The Retired Fool

Proper 13
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11; Psalm 49; Colossians 3:5-17; Luke 12:13-21


On Sunday, August 4, I worked with the Apostle Paul's statement that in baptism, through repentance and faith, we have put off the old "man"/ human and put on the new which is being renewed through knowledge (through knowing God and others and being known by God and others) in the image of the one who created this new human(ity), where there are no divisions. (Colossians 3:9-11)

What a beautiful and inspiring call to us, who may feel powerless in the face of mass killings or upsetting community events like missing children.  We actually are the new humanity, we are God's answer and instrument to the pain, evil, toxicity, divisiveness, etc. in our world.  Putting off dis-integrating practices, and emgaging in the practices of the new human, Jesus Christ, is a very real, substantial, transformative way forward for us individually and as a community.

A comment on the Gospel.  I don't think this is a comment on retirement (!), though even I have joked in the past that this is the only place in the Bible that refers to retirement.  Honestly, I want to point out that this is more about generosity and the way of the new human practices that we have put on.  When Jesus' story ends with God confronting the man who built bigger barns for his amazingly prosperous harvest, God asks whose will all his goods be once he dies?  Then Jesus comments, "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20-21)

I want to suggest that this is about this man not sharing his abundance with those in need.  He laid up treasure for himself, in barns, rather than in heaven, by giving to those in need.  He was graced a great harvest, yes for his own blessing, but also the blessing of his community.  He apparently did not give a thought to sharing.  Tim Keller quotes Bruce Waltke, and Old Testament scholar, who states that in the Prophets and Wisdom literature in the Bible, the righteous are those who disadvantage themselves for the sake of the community, and the unrighteous are those who dis-advantage the community for their own sake.  Ouch.

Let us be rich toward God by being generous stewards and image bearers, increasing flourishing in God's world by sharing God's many and varied gifts with those around us, especially those hurting, at risk, or in need.

Quotes from C.S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain"

The Problem of Pain
chapter, "Heaven" (pp. 132-132)

We are afraid of the jeer about "pie in the sky", and of being told that we are trying to "escape" from the duty of making a happy world here and now into dreams of a happy world elsewhere.  But either there is "pie in the sky" or there is not.  If there is not, then Christianity is false, for this doctrine is woven into its whole fabric.  If there is, then this truth, like any other, must be faced, whether it is useful at political meetings or no.  Again, we are afraid that heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested.  It is not so.  Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.  There are rewards that do not sully motives. A man's love for a woman is not mercenary because he wants to marry her, nor his love for poetry mercenary because he wants to read it, nor his love of exercise less disinterested because he wants to run and leap and walk. Love, by definition, seeks to enjoy its object.

Psalm 18

PSALM 18 - some ways to pray

This is a beautiful psalm of “re-orientation” (cf. blog post "Different Kinds of Psalms," 11/15/18) - where David expresses his love to his Strength and his Savior.  I think of the first verses when praying sometimes.  

There is much of value in Psalm 18, and perhaps I'll comment more at another time.  But I'd like to point out how the first few verses give us some words and ways to pray:

1) Adoration:
v. 1  “I love you, O LORD, my strength”

We were made for God.  And setting love in order is one of the most important tasks we can attend to as humans made by and for God.  Of course, just saying "I love you, O LORD" does not necessarily mean I am loving God above all else... but it can help, especially as a regular prayer practice.  There are so many ways to say this, in addition to acknowledging God as one's strength. For example, "I love you, Lord, because you first loved me."

2) Affirming God's qualities, who God is, and how God relates to me: 

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (v. 2)

Affirming God's goodness and faithfulness to me is another helpful, mindful, orienting practice.  In a general sense, or big picture sense, remembering who God is in relation to me (and every person) is important, and really helpful.  For example, God is God, and I am not.  Or God made everything, and will work out and sort out everything in the end; I did not and cannot.  And also, more specifically, in one's more recent context or experience, which is what David is doing here.  In another place, he famously says "The LORD is my shepherd..."  

3)  Acknowledging, and praising God for, answered prayers:
"I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” (v. 3)

I generally don’t think or remember to thank God for answered prayers… Some people are very faithful in keeping a prayer journal or list, in order to keep track of prayers (and remember to pray about things you've said you would!), but also to be intentional about continuing to pray for something, or recognizing that the prayer has been answered in some way.  I guess this is kind of like acknowledging someone who has done something, or tried to do something, you asked them to do.  I know, from firsthand experience (!), that it does not build up the relationship to not say "Thank you" or to connect with some kind of acknowledgment that the other person is engaged in my life and for me.  

