scriptural interpretation

We all know the joke: Fred was experiencing a very tough time in his life. He felt his faith slipping and was desperate. He pulled out his Bible and decided to open it  randomly  to get a word from God.
So he flipped pages and stopped at Matthew 27:5, which says, "Judas went out and hanged himself."
He thought he'd try it again and Luke 10:37 came up, where Jesus said, "Go and do thou likewise."
So he quickly flipped to another verse and landed on John 13:27, which says, "What you are about to do, do quickly."
This humorous take on an "inerrancy" reading shows up the self-destructive nature of shallow and tangencial engagement with the Word of God written.

What to do about Bible reading?  In an age where biblical illiteracy is expanding as rapidly as the federal debt, churches who encourage communal bible study and reading are really swimming upstream.  Yet this foundational text of Western civilization can hardly be consigned to the ivory tower or the fringes of Christian life for it to have the life-giving effect that it promises.  Disciples must study scripture together if our common life is to have meaning. So I'm really happy to have a small group of pilgrims ready to re-engage with the bible in our little church.  Reading through the Bible in 90-days was good.  Studying together is really better.  We'll use Disciple .  Beginning Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 pm.

little church influence

Sometimes people in small churches can feel ineffectual and isolated.  Here's a story to counter that.  Last year this congregation read the  Bible in 90 Days . It was a bit gimmicky, but a fun way to be re-acquainted with scripture, and get the whole big story of the Bible in one reading marathon.  Lots of people participated.  We started in January and finished right after Easter.  I was astounded at the difference it made in people's lives, and I continue to see people more confident of their own faith story.  I bragged about our little church with a big mission to my small group of clergy women who meet regularly.  It was easy to brag, because I was not responsible for either the idea or the outcome, both of which were fantastic!  But I was still proud of the people.  Then something else happened. One of the other clergy women, an associate pastor in a large church, experiencing some difficulties, took the idea to her church. They decided to adopt a "read the Bible in a year" schedule, and take it as widely through the church as possible.  At a kick-off dinner and pep rally, she invited me and one of our elders to tell the story of Church of the Covenant's experience in reading the Bible.  Since then, I've understood, the church is excited and motivated to read.  So...the ripples are extending out farther and farther.  You never know how a small, but faithful, action may reach out far beyond the immediate neighborhood to heal the world.

Nasty prepositions

Faith of...or faith in...Jesus?  Galatians 2:11-21 My bible translation has little footnotes for the passages that describe the source of Christian hope:  Is the proper translation "faith IN Christ" or the "faith OF Christ"?  That is, whose faith is it--ours or Jesus'--that saves us?  The Greek is ambiguous and scholars argue both ways.  So what's a mere pew-sitter to do?  It's probably not the first time that prepositions have gotten someone in trouble.  I tend to think that it's Jesus' faith or rather faithfulness to death on the cross in my place that did the trick.  In that sense, faith really doesn't belong to me in the first place, but is a gift from God.

But doesn't Christ's gift of faith to me demand a faithful response?  I'm thinkin' yes.  Maybe demand is too strong; maybe "invite" is more like it, offering me the possibility that I might refuse the invitation, at my own expense.

This Jesus is a complicated guy.

Interfaith dialogue and Neighborhood identity

Communities rise and fall on their ability not only to get along, but understand and reconcile.  Arlington Interfaith Council has been promoting good relationships from its inception.  It will sponsor a panel discussion on Sunday, January 16, with people representing all three of the Abrahamic faith traditions--Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Visit here  Just so, as an activist community AIC takes pride in "the Arlington way."  I hope it's a success and well-attended, but I'm not optimistic.  Those who care about this kind of "life quality" issues are few and far between.  It's difficult to lift up neighborliness, when so many of our neighborhoods are that in name only.  I live about 20 miles from Arlington.  I barely see my neighbors.  I only know them by sight.  In fact the family across the street has two children, both born in the past six years, that I've never met.  Our neighborhoods are more likely to be defined by associations of choice--sports teams, clubs--than those of accidental geography.  Does neighborliness increase or decline when we can exercise full choice in the neighborhoods with whom we associate?
The tragedy in Arizona over the weekend heightens our lack of human connectedness.  Those people who put themselves outside the neighborhood are a danger not only to themselves but to the fabric of human communities.

New Year, New Congress

{Image from : NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio]
I haven't put anything here for a while...distractions, duties...A new resolve to follow the daily lectionary cycle may spur more frequent writing, about how the Bible and the newspaper may be read together.
Today's morning Psalm 72, together with the new Congress convening yesterday put me in the mind of seeking a joining.  I don't know if reading the US Constitution on the floor of the House will be a good thing or a bad thing.  Certainly showmanship is involved.  So is the showmanship of Psalm 72--a psalm for the blessing of the king who is righteous and cares for the poor.  The psalm blesses the king and the land that he governs for taking the path of judging the people with righteousness and the poor with justice, delivering the poor and needy when they call, "the poor and those who have no helper." [v. 12]  "He has pity on the weak and the needy and saves the lives of the needy.  From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight."[v.13]  According to Psalm 72, the sole characteristic of a good king is the way that, under his domain, the poor and needy are treated.  So how will the power of the US Government, characterized by the US Constitution measure up to that standard?  It's complicated.

New Post today

I know I haven't put anything here for a while.  I do wonder if anyone is out there reading anyway.  I follow a lot of other people's blogs [see the page here] so I try to keep up.  But one-way communication is a pretty lonely spot.
But this story needs telling...
Yesterday after church, someone parked a truck in the driveway of the church.  The truck had broken down, and two couples were engaged in trying to analyze the problem and find a way to fix it.  They hung out for a long time, sitting in the shade of the driveway tree.  [Those trees are a blessing!]  Since I was working in the office in the afternoon, I checked on them every once in a while, seeing if they had water or wanted a place to cool off.  I'm sure the temperature outside was above 90.  They were gracious and even left a contribution to the church.  Eventually they had to have the truck towed.
If only it were so easy to help with other things that are broken down.  Our part of Arlington looks so nice on the outside, but I'm sure there are broken places on the insides of the homes in our neighborhood.  I wonder if having a nice building and a beautiful garden around the church is a barrier.  It sends a message that we have it all together, and anyone who comes by ought to have it all together, too.  Not true, of course, but someone walking [or riding] by would never suspect that.

What do you think?  Does a church building that looks great help or hinder in neighborhood hospitality?

On the home stretch...

We're almost there!  If you're on track, you will have finished reading the whole Bible by Sunday.  Congratulations!  Even if you've not finished, you can drop by the church (if you're in Arlington) on Sunday, April 25, at 9:45 am, 2666 Military Road, for a little celebration, sign the "wall of accomplishment" and have a little cake.  By undertaking this 90 day adventure, we've started to lift the heavy cloud of biblical illiteracy--just a little.  I found so much this week to be thankful for--reminders that God is still speaking.  I'm reminded that all those old phrases like: the "communion of the saints," "grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus," --all that ties us together in a very large and enduring church, even though we are such weak vessels.  I also remember that someone once told me, "God must love the church, because people would have killed it off a long time ago."

So we press on to the finish...