Corinthians – Where the Wind…

The Dark Ages (May 6, 2013)

Published on May 6, 2013May 5, 2013 by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers…
How did it go?
How did it go? (Shel Silverstein, “Forgotten Language”)

…Listening In…

When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11; context)

…Filling Up…

My very first nephew was born last week, and his coming into the world has gotten me thinking about childhood, especially those early years that he has to look forward to. Sooner or later, each of us makes the switch from childhood to adulthood. For my nephew’s sake, I hope he waits a good long time. When we make the switch, we lose the easy access to so many things that for children come second nature.

Now whether or not you are still a minor, I’m sure you’ve had the experience of ceasing an activity you once did when you were younger. When I was a kid, I played with LEGO blocks twenty-four hours a day. Then I hit about age 14, and I entered what the LEGO company actually calls “the Dark Ages.” I quit playing with LEGO for some reason or another — I guess something internal told me that I was too old for that particular toy.

As in the case of ceasing our childhood activities, no matter how hard we might try, we all lose things that we once knew but forgot over time. I’m convinced that children know God in a way that adults cannot access. This week, we are going to look at accessing some of these things we might once have known.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you formed me in my mother’s womb and have guided my growth for my entire life. Help me to recover some of the things you taught me when I was young so that I can have a more complete picture of my life with you. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, joyful that I have been in your presence for my whole existence, whether I remember or not.

“X” is for Christ (March 18, 2013)

Published on March 18, 2013February 11, 2013 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

Batter my heart, three-person’d God ; for you
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new. (John Donne)

…Listening In…

From Paul, called by God’s will to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Sosthenes our brother. To God’s church that is in Corinth: To those who have been made holy to God in Christ Jesus, who are called to be God’s people. Together with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place— he’s their Lord and ours! Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:1-3; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “X” is for Christ. Hold on a second, you say. You’re trying to pull a fast one, you say. I promise, I’m not. I needed a word that begins with “X,” and Christ is one – just not in English. In Greek, Christ looks like this: Χριστος. That first letter is the Greek letter “Chi,” which has adorned many a fraternity house, including the one I frequented in college but never joined.

In the early church, the first two letters of “Christ” became a sort of unofficial symbol for Christianity. The “Chi-Rho” was written with the “Rho” (which looks more like a modern “p” than “r”) inscribed within the “X.” In the year 313, these two letters had a hand in converting the Roman Empire to Christianity. The soon-to-be emperor Constantine received a vision telling him to draw the Chi-Rho on the shields of his troops. He did so, won the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, and signed the Edict of Milan soon after. This edict allowed Christians to practice their religion openly within the Empire, which formally adopted Christianity as the official religion several decades later.

That history lesson aside, the word “Christ” serves as both name and title for Jesus, in the same way that folks in the Middle Ages took their profession as their surname (Smith, Miller, Fletcher, Carter etc). “Christ” means “messiah” or “chosen one.” But in the popular view of the day, Jesus would never have been the person cast to fill this role, considering he was a peace activist, not a military hero. The latter was what the people expected. But it’s not what they got, sort of like when you opened up this Devo and expected a word that starts with X.

In the convention of the day, Jesus’ last name would have been “Bar-Joseph” (son-of-Joseph) or “of Nazareth.” But over time, his identity as messiah overrode his origin and his upbringing. In the same way, our identity is informed by our origin and upbringing, but it is not enslaved to them. We can find our roles; hopefully, these roles will resonate with God’s call in our lives. And then, that’s how people will know us.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you breathe identity into me and call me into your service. Help me to claim the person you would have me be so I can be the best servant I can be. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, enlivened by your word, sustained by your grace, and filled with your love.

“V” is for Veil (March 14, 2013)

Published on March 14, 2013February 11, 2013 by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

If we would follow Jesus we must take certain definite steps. The first step, which follows the call, cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow produces a new situation. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship)

…Listening In…

Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. (1 Corinthians 13:12; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “V” is for Veil. Simply put, veils obscure vision. For example, a bride’s veil keeps the groom from seeing her clearly (which in turn leads to several of Shakespeare’s plots). For followers of Jesus Christ, the veil exists between our limited perception and God’s greater glory. We see a teeny tiny portion of the spectrum of light with our actual eyes, so it’s no wonder that our spiritual perception is similarly limited.

That’s where “revelation” comes in. Revelation is a translation of the word “apocalypse.” Now, before you start thinking that I’m talking about the end of the world, you should know that the word “apocalypse” doesn’t really have anything to do with the end times; however, that’s the linkage that exists in our present context. Here’s just a second of disentangling. “Apocalypse” literally means “to pull back a veil or curtain.” Revelation is about “revealing” what’s on the other side of the veil. Whether this revelation happened in the past, happens now, or will happen in the future is independent of the word “apocalypse.”