Psalms 14 & 15

Psalms 14 - 15

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? 

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right… (15:1-2)

What an interesting contrast to the prior psalm - if we were to answer the question only in light of most of Psalm 14, the answer to these questions would be “No one! No not one” (14:3).  But while, on the one hand, that is true, on the other hand we have pictured a way of living (cf. Psalm 1) that God desires and designs for us, that at the same time is (1) a dwelling and sojourning in God’s Presence, and (2) benefits and blesses those around me.  And the first (1), it seems to me, impacts and enables the second (2). 

I do think only One Person finally walked "blamelessly," and I surely can never merit a blessed, secure place with God based on my goodness or blamelessness, but I also think to stop there, or to not develop all that that means, might do injustice to this psalm.  Some are prone to dismiss such descriptions of a holy life as unattainable, or just to prove to us that we can never fully get there (implication, let's not try) but throw myself on the mercy and grace of God (absolutely, yes yes yes!).

Psalm 15 paints a picture of a holy life, one to which I should aspire, when life is going well, and when I am suffering - a life which is for God’s glory and my (and my neighbor’s) good.  On the recommendation of a seventeen year old who has experienced a similar grief to mine, I have finished C.S. Lewis’ “A Grief Observed,” (very helpful this time) and am rereading “The Problem of Pain” in which Lewis discusses God’s Goodness.  The Goodness of God includes, first (1) loving us just as we are, AND secondly (2) loving us so much and so perfectly that God will not leave us as we are.  

From the point of view of the Apostle Paul, and Jesus in, for example, John 15-16, related to Jesus I can abide in God and love my neighbor well.  And it is that relationship, that communion, through which the Word and the Spirit work in my thinking, my attitudes, my motives, my volition, my intentions, my actions, which slowly, but surely, works a transformation from the fool of Psalm 14 toward the blameless, righteous, loving person of Psalm 15.

Let me be explicit here in what I've implied - I love how David goes on to describe what walking blamelessly and doing what is right looks like:

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

  and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue

and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,

but who honors those who fear the LORD;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

5 who does not put out his money at interest

and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

As a whole, this Psalm is kind of like "Love God with all your heart and soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" (or “by loving your neighbor as yourself”) - can’t separate one from the other.  The psalmist is inspired to basically say, for God, “If you want to hang out with Me, and enjoy my Presence, be good to others, especially those with less leverage than you."

Abiding with God, sojourning with God, communion with God,
Living in God,
must mean the sanctification and beautification of my life, which in turn effects my stability and security in God and in the world (“He who does these things shall never be moved.”)

The adornment of God's Tabernacle is not silver or gold, or sacred artifacts, statues or paintings, tapestries or stained glass (as beautiful and uplifting as these may be).  It is you and me, loving our neighbor.

Quotes from The Problem of Pain

The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His.
George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons, First Series
Intro to Preface

Psalms 3 - 7

Psalms 3-7 - Honest, real life, conversing with God


These 5 psalms all seem similar to me, in their "feel" and as a genre of psalms.  And honestly, generally speaking, it's probably the genre I connect with most readily.

They go back and forth with a seemingly comfortable ease between affirming God's presence and goodness and protection and deliverance, and complaining about circumstances and wondering where God might be and pleading for deliverance.

In the every day of living life, of this journey in the valley of the shadow, these psalms give me words for, and are a good expression of, the complicatedness we experience - of simultaneous pain and joy, good and evil, frustrated complaining and joyful thanksgiving.

These are not laments, per se, but move us in that direction.  And as inspired prayers, found in our Scriptures, I am being encouraged to be honest with God, to give voice to what I am thinking or feeling, or to that of which I am afraid or that over which I am powerless.

I do note in looking at them together that there are several references the term "shield."

Psalm 3:3   But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalm 5:12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Psalm 7:10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.

Yet, even in coming back to this idea repeatedly, David also expresses pain, concern, frustration and fear - apparently that shield is not there to ward off every thing that could cause distress or pain (either from without, or from within).  But certainly God, as shield or aiding and empowering my shield, ultimately wins the victory, finally will save and deliver me, even through (as with God's Son my Lord and Savior) times that shield seems absent.

