom Sine.
This article is reposted from the V3 blog which Tom writes for each month.
Violence at the recent white supremacists’ demonstration at Charlottesville, Virginia alarmed Americans of all races across our country. I suspect many are surprised to learn that white supremacist, fascist and Nazi movements are all rapidly growing in America.
Christians of all cultures are having to ask the important question: As followers of Jesus, how we can be agents of racial reconciliation in times like these?
The best single Christian resource I have found on racial and reconciliation is this article from Sojourners Magazine.
For those who are involved in important work of church planting, like my friends in the V3 Movement, I have some very good news! There is rapidly growing new movement of multicultural church planting going on in America today. The even better news is that we can all be a part of it in our existing congregations and in planting new expressions of church.
Turning to a New Model of Ministry
At core this new movement is based on a new ecclesiology that I first discovered in Rodney Clapp’s important book, Families at the Crossroads. In it, he points out that the New Testament has little to say about family. However, what it does say is very radical.
Clapp reminds us of Jesus new radical description of family: “Who is my brother, sister, mother of father but he who does the will of God?” He suggests this scripture implies to become a follower of Jesus is to become a part of a new “first family” that transcends race, class and culture.
The social history of the first century church is filled with remarkable examples of followers of Jesus who indeed were creating new communities that routinely cut across race class and culture. It was a powerful witness that God was powerfully at work doing something new.
In the 80’s, the homogenous church planting efforts urged planters to create new churches on the pragmatic premise that it is easier to create new congregations with people of the same racial, cultural and class background. However, I find few young church planters who embrace that kind of pragmatism which led to 11 am Sunday morning becoming the most racially divided hour in American life.
There are a growing number of not only new church plants but also traditional congregations that are seeking to become richly diverse examples of that new “first family” that Jesus called us to join.
An Example for Consideration
At the beginning of this new millennium, First Covenant Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which was planted by immigrants from Sweden 140 years ago, found itself in in an increasingly racially diverse community.
The Spirit of God woke them up to this new opportunity. They started a host of new programs such a tutoring program in the racially diverse schools in the community to engage both students and parents. Now 80% of those who participate in these community programs are non-Anglo.
This led leadership in the Evangelical Covenant Church in America to start an aggressive new church planting program that included the goal of half of all new church plants would be multi-cultural and multi-racial. They also mandated creating new plants where a greater share of both congregational time and money was invested in serious change making both locally and globally.
Efrem Smith planted Sanctuary Covenant Church in a richly interracial community in north Minneapolis in 2003. It started with 22 people and grew to 900. It was 40% black, 40% white and 20% Latino and Asian. They drew upon the music, food and culture of all groups and all were invited into leadership.
Efrem spoke at one of our events at Mustard Seed Associates in Seattle in 2008 describing his growing congregation of 900 and their commitment to neighborhood transformation. They started a Community Development Corporation to help the church provide a broad range of ways to empower their most vulnerable neighbors. Remarkably Efrem told me that over 50% of the church budget was invested in local and global mission in those days.
The Evangelical Covenant Church is a part of God’s good news helping people in multicultural church plants all over America to discover we are all a part of God’s new first family. Over 30% of members in this denomination is multicultural and that number is growing.
One of the brilliant elements of this important growth of new and older multicultural cultural churches is a leadership training venture called “Journey to Mosaic.” Essentially leaders join a week-long bus trip where they sit with a leader from a different race or class than and you share your different responses to experiences that include spending a day with an African American Pentecostal church, to working and visiting with farm workers in Fresno to hanging out with the homeless in LA.
One white participant told me that he quickly discovered that he and other white leaders didn’t have all the answers, and what’s more, that they needed to become serious students of other cultures if they were going to be a constructive part of these new multicultural congregations.
I don’t know of another major denomination in the United States planting more multicultural churches or churches that are investing such a generous portion of their time and resources in making a difference in the lives of neighbors who are increasingly having difficult time supporting their families.
This your invitation, in a racially and culturally divided nation, to join our “Cov friends” by creating and planting new racially rich congregations that look more like the “new first family of Jesus” in times like these.
Today’s post, by Brian McLaren is reposted with permission from Auburn Seminary.
