Category Archives: Theology

Poems and Prayers for the Very Young

Leave a reply

Photo on 11-6-15 at 11.09 AM

God, we thank you for this food,

For rest and home and all things good;

For wind and rain and sun above,

But most of all for those we love.

Maryleona Frost

From Poems and Prayers for the Very Young (Martha Alexander, illustrator, Random House, New York, 1973)

My friend Cheri tucked this little paperback into a box of baby presents when my younger son was born. She had one for her two girls and thought I’d like one, too. These four lines are just one of the treasures in it.

This little table blessing doesn’t put conditions on thanks. There is no escape clause if peas are served rather than corn on the cob. Home can be an apartment or a mansion, and rest had in a tent or on a sofa. Wind and sun and rain reign above for rich and poor, friend and stranger. Thanks are included for those we love with no distinction.

When we leave childhood behind, we make distinctions. We separate the foods we like and the ones we don’t, saving our approval and our thanks for what we want. Our homes become places moving toward an imagined ideal, not a place where we can live interesting lives. The elements are welcome when they don’t interfere with the daily commute or vacation plans. Even love can be doled out according to merit and convenience.

I’m old enough now to leave that kind of adulthood behind for a second kind of childhood – not simplistic, but simple. I am thankful for whatever is on my plate. I am grateful for the means to eat when many will not. When I welcome friends and family with kindness, care, and attention, my home is good enough. I trust they come to visit me and my family, not my furniture. And for those I love? Imperfect just like I am, and God’s sure grace in my life.

For all these, God, may I always be thankful.

Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost

2 Replies

Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost

These are the things that terrify me the most…

These two lines are part of the chorus to a Jimmy Buffett song. It’s an oddly upbeat song about phobias – not really a Halloween tune, but the lyrics do fit the season. I always liked the song, and these word have stuck with me. Why put the Holy Ghost in with scary movie monsters? It makes me wonder two things:

Is there a difference between feeling scared to death and scared to life?

What is the church doing wrong if its children mistake the Holy Spirit for a monster?

Lord Jesus Christ

2 Replies

A few years back, a dear friend’s son almost died in car wreck. Teenage inexperience, late night darkness, and a bad intersection came together to mangle the car and injure a brain. The late night call from police, an ambulance driver’s choice to take the boy to a bigger hospital rather than the small one around the corner, his parents joined by church youth and adults to keep vigil in the waiting room came together to throw a lifeline to a boy who should have died but didn’t.

When we next saw our friend, he talked about the prayers that were said for his son. The adults prayed for strength, comfort, and – if it be thy will, O God – healing. There was a lot of hedging, not wanting to ask what was most desperately wanted: life instead of an early death.

The teens took a different approach. Gathered in the waiting room and around his bed, they asked for what they wanted: life for their friend. There was no hedging, just explicit requests. With a life on the line, they gave Jesus no wiggle room and no escape route. Either the prayers were answered with a yes, or they were answered with a no. It’s what was on the hearts of everyone, and the youth owned up to it directly.

There are many reasons why those of us with more than a few years of life pray without specifics; God’s presence and love cannot be reduced to one particular outcome, a larger perspective can let go of particulars, a willingness to cling to God no matter the outcome. But it may just be a lack of courage – hiding true wants in the hope that we won’t lose a child and faith all at once. And so we pray God, Lord Our God, Maker of the Universe, titles and impersonal addresses that in our distress allow us to keep our distance from the God who created us.

Children at prayer talk to the God they know – Jesus who welcomes children and feeds the hungry: the baby who was born in a barn, the boy who got left behind on a family trip, and the man who touched people when they needed help. They pray Lord Jesus Christ.

After five decades of life, I pray to Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. No longer limited to one or the other (or the third), and fast losing a preference for one over the other two. I’m also trying to pray what’s on my heart rather than what I think I should pray. Letting Go and Holding Fast at the same time…

A Prayer for Children

Lord Jesus Christ, you received the children who came to you, receive also from the lips of your child this evening prayer. Shelter me under the protection of your wings that I may lie down in peace and sleep. Awaken me in due time that I may glorify you, for you alone are good and love all people.