I trust that God works with favor towards those he loves, and that salvation was, is, and will be God's intention towards me.  And so, with David, I will remember and affirm, the LORD, my shield.

Psalm 2, Looking to/for God's Son the King

Psalm 2

Psalm 2 is an interesting second psalm!  Feels like a switching of gears, or a quick move to different genre of psalm.

As Psalm 1 began with a beatitude, Psalm 2 ends with a beatitude.  But till we get there the psalmist moves from a reflection on an individual person's way of life to a more panoramic reflection on nations and peoples, on kings and rulers.

"Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earthiest themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together
against the LORD and against his anointed..." (vv 1-2)

Perhaps the point is that this is where the way of the wicked (Psalm 1) will take a people; or perhaps we are being given a sweeping view of the __ of human willfulness and waywardness. Either way, the psalm states that God is not threatened at all, in fact, God "laughs" and holds them in derision, even as he affirms his anointed King in Zion.

I will tell of the decree,
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.."  (vv. 7-8)

On one level, this is probably David, king of Israel, or the kingship as a whole established for Israel.  But it is uncommon language for the Hebrew Scriptures.  The New Testament identifies this as pointing to, and about, Jesus the Christ ("Christ" meaning "Anointed One" or Messiah).  The psalm affirms his kingly authority and power, and ends with a warning and a beatitude.

Serve the LORD with fear,

and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son,

lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

for his wrath is quickly kindled.

And blessed are those who meditate on words like this day and night... a reflection that God is a good and powerful sovereign, God is not unaware of life on earth, in the smallest individual detail or of the most powerful empire's evil intents or deeds.  So, serve the LORD, rejoice in the LORD, adore and worship his anointed Son the King, and take refuge in him.  Let us hide in his care, find our security and peace in God and God's Savior King - and not in the Psalm 1 wicked way of living life our own way without God, or in the Psalm 2 way of trusting nations and rulers and armies.  Indeed, 

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Psalm 1, a Beatitude

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who walks not...
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night. 

The first word of the book of Psalms is "Blessed."  Blessed is the person who...  then the psalm lays out two ways: the way of the blessed, "righteous" person and the way of the "wicked" person.

And at heart, at the beginning of these 150 offerings, it concerns what or whom we listen to, consult, rely on, or are influenced by.  And moreso, blessed is the person who meditates on God's Word day and night - who reflects on it, mulls it over, questions it, delights in it, and applies it.

"Law" here is that word "torah", which really means something more like the "teaching of the LORD" or the "guidance" or "way" or as Christians often say, the "Word" of the LORD.  It includes the laws of God, but moreso, it includes at least the whole story of God from Creation to the end of the whole exodus and wilderness story (the end of Deuteronomy) - which begins as a story of blessing, and continues as such, God's desire and determination for his whole creation to flourish and be fruitful in trusting, faithful relationship with God.

Also, this "beatitude" (Blessed is the one who...) speaks of the general grace and happiness in the Lord that accompanies this way, as opposed to the other way; there are resources available to you, your trust and sense of security and well-being are enhanced in this way; you will avoid the traps and pains that accompany the way of selfishness, sin, pride, etc.  I don't believe it's saying "if you meditate on God's Word this morning and this evening, you will be blessed a good day..."

He is like a tree planted by streams of water...
not like
the chaff that the winds drives away...

There is a deep and refreshing grounding for us, for good times and difficult times, as we seek connection with the One who made us, who loves us, who delivers us from all that "enslaves" us, and who cares about our lives.

Right at the beginning of the Psalms there is this encouragement, and this vision, to meditate day and night on what the Creator and Redeemer has said and is saying.  Day and night.  Continually.  Connected.  Listening.  Leaning in.  Pliable. Teachable.  Trusting.  Abiding.

My grandmother's psalter

I inherited a few things from Grandmama, my mother's mother.  One is the crucifix that sits outside my office door, with the (literally) broken corpus of Jesus laying on it.

This is the other, which I have pulled out to use on this journey through the Psalms.  I am so thankful for Grandmama's prayers, for me, for our family.  Again, praying these psalms is a way of continuing in fellowship with her, and with John, in the Communion of Saints.