Last week I accepted an invitation from the Charlottesville clergy to come to their city the weekend of the Unite the Right rally, to join them in witness against white supremacy, Neo-naziism, racism, and associated evils, which are counter to both the Christian gospel and American democracy. Free speech is a protected right and we were not protesting against the rally’s right to speak; rather, we were using our right to free speech to bear witness for a better message of conciliation and peace, and we were supporting the clergy of Charlottesville to stand against the incursion of white supremacists like Richard Spencer.
Here are some initial reflections based on my experience – on the white supremacists and their message, on the clergy and faith community, on the other anti-racism protestors, on the police, and on next steps.
On the White Supremacists, Neo-nazis, and their allies: First, I was impressed by their organization. They showed up in organized caravans of rented white vans, pick-up trucks, and other vehicles, and then quickly lined up with flags and started marching. I don’t know what app they were using, but it worked. (After the state of emergency was declared, the organization seemed less effective, with more confusion and milling around.) Second, they were young. The majority, it seemed to me, were in their twenties and thirties, mostly men, but a few women. I was told by one protestor that many of the older leaders were retired military.
Many came dressed in white shirts and khaki pants, reminding me of office workers or WalMart employees. Many wore helmets and carried hand-made shields. They looked like they came expecting to fight, threaten, and intimidate. Some came in paramilitary garb, heavily armed. They carried an assortment of flags – mostly confederate, many representing their respective organizations, with a surprising number of Nazi flags. I’m 61, and before this weekend, I’ve never seen a single Nazi flag carried proudly in the United States. This weekend I saw many.
As has been widely reported, their chants included “You will not replace us,” “Jews will not replace us,” “White lives matter,” and the like. Their use of torches Fridaynight and slogans like “blood and soil” were clearly intended to evoke the KKK and Naziism. There was a good bit of “hail Trump” chanting with Nazi gestures.
Before and after the event, I have been checking a number of white supremacist websites and Facebook pages related to Unite the Right leaders and identified participants (a deeply disturbing experience) . The unabashed racism, the seething hatred, the chest-thumping hubris, the anti-Semitism, the misogyny, the shameless desire to harm their opponents, the gushing love for Trump, Putin, and Stalin, of all people … they speak for themselves. I was struck by how often the term “balls” comes up in their posts: these seem like insecure young men who are especially eager to prove their manhood, recalling election season bragging about “hand size.”
Speaking of size, I haven’t been able to find any estimate on crowd size. I would guess around a thousand white supremacists, and I would guess that the total number of anti-racism/anti-facism protesters was equal or greater.
On the clergy and faith community response: I have participated in many protests and demonstrations over the years, but I have not seen the faith community come together in such a powerful and beautiful way as they did in Charlottesville. Brittany Caine-Conley and Seth Wispelwey deserve a lot of credit, as do the Congregate C-ville team they coordinated. I hesitate to name groups represented, as I will forget someone – so please forgive me in advance. But I met UCC, Episcopal, Methodist, Unitarian, Lutheran, Baptist (Alliance), Anglican, Presbyterian, and Jewish faith leaders, and the Quakers were out in large numbers, wearing bright yellow t-shirts. I met Catholic lay people, but I didn’t meet or see any Catholic priests. Two Episcopal bishops were present, and they had encouraged priests of their diocese to be involved. Along with those of us who participated in an organized way, it was clear that many ad-hoc groups of Christians and others came to protest, some with signs, some giving out water and snacks to anti-racist protestors.
Black, white, Latino, and Asian clergy worked and stood side by side; Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and others marched, prayed, and sang as allies.
The courage of the clergy present inspired me. In public gatherings and in private conversations before Saturday, participating clergy were warned that there was a high possibility of suffering bodily harm. A group of clergy (pictured below) walked arm-in-arm into the very center of the storm, so to speak, delaying entry to the park as they stood, sang, and kneeled. (Lisa Sharon Harper shares her reflections here.) This symbolic act took a great deal of courage, and many who did so were spat on, subjected to slurs and insults, and exposed to tear gas. I hold them in the highest regard.
Other clergy and faith leaders (I was among this group) marched to a park, participated in a rally, and then dispersed to several locations, including a Methodist church a block from Emancipation Park, where we helped medics, sang and held signs as a message to white supremacist and Nazi marchers, and provided water and other support to anti-racism protesters.
