Tag: Creator

Al Tirah

If I asked the average Christian what is the greatest of God’s commandments, I suspect most would respond, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” And, if I asked what is the second greatest commandment, I’m pretty sure most would respond, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments. Like a door depends on its hinges.

If I asked what is the most frequent commandment in the canon of Scripture, I might not find as much a strong consensus. There is one commandment that is found in most books of the Bible. Often, it is spoken by God. Many times, it is spoken by an angel. Sometimes it is spoken by Jesus.

Here is the answer: The most frequent commandment in the Bible is

Do you recognize that? Probably not. It’s Hebrew and is pronounced Al tirah. Still don’t recognize it? Okay, I’ll bet you recognize the English translation FEAR NOT. This commandment appears 365 times in the canon of Scripture, once for every day of the year. In my review of the occasions in which the commandment is expressed, it seems that it is usually spoken in a situation in which anxiety is running very high. Now is one of those times.

People are anxious about terrorists, gun rights, politicians, access to healthcare, the world economy, travel, job security, and a host of other things that can be perceived as threatening to our lives or at least our way of life. Many are feeling that the situation around them has moved beyond their control. They feel powerless and maybe hopeless. When human beings reach such a state of anxiety, our primitive “fight or flight” program instinctively engages. When that happens, we lose some of our ability to reason. We might say or do all sorts of irrational and hurtful things as we express our anxiety and even take extreme, sometimes violent measures to regain control to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our values, and our possessions.

Our brains are designed to react in frightening situations. We have that in common with other living creatures, such as lizards. Without our survival instinct, our ancestors would not have made it. But human brains are also designed to help us reason and work with other humans in finding meaningful ways to respond to what threatens us.

That’s where the most frequent Biblical commandment comes in. God who designed and equipped us to care for each other and oversee the entire creation, tells us not to let our fears conquer our faith, our hope, our love, and our reason.! Al tirah! Don’t be afraid!

I guess my mother had something like that in mind when she would stop me in mid-sentence and say, “Take a deep breath and count to ten before you say another word.”

Advent, the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year, is supposed to be a time of expectation, hope, peace, and joy. An angel said to some shepherds on a Judean hillside long ago,"Al tirah!, Fear not! for I have good news of a great joy that shall be to all the people.”

In spite of that, many people are anxious right now. Not everyone is having a good time. Not everyone feels secure. Even good news is frightening to some people. I have friends who don’t have the best memories of the holidays. There are those who are not going to be surrounded by family and loved ones. One thing is sure, everybody needs to know that they are safe, that they are loved, and that someone cares about them.

So, let’s resolve to be a light in someone’s darkness. Let’s take the time to listen to one another and honestly try to understand what is really being said. Let’s resolve to make our words and our actions to be expressions of the most frequent commandment. Let’s start with ourselves; look into the mirror and say, “Fear not!” Then, let’s find a way to help those around us conquer their own fears.

The promise is that faith conquers fear. Our hope is that perfect love casts out fear.

I’ll see you in Church!

December 10, 2015
An Aspen Epiphany

Signs of spring are appearing a little earlier than usual in Jackson Hole. The snow is almost all gone in our yard and little green sprigs are pushing their way up through the soil. Buds are appearing on the branches of various members of the willow family. When I was out walking yesterday, I noticed the change on the branches of some aspen trees beside the road. This sight gladdened my heart because I’ve never before seen aspens in springtime. I’ve loved aspens for as long as I can remember. When I was a child, I played among them. When I was a youth, I hiked and camped among them. I’ve spent time around their white trunks in the summer, in the fall, and in the winter, but never before in springtime.

Jews have a tradition of offering a brief prayer of thanks to God (berakhah) whenever they have a new experience. I appreciate the tradition and try to practice it daily at every point when I experience the hand of God at work in the world around me. So, on the occasion of seeing the buds on the aspen tree, I said, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Sovereign of the Universe and Creator of all things, for showing me your handiwork.”

The function of a berakhah is to acknowledge God as the source of all blessing. These short prayers also serve to transform a variety of everyday actions and occurrences into religious experiences that increase awareness of God at all times. For this purpose, ancient rabbis taught that it was the duty of every Jew to recite one hundred berakhot every day.

I wonder what would happen if every believer from every faith tradition were to adopt this practice. Greater awareness of the One who created all things might make us better neighbors, better stewards, better parents, and better sons and daughters. Offering a blessing to God for the abundance of blessings from God could, over time, transform us into more generous people. Acknowledging the majesty and wonder of our Creator would humble us and change us into more grateful creatures.