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

(Psalm 16:3, 6)

Different kinds of psalms

In six days, we have already discovered that there are many kinds of psalms.  While we could probably say that Psalms 3-6 are similar in style, both Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 were different (more in another post on these individual psalms).  We will find in this journey:

• psalms that are upbeat, and psalms that are dark and depressed; 
• psalms that call for the loudest praise, and psalms that lament, groan, complain and worse;
• psalms that are very personal and individual, and psalms that are corporate or national;
• psalms that are more like proverbs than prayers;
• psalms that are more imprecations than intercessions, 
• and more.

One way to very generally characterize the psalms that I have found helpful is in three categories (cf. Old Testament Theologian Walter Bruggemann):

1. Psalms of Orientation 
2. Psalms of Disorientation
3. Psalms of Reorientation

Psalms of Orientation are those that affirm that all is right with the world; everything is rightly oriented.  God is good and in control in heaven, the world is running well, and generally speaking, life is good and makes sense.

Psalms of Disorentation (in which category the Laments fall), of course, are those which express that things are not as they should be, and God may not be in heaven overseeing this mess, all is not right, and I or we are disoriented with this state of imbalance, upset, pain, and turbulence.

Psalms of Reorientation are those in which God has intervened in a "Disoriented" situation and brought about a new orientation, a resolution, deliverance and peace.

All of these are faithful offerings to the God who made us, loves us, is with us, and saves us.

Some psalms defy categorization; some are both Disorientation and Reorientation. I will point these out as we go along.

A healing, prayerful journey through the Psalms

About a dozen of us who are friends and family of my brother, John, who died tragically last month, have begun a healing, prayerful journey through the Psalms together.

Regularly reading/ praying the Psalms gives us words to say to God when we may not know what to say to God, or what we're feeling, or even whether we are permitted to say such things to God.

I have shared that there have been seasons, one long season in particular, when it was difficult for me to read any part of the Bible except the Psalms.  It was a season I felt kind of betrayed by God, a lot of grief, and dealing with a sense of failure.  There I found words, and a posture and an approach that helped stabilize and re-orient me.

Now, I am a believer in reading/ praying at least one psalm every day.  As a priest and pastor I often recommend that to people with I am honored to sit and talk and pray.

Honestly, the psalm may not really resonate with me any given day, though usually there is at least a verse or a phrase that is helpful.  But in daily saying them, there is a rhythm that honors and connects with all of life, the sunny days and the dark, stormy days.

Lastly, for today, I am strengthened to know that I am joining my heart and prayers with a host of other pilgrims throughout history, throughout the world, in heaven and on earth, who have voiced these words, are today, and will tomorrow.  And I'm thankful, and strengthened, and inspired, to be praying and reflecting on them with our little tribe of a dozen or so family and friends of John Fisher Di Cristina.

Discipling our tongues

As the reader at the evening service said after saying "The Word of the Lord" - "Yikes!" James' call to us for our discipleship to include our words is a sobering one. Several of you have shared some really good feedback, and I have some more rumbling around about it - specifically what "discipling our tongues" may look like.

I am going to reactivate my Restoration Project blog for a week or so to reflect on this topic of Discipling our Tongues, and thus helping our overall discipleship.

The first reflection I'll share is Paul's word to the Colossians 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Nothing comes out of our mouths that isn't already in there, in our minds and hearts - May the word of Christ make its home in us, abide in us, live in us, so richly that "out of the abundance of the heart," we speak words that indeed are a treasure (Matthew 12:34-36), reflecting the riches of our Father and our King. Let us read it, meditate on it, memorize it, delight in it, share it, sing it.

Peace and Joy, Mark +

No human being can tame the tongue, but...

James 3:7 "For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

There may be another piece of good news implied in the passage than I identified in the sermon - and it may be in this verse. "No human being can tame the tongue." But God can. Human nature does not have the resources to heal the heart and make the tongue a perfect instrument of peace. But the divine nature, working in and through a human being, can.

My first reflection including a reference to Colossians 3:16 which tells us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly and to speak to one another in all wisdom. A parallel passage to this is in Ephesians 5:18 where Paul writes that we ought not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit, addressing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, giving thanks always and for everything, and submitting to one another.

May the word of Christ and the Holy Spirit so fill us and so richly dwell in us as our treasure, that they overflow in words blessing, imparting life and peace.