When the rally was disbanded by the police, many of us responded to reports of skirmishes and sought to de-escalate tensions. When the white supremacist terrorist driver ran into anti-racism protestors, many of us were nearby, and we ran together to the scene where we ministered to the injured and supported their loved ones. Many of us helped at the parks that were designated as “safe spaces” for anti-racism protestors, and we provided pastoral care – asking people if they were OK, listening to their stories, assisting them with finding medics, and offering them encouragement. At least a dozen times, protestors said to me, “Thanks so much to you clergy for being here.” Our presence meant something to them.
I come from a tradition that doesn’t normally use vestments, but I was glad that clergy garb made faith leaders visible in this circumstance.
photo by Rev Steven Martin
On the other Anti-Racism Protestors: Along with Congregate C’ville, there were other groups protesting the message of white supremacy and Naziism. I was deeply impressed with the Black Lives Matter participants. They went into the middle of the fray and stood strong and resilient against vicious attacks, insults, spitting, pepper spray, tear gas, and hurled objects. It’s deeply disgusting to see BLM be vilified on Fox News and other conservative outlets after watching them comport themselves with courage in the face of vile hatred this weekend.
There were several anti-fascism groups whose exact affiliations were not easy to ascertain. I was moved by one young woman from one of these groups at the scene of the killing. She stood on a milk crate and shouted (this is a paraphrase): “People, this is hard. This is heartbreaking – to see our neighbors lying in the street, severely injured. But we must realize what’s at stake when Nazis and white supremacists want to take control of our country. We must not be intimidated, but be more committed than ever to stand against them.” There was no call to violence or revenge; only a call to resilient resistance.
I was also deeply impressed by UVA students I met. The group of young men and women that stood up to the torch-carrying marchers on Fridaynight had amazing courage. Their fellow students, their parents, and all of us, should be proud of these young leaders.
Not all of the groups shared a commitment to nonviolent resistance in the tradition of Dr. King. I saw a few groups of protestors who, like the Nazis and white supremacists, came with hand-made shields and helmets, and I heard reports that some of these groups used pepper spray on the white supremacists, who were also using pepper spray, sticks, and fists on them.
On the Police: Considering the number of guns present, it is amazing that no shots were fired, and the various police forces gathered deserve a great deal of credit for this. The local and state police had a huge challenge on their hands, and their task was very difficult. In my fields of observation, they did not seem present to intervene quickly when skirmishes broke out. They seemed to stay back in the background. Perhaps this was intentional and strategic for reasons I don’t understand. Be that as it may, I couldn’t help but think about the contrast between the hands-off way heavily armed white supremacists were treated by police in Charlotte and how unarmed African Americans in other demonstrations have been beaten and arrested around the country over the years … or how unarmed Native Americans were treated at Black Rock a few months ago. That contrast is haunting, itself an expression of white privilege.
On Next Steps: The young age of many of the white supremacists and Nazis suggests two things to me: first, that young white people are being radicalized in America today, radicalized to the point of using the ISIS tactic of killing people with a car; and second, that this problem isn’t going away fast – especially if radicalizing influences continue or increase their activities among younger generations.
What does this mean?
First, it means that white mothers, fathers, grandparents, wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, children, and pastors need to speak up when their loved ones are being radicalized. Every white American family needs to realize that radicalization isn’t simply something that happens in the Middle East – it is happening today, in Ohio and Kentucky and Florida and Virginia. And make no mistake, these are radical groups, seeking to unite and fight together.
In addition, clergy around the country must prepare now for when an event like this comes to their area – which may be sooner than they think. (I understand that Richmond has already been targeted for another such rally in a few months.) Just as male mammals seek to “mark territory,” these human groups seem determined to maintain their markers of white supremacy – namely, statues and flags associated with the era and culture of slavery. Their oddly ambiguous slogan “You will not replace us” seems to mean, “You will not replace our white supremacy.”
All of us, especially people of faith, need to proclaim that white supremacy and white privilege and all other forms of racism and injustice must indeed be replaced with something better – the beloved community where all are welcome, all are safe, and all are free. White supremacist and Nazi dreams of apartheid must be replaced with a better dream – people of all tribes, races, creeds, and nations learning to live in peace, mutual respect, and neighborliness. Such a better world is possible, but only if we set our hearts on realizing the possibility.
