Seek the Shalom of the City
We don’t always know exactly what we are supposed to do — where we are, right now. We look ahead to future dreams or back to more certain times. But what about here and now?
The book of Jeremiah describes a critical time in the history of the people of Israel, when they found themselves asking the very same questions. Israel had been conquered by Babylon and many of the people had been carried off to live in exile in a new country and culture and community. Some wanted to go back, some just wanted to blend in, but God had a purpose for them then and there, just as God has for us here and now.
Through the prophet Jeremiah, direction came: Seek the shalom (that is, “universal holistic flourishing”) of the place where you are, “for in its shalom, you will find your own shalom.”
Whether we are starting a new school grade, welcoming a new group of students, or beginning our 50th year in the same neighborhood, this continues to be good direction and God's vision for each of us, wherever we might find ourselves on life journey. Dig in to our community, and seek it flourishing in all the ways we can, and we will find ourselves flourishing as well.
The Essentials: Love Your Neighbor
Jesus starts his explanation of Love in a very practical place: love in action, for others. But those who listened had all the questions we do: who? how far? how long? Jesus answered with a vision of the infinite love of God: everyone, always, as long as it takes. Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan flips the script and shows a wider vision of love than seems possible. But like the Samaritan, we are invited to let love start right where we are on our journey.
One For the Road
The Gospel of Luke introduces us to two new characters at nearly the end of the story, which is an odd choice, to be sure. Weirder still is the lengthy encounter they have with a stranger on their road back home, and how this stranger changes the course of their journey and ours. We might think we know how the story ends, but resurrection might just surprise us once again.
We’re gonna need a bigger boat!
After the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, many of the disciples got back to their old lives, which for some meant fishing. The disciples in John are shown fishing and pulling up empty nets, until they encounter a “stranger” and… well, the story changes. Let’s talk about what it feels like to “fish with empty nets,” and how resurrection can invite us into a posture of abundance.
Take a Knee
The word for “bless” in Hebrew is closely related to the word for “kneel.” The idea is that to praise someone and to receive a blessing is the same body posture… kneeling. We will look at the passage from Psalm 103 that underscores this linguistic lesson, as well as the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet as a practical example of how kneeling invites praise and blessing for all involved. This will lead us into a theology of servant leadership and humility at the core of the Christian message, that to bless and be blessed is to adopt a posture of kneeling–before God and before others.
The Hands of Healing
The “man with the withered hand” is one of the stories in the Gospels used to illustrate Jesus’ conflict with strict religious adherence (and adherents). He uses his hands not only to heal the hurting around him, he also uses his hands to wrestle with and overcome the leaders who would treat faith as a punishing list of rules. As we reflect on the faithful use of “hands,” we’ll look to Jesus, the pharisees, and the man in need of healing as examples of how our hands can work for liberation or captivity, and how God responds in kind.