Mark +

Great 'words' from cota folks

At the peace right after my sermon on the tongue and the power of our words, Jake Epker shared with me about "blessing."  We briefly talked about the idea that all our words fall into one category or the other: blessing or curse, that they fall on one side or the other of a gradient that ultimately results in blessing in curse.

Tom Aiken shared with me that when she was sharing a mission update with the church the week before, Stephanie Robinson thanked the people of COTA for "speaking life" into her.  What a great thing!  Let's do that more and more.

Tom also shared that around his house they talk about the fact that their words either build up or tear down - another way of saying blessing or curse, or life or death.

And Jim Lee reflected with me on the phrase "his words carry weight," and that we can think of that as meaning our words can weight people down, burden them with a heavy load;  our words can also relieve burdens and lighten the load.  This is part of Jim's passion and life mission - to share words and stories of grace that help remove shame and guilt and the heavy burden of so much religion, and impart life and peace and joy in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Great words from and for cota folks - those who are making cota an anglican church in a beautiful verbal landscape.

(In fact, newcomer JoJo Healy shared with me that she and Brian first came and loved COTA because of the retreat setting, but they kept coming back because of the beautiful verbal landscape... thanks be to God!)

Spiritual Disciplines for the Tongue...

So, what can we do to help control that feisty little member, that rather small muscle that boasts of such great things?

There are "spiritual disciplines," or exercises, that can help.  We talk about some of these in our newcomers' class section on Formation - how we grow and change as Christians.

First point re. spiritual disciplines:  like all disciplines or exercises or training, that basic idea is that you do what you can do now, so that later you can do what you can't do now.  For example, if you want to participate in a 5k race to help support a local organization or for the camaraderie or just to see if you can do it, you would do what you can do now - which might be walk around the block and jog a little - so that as you keep at it, eventually you'll be able to run 3.1 miles - or just traverse the 3.1 miles...

So one spiritual discipline to help our tongues is, of course, Silence.  This can be engaged in a number of ways:

• a personal or organized retreat of one or more days where you don't speak to others people, only out loud to God.  
• Or you might pick a time, perhaps just an hour or a morning, where you will not speak unless you absolutely have to.  
• Another variant might be to basically observe silence for a day (unless you have to talk, and some of us have to talk regularly during our work day!), but you commit to writing down what you talked about, who you talked about, etc.  This is to intentionally reflect on the nature of our speaking: is it critical, negative, upbuilding?  did I volunteer info about people I should not have?

I'll share another spiritual discipline tomorrow to assist us.  

One that Robert shared with me came from a Cursillo talk on Sin, where the speaker, a priest, began what was to be a 15-20 minute talk by saying:  "Sin,  don't do it!"    We could say, "Negative or critical speech, don't do it!"  

Lord have mercy.  May our words reflect your word - healing, creative, blessing.

taste your words

Welcome to cota, an Anglican church in a beautiful verbal landscape, in a retreat setting removed from critical talk and negative speak.


Oh Lord, may it be increasingly true of us!!

Discipling our tongues  (James 3)

We all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man (ie. complete, mature, whole), able also to bridle his whole body. (James 3:2)

"The control of the tongue is more than an evidence of spiritual maturity, it is the means to it."  (The Message of James, J.A. Motyer)

This is so intriguing to me - is seems to reinforce this reality that we are whole beings, all of one piece:  not just souls with bodies, or spirits trapped in physical corruption, or spirit-soul-body people with each part fairly separate from the others.  One of James' points in seems to be that how we use our words can aid the transformation of the heart, as well as affirming the truth that the transformation of our hearts will aid how we use our words.

There are actually spiritual disciplines that deal specifically with our words, that help us to "bridle" our tongues - and in turn our hearts and lives.  We touch on them in the Class of New Apostles.  I'll share about them tomorrow.

The Bethlehem Travel Company

A Playful Sermon on the First Sunday of Advent

(November 27, 2011)

introducing our Advent Journey

(correlated with our children's program culminating in an amazing and beautiful Advent / Christmas presentation on December 21, 2012)

The Bethlehem Travel Company

Restoration and Mercy

A Sermon from 1 Peter 2:2-10

(including Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; and John 14:1-14)

May 22, 2012 (The Fifth Sunday after Easter)

Rescued from Shame

Restoration and Mercy