We Christians, in particular, need to face the degree to which white Christianity has failed – grievously, tragically, unarguably failed – to teach its white adherents to love their non-white neighbors as themselves. Congregations of all denominations need to make this an urgent priority – to acknowledge the degree to which white American Christianity has been a chaplaincy to white supremacy for centuries, and in that way, has betrayed the gospel.
Our Christian leaders need to face the deep roots of white Christian supremacy that go back to 1452 and the Doctrine of Discovery, and before that, to the tragic deals made by 4th Century Bishops with Emperor Constantine, and before that, to the rise of Christian antisemitism mere decades after Jesus. This tense season of our history needs to be, quite literally, a come-to-Jesus moment for Christianity in America.
Along with this theological and spiritual work, we have very urgent practical work to do, including 1) pre-empting the continuing development of white supremacist, Nazi, and fascist groups through preventative measures, 2) building relationships among groups that oppose racism and Naziism – both religious and secular, 3) improving planning and coordinating among these groups, and 4) addressing the ways that white supremacists and Nazis are seeking to use us as foils to win over conservative people through fear and division (which is the strategy behind Unite the Right). What is needed in all these areas (and more) will be the subject of many conversations in the coming hours, days, and weeks.
Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. He is the author of The Great Spiritual Migration and an Auburn Senior Fellow.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Mt. 6:25-27
In yesterday’s post, I explored this passage’s connection back to Jesus’ earlier comments in the Sermon on the Mount from the Beatitudes through the Lord’s Prayer. After his prayer, Jesus goes on to challenge us about what we value. Where is our treasure? Are we amassing wealth and power in this world while ignoring the broad purposes of God? Are we constantly pursuing our own self-interests and enjoyment while ignoring the needs around us? Do we fill our lives with distractions, pushing aside the pain, anger, and brokenness of the world?
We often hear the phrase “follow the money” when it comes to uncovering the hypocrisy of others, but how often do we do this in our own lives?
And then, as if to hammer this point home, Jesus makes it clear, “You cannot serve two masters”.
OK, right about now I’m not feeling so comfortable! Is Jesus laying some kind of guilt-trip on us? NO, I don’t believe it!
- I believe Jesus is attempting to expose how easily we settle for so much less than God desires for us and for the whole creation.
- I believe Jesus is trying to get us unstuck from our insecurities so that we can live fully into the purposes of shalom in the world.
- I believe Jesus is showing us a better way, a way that leads to peace, harmony, contentment, and joy.
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life…”
We’ve reached the point in Jesus’ message where our key passage appears. Do not worry about your life. See how God cares for creation? Are you not more valuable in the eyes of God? God will care for you if you seek FIRST God’s kingdom purposes and God’s righteousness and justice in the world.
King Solomon amassed more possessions and power than we can even dream of having, yet he never found contentment. In fact, despite all his wealth and power, Solomon turned away from God. “You cannot serve both God and wealth.”
Faithfulness to the way of Jesus means we must resist knee-jerk reactions to injustice and other things that offend. The core of all our responses should be shalom. The radical nature and call of Jesus is a revolution that’s so counter-cultural it shocks and surprises, opening doors to dialogue and healing.
The other day when I was parking at the hospital I noticed a car had parked right on top of one of the parking lines. Then I noticed that nearly ten cars after that had to park on the lines just to have room to park. Our actions, for good and for bad, don’t just affect us; they ripple out, impacting the world around us.
“Are you serious? No way am I going to forgive that idiot!”
Often our first reaction to injustice and division is to inadvertently sow more division and cultivate more injustice. But the way of Jesus invites us to a better response. To return love for hate, forgiveness for persecution, generosity for greed.
It’s a way of healing, wholeness, and peace, and many are choosing this way to be their pattern of life.
What does shalom look like in our world today? It is a radical commitment to the kingdom purposes of God in our world.
- It looks like an Amish community in Pennsylvania whose children were slaughtered by a gunman yet chose not only to forgive but to adopt the gunman’s family as their own, demonstrating the radical love of God in the most practical terms.