A Prayer for Adults

Lord our God, whatever sins I have committed this day, in word, deed or thought, forgive me, for you are good and love all people. Grant me a peaceful and undisturbed sleep. Protect me from every abuse and plot of the evil one. Raise me up in due time that I may glorify you, for you are blessed, together with your only begotten Son, and your all holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

when ready for sleep, say:

Under the protection of your wings I shall be covered and fall asleep, for in you only, Lord, does my hope lie.

All Prayers are from Daily Prayers for Orthodox Christians (N. Michael Vaporis, ed.; Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek School of Theology, trans; Brookline, Massachusetts: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1986, 2010 reprint), pp. 19, 23

 

Sowing love

2 Replies

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Hatred is a harsh emotion and a destructive reality. It destroys without consideration, boundary, or restraint. It maims the hater and the hated alike; no one escapes unharmed. Anger and vengeance feed it, and it’s passed on from one generation to another, one community to another. Hatred can kill the body and cripple the soul, sending its roots into the deepest parts of life and bearing monstrous fruit.

How am I supposed to sow love where there is hatred? Sometimes it’s all I can do to practice patience and kindness where there is ignorance or disagreement; sowing love in a field of hate is beyond the skill of my hands, the wisdom of my thoughts, and the goodness of my heart. I just can’t do this.

But maybe that’s the whole point. This prayer is a boundary prayer, seeking what is far beyond me. Only God can grow love in a field of hatred. The best I can do is throw the insignificant seeds of love I have and leave the rest up to God. I know the love of God breaks into every human reality, even the reality of hate. My part is to refuse a life of hatred, sow what love is mine to give, and trust to the mystery and power of God’s love.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Eight simple words that can open the gates of heaven.

Lord, Make me an instrument of Thy Peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

This prayer is attributed to Saint Francis. He was born in 1181 or 1182 into a wealthy family in Assisi, Umbria. He grew up in comfort, turned into a rowdy youth, and eventually looked for glory on the battlefield. His life plan altered when he encountered God. In prayer, he heard God tell him to rebuild the church. He devoted himself to a life of prayer, poverty and service. He is the founder of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), usually called the Franciscans. He died in 1226 after a life of prayer, poverty, and service. His life, work, and words have inspired countless numbers of people.

IFF

Leave a reply

It’s something I remember from high school math class, shorthand for “if and only if.” It means that one thing will happen only if something else does. Tom will buy apples from Bob IFF Donna buys pears from Tom. If Donna doesn’t buy pears, the Tom and Bob deal falls apart. You can also find IFF in short or long form in logic puzzles and online games. IFF creates conditions that affect everything else, making games more fun and solving puzzles challenging and possible. If and only if.

I think New Year’s resolutions often come from a game of “if and only if” we play with ourselves and others. I’ll train for a marathon, keep my home and mind free of clutter, eat only healthy foods, and accomplish more with fewer hours and less effort. Behind these resolutions is this hidden IFF: Happiness/love/success/contentment/worth will be mine if and only if I train for the marathon/keep my home and mind free of clutter/eat only healthy foods/ accomplish more.

I like “ if and only if” when it comes to equations, games, and puzzles; I’m suspicious of IFF when it shows up in real life for a couple of reasons:

1. Unlike games, equations, and puzzles, life is open ended. There are any number of things that can and do happen. If and only if assumes a closed reality.

2. IFF thinking assumes that I know the only or best way something can come about. The conditions I set may not be the way reality works.

3. Usually peace, happiness, love, and worth don’t come from getting a specific thing. If and only if may get me a particular object, but I’ll eventually want something else – and the cycle continues.

4. What I really want is to know that I’m not lost to myself, others, and most especially God.

In 2015, I’ll do my best not to reduce God, self, and neighbor to any IFF. I can’t do it alone, though. A holy life is always a life lived in communion, always lived in this expanding and sacred cosmos. Unconditionally mine and everybody else’s.

Seeing, Thinking, and Acting Differently

1 Reply

Psalm 27; Isaiah 4:206; Acts 11:1-18

Pondering Acts 11:1-18

Advent is about more than getting ready for a baby to be born. I am expecting two new grandchildren in March – just two weeks apart. I know what expectant parents and grandparents go through, especially first-time parents, as one of my sons will be. As wondrous and challenging as that kind of expecting can be, the expecting of Advent is about something altogether different. The presence of a baby changes countless things in the lives of his or her parents. The presence of God changes everything in the world.