Okay, so our limited perception keeps us from seeing beyond the veil. There is some indefinable beauty on the other side, but we don’t really know what it is. The question then becomes: how do we know there is some indefinable beauty on the other side if we can’t see beyond the veil? Well, at some point or another, God pulled back the veil and gave us the gift of more expansive perception. Followers of Jesus believe this happened in the Incarnation, life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the “revelation” of God. In the person of Jesus, God pulled back the curtain.

The veil still hangs in front of our faces. But it is not opaque. It is porous because the glory of God can’t help but penetrate it. This is why we have hope. The veil will be pulled back fully, and then we will know fully, even as we are fully known.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your glory cannot fit into the limited understanding that I have. But I pray that you keep revealing your love to me so that I can reveal it to others. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, trusting that you never leave me, trusting that you are above, below, behind, before, beside, and within me.

“T” is for Trinity (March 12, 2013)

Published on March 12, 2013March 11, 2013 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

…Listening In…

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:13; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “T” is for Trinity. Folks in churches often shy away from discussing the “doctrine” of the Trinity. The old joke is that the head pastor of the church always gets the assistant to preach on Trinity Sunday. A lot of folks just don’t get what to do with the doctrine of the Trinity.

The funny thing is this: folks have a problem with the Trinity precisely because they use the word “doctrine” to describe it. Yes, the Trinity was a big part of the doctrinal disputes of the early church. Yes, contrary understandings of the Trinity was a contributing factor that led to the split between the Eastern and Western churches. This history notwithstanding, the Trinity is not a doctrine. It is a relationship. The moment I made this switch in my mind, the Trinity became a much more present reality in my life.

The relationship of the Trinity is the way our limited human minds can begin to grasp the edge of the corner of an understanding about God. We call God “Father,” but father is a relational word. There cannot be a parent without a child. So we call God “Son.” Thus, there is a relationship between God within God. This relationship is the “Spirit,” the love that the Father and Son have for one another. Of course, God is one, so all of this is God.

We don’t have to understand how the Trinity “works” to understand that the relational nature of God has always been. Never has there been a time when God was “alone” because God was with God before anything else was created. This gives me hope because God’s relationship with God tells me how God’s relationship with me happens. I am never alone because God is with me. Or to say it more precisely, I am with God.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your love has been the foundation of this universe since before time began. Help me to access this love in the relationships that I have with others. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, trusting that you never leave me, trusting that you are above, below, behind, before, beside, and within me.

“H” is for Harmony (Feb. 22, 2013)

Published on February 22, 2013February 11, 2013 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

We come this morning –
Like empty pitchers to a full fountain,
With no merits of our own.
O Lord – open up a window of heaven,
And lean out far over the battlements of glory,
And listen this morning. (James Weldon Johnson)

…Listening In…

God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “H” is for Harmony. Yesterday, we talked about joining God’s dance and finding God’s rhythm. Now we are going to talk about our participation in God’s music. This music plays in each one of our hearts. Sometimes the music is soft: a half-whispered lullaby, barely discernible over the din of the world. Sometimes the notes crescendo to a deafening fortissimo that knocks us, weeping, to our knees. Most often, the music sounds as the percussive TUB-thp of our hearts — a rhythm that, if you listen closely, beats in time with the rest of the performing forces of creation (the “grace” we mentioned yesterday).

Each one of us has the music of God resounding within, but the symphony is incomplete until we have found each other, until we have joined together in fellowship as the orchestra of God. In Greek, this fellowship is called koinonia, but I’ve always thought that “fellowship” is a rather limp translation. For the sake of our metaphor, let’s translate koinonia as “harmony,” which lands much closer to the descriptive intent of the Greek word. Musical harmony is the collection of notes that adds structure, color, tone, depth, and meaning to the main tune. This tune, called the “melody” is the music of God within us. The combination of our own unique passions, trials, joys, griefs, and loves creates the harmony of the music of God.

As followers of God, we play together the koinonia, the harmony, of the music of God to a world so accustomed only to noise and clatter. The movements of our symphony resonate with the movement of God in this world. God provides the melody, and we harmonize with it together.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your creation sings out your praise. Help me to provide my voice to that song in such a way that I add a pleasing harmony to the life of your creation. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, taking hope in the overarching reality that you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

“A” is for Ashes (February 13, 2013)

Published on February 13, 2013February 11, 2013 by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

…Listening In…

Listen, I’m telling you a secret: all of us won’t die, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “A” is for ashes.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” the priest says as he or she scrapes two lines of grit on the forehead. Two lines of soot, of the debris that’s left after the fire is gone. Now, the fire consumes, but it does not annihilate. The fire converts the material fuel into energy and burns with heat and light. When it dies out, the ash remains. The ash is the remnant of the material, the leftover stuff that did not change from matter into energy.