- It looks like MJ Sharp, a worker for peace and reconciliation in the Democratic Republic of Congo who, along with his Swedish co-worker and Congolese translator, were murdered this past March. MJ’s father noted that if we really believe in loving our enemies, “we should be producing hundreds of MJs.” Not necessarily to do what he did, he said, but “we are all called to reach out to those who are hopeless.”
- Shalom looks like my friends Dan and Joji Pantoja, working for reconciliation and peace between Christians, Muslims, tribal peoples, and the Philippine government in Mindanao and beyond.
- Shalom looks like you and me coming alongside our Hispanic neighbors who live in fear of deportation and separated families.
- It looks like you and me embracing our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness, loving them as equals created in the image of God rather than projects to be completed or problems to be fixed.
- It looks like you and me loving our neighbors whatever their race, religion, sexual orientation, social status, or who they voted for or currently support.
- Shalom looks like you and me working for environmental, social and economic justice right here, right where we are.
“Do not worry or be anxious”, Jesus says. Worry adds nothing to your life and will only paralyze you, keeping you from living in the way God created you to live.
Worry is anti-shalom. Instead, with humility and courage, engage in God’s kingdom work in the world. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. Listen to the words of Jesus and become shalom-bearers in the world.
Yes, there is much to be concerned about in our world today.
- Where there is division, bring healing and reconciliation.
- Where there is hatred, bring love and understanding.
- Where there is fear, bring hope and joy.
We are the people of God called to a different way of living in the world. We are called to live shalom. We are called to be shalom.
As we enter this week may our hearts and minds be attentive:
- When you sense anger rising within, ask yourself, “Where does this anger come from, and how can it be transformed into shalom?”
- When you sense fear and anxiety creeping into your life, ask yourself, “What am I fearful of? Is it justified? How might God want to transform that fear and anxiety into shalom?
- When you see injustice in your community and world, ask God, “How would you like to use me, right now, as an instrument of peace, of justice, of healing and reconciliation?”
Living shalom in a world of conflict is really the heart of Jesus’ sermon on the mount. It is Jesus’ radical call to discipleship – to being the people of God in the world. It seems counterintuitive that Jesus would sum up his message with the words, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life… do not be anxious and afraid.”
Yet somehow, somewhere in the midst of seeking first the kingdom purposes of God in the world, we discover a deep sense of peace and contentment, of shalom. And that shalom begins to flow naturally from our lives to those around us.
May it be so for you, for me, and for our world.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Mt. 6:25-27
Anxiety, fear, worry. They’re a triple threat that can leave us paralyzed. Sometimes they latch onto our life’s journey because of the circumstances around us. Other times it’s inner conflict.
I grew up as a worrier and it’s taken years to find peace. My worry spilled out into anger and I punched more than one hole in a wall. My worry took the form of self-doubt and low self-esteem, affecting the relationships around me. I was jealous in my relationships and untrusting of others. Although I had a loving, stable family, I didn’t know inner peace.
God’s desire for us, our families, our community, and world, is that we would live in:
- Wholeness
- Health
- Peace
- Tranquility
- Fullness
- Completeness
- Rest
- Harmony
- Welfare and
- Abundance
And all these things are brought together in one Hebrew word, shalom. This is my favorite word in scripture because it sums up God’s desire for the whole creation. But anxiety, fear, and worry rob us of shalom.
How can we even imagine living shalom in today’s world of conflict and division?
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life…”
The word “therefore” points us back to what has come before. In this text, it’s the bulk of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, which begins in chapter 5 with the “Blessed are you’s”, the Beatitudes.
“Do not worry”, Jesus says, because you will be blessed when you are poor, when you lament, when you are meek, humble, kind and forgiving. You will be blessed when you strive for righteousness and justice, when you are compassionate and merciful, when your heart is pure, when you work for peace and reconciliation. Even when you are persecuted because of your work for justice, healing, and reconciliation in the world, you will be blessed.
All of these actions reflect shalom. Shalom is not a passive word. Shalom is active engagement with the people and world around us. To hammer this home, Jesus follows the Beatitudes by telling us to be salt and to be light in this world! Don’t just be in the world, make it better!
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life…” This “therefore” also reflects back to the next part of Jesus’ message on the mount as he challenges us to reimagine how we live, and it’s a radical challenge indeed!