Peter is a great example of what happens when God is present. Acts 11:1-18 offers one of many examples of the radical change this encounter brings. What was unclean is now clean. What was forbidden is now embraced. What could not be seen or thought about is being done. Deep and profound change has extended the love and grace of God to more people. And, I’m willing to bet, as faithful as Peter had been, he came to understand and experience the love of God more fully, too.

This is one of the reasons we need Advent, I think. What we are about to experience is so radically different from the normal, everyday routine of our living that unless we prepare ourselves for it we won’t be able to handle it. Christmas will come and go and we’ll be no different than we were before. Advent is a season to get ready – to see differently, to think differently, to act differently because God is here.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Offered December 9, 2014, by Jeff Jones, Director of Ministry Studies and Associate Professor of Ministerial Leadership at Andover Newton Theological School, child of God.

 

Learning War and Peace

4 Replies

Psalm 79; Micah 4:1-5; Revelation 15:1-8

In the days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. People shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths…”

He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more…

War has always been with us, and there isn’t any sign that it’s in danger of extinction. Some say that’s just the way it is. In a world with limited resources, clashing cultures, and breathtaking technology for creating such efficient killing machines, how could it be otherwise? It’s not a good reality, but it is a constant reality, dependable through time and geography.

Micah reminds us that war isn’t natural the way floods or earthquakes are: War is taught and war is learned. It’s a creation of language and fear, weapons and greed. It doesn’t exist, can’t exist, unless our human community accepts it, teaches it, and learns it by heart.

With a change of heart, a refusal play our parts in the strike first/strike back cycle of violence, war can be unlearned. This unlearning is painful and costly. People who teach peace on the global stage usually fall in a hail of bullets. How can anyone find the strength and courage to teach peace and unlearn war? I can’t say what the particulars might be in any given time or place, but I know this: it won’t happen until we enter the house of the Lord. Not just one person, one community, one country, one religion. When I come before the door, I hope I have the presence of mind, the strength of character, and the common courtesy to hold the door for those who come behind me.

Prince of Peace, enter my heart. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Offered on December 1, Advent 2014

Potter/Clay

Leave a reply

Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; I Cor. 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-32

Yet, O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

Pottery clay is stiff and unyielding. To form a pot, you must work the clay, kneading in the natural oils, strength and wisdom of your hands. Without these, a lump of clay dries out and crumbles. It takes a lot of work, time, skill and care to turn a lump of clay into anything useful or beautiful.

God and us, a potter and clay. Who knows what shape we will take?Rest assured, it’s the shape we were meant to have. Rest assured, it will be more than useful and beautiful: it will be holy.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Offered on November 30, 2014

Profession

Leave a reply

A paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.

(New Oxford American Dictionary)

My high school violin teacher disagreed with this understanding of profession. “Your profession is what you do with excellence and respect, whether or not you make money.” Dedication to craft and pursuit of excellence were the hallmarks of a true profession, payment for services rendered a secondary matter.

I prefer this second definition. It involves dedication and a deep connection to a field and its practice. It also honors people who offer their services for the good of the world rather than the increase of their fortune.

My field is theology, seeking to understand and proclaim the presence of God in this good creation. It’s full of wonder and mystery, poetry and sacred texts. It’s also full of required reading so dull and so poorly written that purgatory becomes a believable concept. It usually falls into a different, less common definition of profession: a declaration of belief in a religion. Oddly enough, this is found under a general definition that goes like this:

An open but often false declaration or claim

(New Oxford American Dictionary)

This is a cautionary tale. To claim a profession which involves the sacred, and to earn a living doing so, is walking a narrow path. To profess the faith is one thing, to treat God and others as tools of the trade something else entirely. Sacred things and the holiness of all living creatures should be approached with humility, and the work involved done with fear and trembling. Otherwise it will surely earn the adjective false.

Psalm 115

Leave a reply

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.

They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.

They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk;

they make no sound in their throats.

Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.

If I’m not careful, what I make with my hands becomes my heart’s treasure and my soul’s captor. The idols I make in my own image and to my own glory unmake me. My eyes turn blind, hands numb, voice silent; I harden into stone, by all accounts dead to the world.

The real zombie apocalypse isn’t the special effects and make-up drama seen on big and small screens – it’s walking through this world untouched by its God given beauty and unmoved by compassion for God created others. And the worst part of this living damnation? It’s self-inflicted.