This is the symbol of the beginning of Lent, the season in which we recall all the ways we have fallen short of our callings as human beings, in which we recall why we need Christ in the first place. The two lines of ash make a cross, a device of torture and death that Christ changed into a symbol of hope and life. The keyword here is change.

The fire changes the fuel into energy and leaves the ashes. We take those ashes and make the sign of the cross on our foreheads. In the same way, walking with Christ changes us. We burn with the light of Christ. We burn with the energy that Jesus infuses into our lives. This burning separates all the pieces of us that God can use from the ash of selfishness, pride, and domination. Through the mercy and grace of God, as we burn, we leave behind this ash and we are changed.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you provide the spark that gets our fires going. Help me to burn brightly for you and to participate with you in the removing of the ash from my life. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, taking hope in the overarching reality that you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

One Side of a Conversation (February 6, 2013)

Published on February 6, 2013February 4, 2013 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

If you look at a window, you see flyspecks, dust, the crack where junior’s Frisbee hit it. If you look through a window, you see the world beyond. Something like this is the difference between those who see the Bible as a Holy Bore and those who see it as the Word of God, which speaks out of the depths of an almost unimaginable past into the depths of ourselves. (Frederick Buechner)

…Listening In…

…Filling Up…

The third word that we say quite often when we talk about the Bible is “Epistle.” This is a fancy word for “letter” (the kind you put in the mailbox, not the kind on the keys of your keyboard). The bulk of the New Testament after the accounts of the Gospel is letters from various early followers of Jesus to various other early followers of Jesus. Some letters are written to specific individuals, others to communities. Here are a few things to know about “Epistles.”

First, in the ancient world, letters followed a particular format, not unlike the modern email convention of “Recipient, Sender, Subject, Body.” The Apostle Paul identifies himself first in his letters, then he names his recipients, then he presents a glimpse of the subject of the letter in the form of a thanksgiving to God for the recipients, and finally he gets on with the balance of the text. Knowing this standard formula helps interpreters like you and me discern when letter-writers break the formula, thus giving us a clue into the writer’s intentions. For example, Paul’s letter to the Galatians has no thanksgiving paragraph because Paul is really mad at his recipients.

Second, we only have one side of the story that the letters tell. We have two of Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth, but we have no letters from the church in Corinth to Paul. Interpreting the letters is akin to listening to someone on the telephone. You hear only that person’s responses to the caller on the other end of the line. It falls to you to piece together what the other party says.

Third, Paul and the other writers of the letters in the New Testament had no idea they were writing “Scripture” when they penned their correspondence. We get little bits about preparing a room to stay in and sending along the coat I left at your house. These little human touches are great, and they make the letters more accessible than if the writers were consciously writing the Bible.

These letters were written when the new church and the Christian faith were in their infancy. They give us clues to what the early communities of Jesus’ followers were struggling with, what they were worried about, and what they were celebrating. As we read them nearly 2,000 years later, our own struggles, worries, and celebrations are reflected in theirs because the same God makes the letters alive for us, animated through the power of the Holy Spirit.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the catalyst behind the human desire to connect with one another. Help me to maintain my connections with friends and loved ones, even those who live at a distance. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, endeavoring to learn more about you, learn more from you, and learn the best ways to be your child in this world.

It’s Love, in Point of Fact (October 15, 2012)

Published on October 15, 2012October 15, 2012 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

You know what the first rule of flyin’ is? …Love. You can learn all the math in the ‘Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don’t love, she’ll shake you off just as sure as a turn in the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she’s hurtin’ ‘fore she keens. Makes her a home. (Malcolm Reynolds, Serenity)

…Listening In…

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:13; context)

…Filling Up…

At the beginning of my favorite movie, the science-fiction film Serenity, the Operative scans through security footage of Simon Tam breaking his sister, River, out of a government-run facility that has been conducting torturous experiments on River’s brain. The doctor who runs the facility tells the Operative that it was “madness” for Simon Tam to give up his own brilliant future in medicine in order to save his sister. “Madness?” the Operative replies. “Have you looked at this scan carefully, Doctor? At [Simon Tam’s] face? It’s love, in point of fact. Something a good deal more dangerous.” It’s love, in point of fact.