“You have heard that it was said, you shall not murder; BUT I SAY TO YOU, do not be angry without cause, do not insult, do not say to another, ‘You Fool!’, You idiot!” Instead, if there’s division and harm, actively work for healing and reconciliation!
“You have heard it said, ‘do not commit adultery’, but I tell you everyone who objectifies another has already committed adultery in his heart.”
“You have heard it said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’, but I tell you, do not retaliate but instead bear injustice in such a way that you reveal it for what it is.”
“You have heard it said, ‘love your neighbor but hate your enemy’, but I tell you, love your enemies as well. Show them the same grace and love you’ve received from God, for this is the road to following in the way of God in the world.”
These are extremely difficult challenges, especially in today’s divisive political climate. Sometimes I just want to live in my anger, resentment, and fear. Shalom can be a lot of work!
- “But what if I think they really are a fool?”
- “How can I possibly love someone who supports such injustice in our world?”
- “I can’t believe that idiot voted for…” you fill in the blank.
- “I’m so upset with this person I can’t help but desire something awful to happen to them!”
The answer to all of these attitudes and more, refer back to the beatitudes. Your worry and anger will get you nowhere and will only increase division, anxiety, and fear. But blessed are you when you actively engage in the purposes of God, in shalom, for the whole creation… even for your enemies.
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life…” This line also refers back to the part of Jesus’ sermon where he tells us how to pray – what we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”:
- God in heaven – we begin by recognizing who’s in charge and who’s in control.
- Next, we pray for God’s purposes to come, to prevail here on earth, in our cities, communities, and homes.
- Give us today our daily bread. Jesus instructs us to trust God for our daily needs.
- Finally, and to me this is one of the scariest texts in scripture:
- “Forgive us our trespasses, our debts, our transgressions against others… IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE FORGIVE OTHERS.” Jesus continues: “For if you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you refuse to forgive others, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you.”
The way of shalom includes radical forgiveness.
It appears that actively pursuing the ways of God, the way of shalom, in all of life is pretty darn important to Jesus!
Join me tomorrow for part two of “Shalom in a World of Conflict” as we explore the rest of Jesus’ sermon and look at how others are actively living shalom in our world today.
by Christine Sine
I am sick to my soul as I read the news about racist violence in Charlottesville, Va. I am sick to my soul as I read about violence in Venezuela and Syria. I am sick to my soul with the continuing plight of refugees and immigrants. And I am sick to my soul as I read about the growing tensions between North Korea and the U.S. Will the violence ever end we wonder? Will peace ever come to our earth we wonder? The health, wholeness and shalom of God’s promises seem so far away and even our prayers feel inadequate.
Today as I read through our Episcopal liturgy I felt hope however and wanted to share these words from an alternative communion liturgy with you. This is what Christ is about. This is what Christianity is about. And this is what the shalom of God looks like and this is what God wants our lives to be committed to. Unfortunately I do not know where this comes from and our rector didn’t either:
Holy One, we gather this day as one people, members of the same body, grateful for your many gifts and carrying the hope within us for a world filled with love. This vision was given by you, from the very beginning of your creation.
You made the earth, and all that lives on it. You inspired prophets and shepherds, widows and slaves, to seek liberation from all that oppresses, so that we might be released to love fully. You became incarnate in Jesus Christ, so that through him we might experience the depth and width of your unquenchable love.
While Jesus lived among us he stood up for women and children, he touched the untouchable, healed the sick, and welcomed those who had given up hope of being included. Through him we see a path not only to our own freedom, but a path to the liberation of the whole world. He taught us that it will not be in the brutality of violence that our world will be saved.
Rather, it will be in showing kindness to our neighbour, in standing up against injustice, in returning hate with love, in transforming one heart at a time. It will be in the simple but holy task of dining together, sharing bread and wine, truly seeing one another as beloved by you.
Another great resource is this litany from Fran Pratt. It was written specifically for Charlottesville.
What is Your Response.
Read through these words several times. What stands out for you? How is God prompting you to respond to stand against the violence in our world?
by Lilly Lewin
As we consider the Shalom of God this month, one of the first things that came to mind, after savor, was the gift of WONDER!
Jesus says: “Let the little children come unto me.” And he places a child in the midst of his followers and says that the Kingdom belongs to the children. It is easy for children, they still have the gift of WONDER. Jesus also says that we need “ears to hear and eyes to see.” “Let he/she who has ears let them hear…”
I love Eugene Peterson’s version in The Message Bible…
“But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear!”
I believe that our world needs to know, needs to experience the Wonder again in order to experience the shalom of God.
When I was in college I had a date with a guy who took me out for coffee and one of his first “get to know you questions was “ when you were a kid, did you color inside the lines, or outside the lines?” My answer was “I created my own coloring book!”
I didn’t know anything about the Ennegram back then, but I am a “7,” and this totally fits. Sevens are known to bring pixie dust wherever we go, and we are always on the look out for an adventure.
The thirteen grandchildren on my side of the family now expect me to bring my Mary Poppins bag filled with everything from crayons and stickers to sharpies, and post-It notes and maybe even bubbles, and always snacks. I don’t ever want to be bored or want anyone else to be bored either! Often my husband says that I’m really just five-years-old because I get really excited about a vista or buying balloons, and giving them away to people just for fun. My favorite part of the art museum is the part that is for kids and hands on learning. I am wired to see the fun and wonder in life. I know not everyone is wired like I am. And I know that there is a lot of suffering and conflict in our world and that it is often hard to see the wonder around us or find the joy in the hardness of life. Too often we miss the wonder because we get blinded by fear, anxiety, and too much conflict on social media.
Most people have to turn things off to get to WONDER.
If you are a production driven, achiever kind of person, you are checking your list off each day and typically taking time for WONDER is not on the list.
WONDER gets pushed out of life.
So you will need a change of venue.
And you might need to find some friends who come by WONDER naturally and start hanging out with them.
What are you interested in that brings you joy?
How did you experience the gift of WONDER as a kid?
Find the things that attract your less grown up self. Maybe it’s art, maybe it’s motorcycles, or design, or roller coasters, or backpacking, or trampolines, or dogs! Animals help us wonder because they aren’t sarcastic. Especially puppies! Go to the Humane Shelter and love on the dogs or play with the cats.
Volunteer to babysit a friend’s kids and see what they are thinking about and playing with.
Now that my kids are grown, I find friends with younger kids to go to movies with because I love animation but I don’t want to go alone.
And that brings us to laughter! We all need to laugh more!
WONDER will bring you to joy and laughter and sometimes tears.
Rediscover what makes you laugh.
Watch a great movie. One of my favorite movies that captures WONDER is “Finding Neverland” with Jonny Depp.
In this movie from 2004, Depp plays J. M. Barrie the author of “Peter Pan.” Barrie is a playwright who has had a couple of flops. He is looking for inspiration and one day while he is journaling in the park, Barrie meets the Davies family of three boys. The Davies children are still recovering from the loss of their father. Their mother, played by Kate Winslet, needs all the help she can get to keep her household going. Barrie already has a childlike wonder for the world but it is through his interaction with the boys that this wonder blooms and grows into the magnificent story of Peter Pan.
The story I tell in my curating worship workshops involves the opening night of Peter Pan. Barrie has asked that about 20 seats be left open, scattered throughout the theater. The curtain is ready to go up and the director/producer is ready to sell these empty seats. Just at the last moment, a line of small children walk up to the theater. They are orphans Barrie has invited to “seed” the audience. They know that dogs, and fairies and pirates are funny. These kids know when to laugh. And they haven’t lost their gift of WONDER! So their laughter helps the finely dressed, upper crusted London theater goers experience the joy and wonder of the play. They laugh too! They reconnect with WONDER!
Lord give me ears to hear
And the peace to actually listen.
Give me eyes to see
And the patience to actually pay attention!
Lord, give me ears to hear
And the ability to be still and hear you in the silence.
Give me new eyes to see the wonder all around me!
Give me new ears to hear the laughter and music, and experience your joy
rather than the static and the noise.
Give me child like wonder to see that ordinary things have extraordinary beauty.
Thank you for God-blessed eyes—eyes that see!
And God-blessed ears—ears that hear!
Thank you for the gift of WONDER.
Help me to experience this so I can share it with others. AMEN
find out more ways to bring child like wonder into worship at freerangeworship.com
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