It’s love, in point of fact, that forms our faith communities, which care for those both within and without our little bands of pilgrims. Some would say this is madness rather than love, asserting that maintaining a purely self-interested motivation for action is the only safe and sane way to live.

It’s love, in point of fact, that brings our faith communities together to worship a God we’ve never seen with our eyes nor heard with our ears nor touched with our fingers. Some would say this is madness rather than love, asserting that only what we can prove and quantify and predict are real.

And it’s love, in point of fact, that forms our faith communities to worship an unseen God who reveals God’s personhood as threefold, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some would say this is madness rather than love, asserting that the Trinity is a needless complication of the already tenuous and rather dodgy business about God.

Some would say all this is madness, but it’s love, in point of fact. This week we are going to look at the love of God as revealed in the Holy Trinity. I know that using the word “Trinity” can be a little daunting, but I hope you’ll stick with me, because it doesn’t have to be.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are love. Help me to bring your love to all I meet. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, thankful that in you I find perfect love and a perfect home.

Completely Known (October 4, 2012)

Published on October 4, 2012September 30, 2012 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

I am a flower quickly fading (here today and gone tomorrow)
A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling; Lord, you catch me when I’m falling,
And you’ve told me who I am: I am yours. (Casting Crowns)

…Listening In…

…Filling Up…

In the Gospel according to John, Jesus places himself directly in the path of the tradition of God’s revelation to Moses that we talked about yesterday. Unlike some parts of the other accounts of the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in which Jesus’ divine identity is kept a secret, the Jesus of John’s account proclaims quite often that he is the Son of God and, indeed, one with the Father. He does this in two ways: first, he states explicitly that he is the Son of God and, indeed, one with the Father. Second, he says “I am” over and over again. By saying “I am,” he applies to himself the divine identity that God revealed to Moses on Mount Horeb.

Jesus says “I am” over a dozen times in the Gospel according to John. Some of these statements read simply “I am”; in some translations of the Bible, these are translated as “I am he,” and “It is I,” which are both technically correct, but they downplay the intent of divine revelation. Others read “I am ________,” such as “I am the good shepherd,” and “I am the light of the world.”

Early in the Gospel according to John, it says: “No one has ever seen God. God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made God known” (1:18). This making God known happens in part when Jesus say, “I am”; that is, when Jesus reveals the divine identity. At the same time as Jesus is revealing the divine identity, he is also teaching me who I am. I have be-ing because God is the ground of that be-ing, so when Jesus reveals God’s be-ing, I discover my own existence, my own life. In his discussion of love in 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that he is “completely known.” God’s “complete knowledge” of me is another way of saying that my be-ing has its home in God. Therefore, I discover my identity most fully and perfectly when I am abiding in God, who knows me in full.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you hold me in the palm of your hands and invite me to abide in your love. Help me to locate my identity in your sure and steady presence; in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, knowing that you are the foundation of all creation. I exist because you have spoken and loved me into existence.

Stained Glass Windows (September 13, 2012)

Published on September 13, 2012September 12, 2012 by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

Look upon me, O Lord, and let all the darkness of my soul vanish before the beams of your brightness. (Saint Augustine of Hippo)

…Listening In…

God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6; context)

…Filling Up…

We turn our discussion of light this week to a substance through which light shines. Have you ever wondered why churches have stained glass windows? You don’t see many stained glass windows in secular buildings or in private homes, and you certainly can’t find them for sale at Home Depot. No – churches pretty much have the market cornered on stained glass.

Leaving aside the fact that these windows are pretty and make interesting patterns of light dance across the floor, the purpose for stained glass has since medieval times been to tell stories. When most of the population was illiterate, the best way to teach the Bible was to tell it in picture form in the windows of churches. While some windows are purely decorative, in many the glass takes sunlight and bends it to tell a story. Each panel contains glass of various pigments and shapes, and strung together the light shining through shows scenes from Jesus’ life or images of the saints or other stories.

But I think that another reason that churches have stained glass windows is to remind the people who enter those churches that we are also a type of stained glass. Paul says that God shines in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. God shines in our hearts.

Our hearts can be dim, dank places, but God’s light penetrates them and roots out all that darkness. When our hearts are bright, we can ask God to make us windows so that the light will shine forth from us. But we aren’t just any old windows. We are stained glass. God’s light shines from us each uniquely – our individual gifts and personalities and yearnings act as the panels of colored glass. Through these beautiful panes, God tells the story of how God is moving in our lives. So shine with the knowledge that God’s light has reached your heart. And be radiant.

…Praying For…

Dear God, thank you for shining your light in my heart. Help me to radiate that light forth from myself so that others may know that I am yours. Give me the grace to brighten the lives of all I meet; in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.