Let’s try it for a few days and see what happens!

I’ll see you in Church!

March 19, 2015
Sermon at Christ Church Cranbrook ~ November 17, 2013

Earth Day ~ November 17, 2013

Listen to the Sermon for November 17, 2013

Read the Sermon for November 17, 2013

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November 17, 2013
Stewardship is in our DNA.

Like many other congregations in America, ours is emphasizing stewardship of financial resources at this time of year. Next Sunday, we’ll invite worshipers to fill out new commitment cards and bring them to the Altar. Then, over the next couple of months, we’ll do everything possible to persuade everyone in the congregation to make a new, and hopefully increased, pledge of financial support of God’s work for the coming year.

I'm not sure why we have to work at this so hard to get Christians to do something so central to the Christian way of life. It came to my attention years ago that a substantial number of Christians consider the topic of stewardship to be less popular than some other ones. In fact, on several occasions, I’ve had church members suggest that I soft-pedal stewardship because some people might get upset. I’ve never taken that advice and here’s why.

Over half of the recorded sayings of Jesus Christ have to do with possessions. Jesus clearly knew how often possessions interfere with our relationship with God, our neighbors, and even our own spiritual identity. Think about it. Don’t most wars, lawsuits, family feuds, and legislative battles finally boil down to who possesses what and how much?

There is an event in the life of Jesus that illustrates this aspect of Jesus message. The story was so important to early Christians that it is recorded almost word for word in all three synoptic gospels. A rich man approached Jesus and asked, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responded by telling him the only thing left for him to do was to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. The man couldn’t do it. Why? He was possessed by his possessions. He relied on his possessions too much. He derived too much of his identity, security, and status from his possessions. Jesus wanted to liberate people from whatever enslaved them and in this instance, the man was a slave to his possessions. Jesus was not condemning wealth. He was trying to help a man find the freedom and joy that comes from living in a right relationship with God, his neighbor, and his stuff!

Following the example of Jesus, I believe one of the most important aspects of my priestly vocation is to help people have a healthy relationship with their possessions so that all the other relationships of their lives will be healthier and they will know the kind of freedom Jesus called “eternal life.”

Another reason I believe it is important to help people be faithful stewards is because the story of stewardship is grounded in the story of creation. In the beginning, when God created human beings, our role as stewards of all that God has made was imbedded into our DNA. As the only creature made in the likeness of God, humans have the distinct privilege and responsibility of managing all the resources God has provided in ways that further God’s creative and redemptive purposes.

When human creatures abdicate their role as stewards, they lower themselves in the pecking order of creation. They view themselves as the subjects of their possessions or the elements. Before long, they make idols and their idols stand between them and God. As Martin Luther once observed, "Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god." The vocation to be stewards of creation is one of the fundamental things that makes us human! It is in exercising stewardship that we become more fully human and fulfill our God-given destiny in the ongoing progress of creation.

Fianlly, it is important to help the community of Christian people see how necessary the work and witness of the community is to the ongoing redemptive mission of Christ. The first thing Jesus did in his public ministry was to form a community. Throughout his ministry, he worked to strengthen that community and form them into an apostolic, missionary force. The last thing he did before his Ascension was to send that community into the world to bear his message and transform lives. We give a portion of the money and time and other resources that have been entrusted to us for the work Jesus Christ wants to be done through the community he called into being. When the community of Christ's followers is healthy and vibrant, the apostolic witness impacts the mission field at our doorstep in powerful, divine ways. We can't be faithful stewards if we neglect the community into which we are baptized and to which Christ has entrusted so much of his redemptive work.

When our lives are focused on stewardship instead of ownership, we experience greater freedom. When we embrace the pattern of Jesus’ life that is characterized not by having but by giving, our relationships are transformed. When we fulfill our vocation as stewards of creation, we become more fully human and realize more completely what it means to be created in the image of the Creator. When our giving strengthens the Church, the divine mission given uniquely to the Church can be accomplished.

As a priest, why would I want to soft-pedal something like that?

Almighty God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor thee with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.827)

October 6, 2011
The Holy Trinity: More Than a Theory.

The Holy Trinity is a doctrine, a teaching, developed over time by the Church as an aspect of the unfolding revelation of God derived from, but not confined to the pages of sacred scripture.

Doctrine is not Truth, with a capital “T”, but rather our faithful approach to or reach for the Truth. Doctrine that really matters is more than an intellectual pursuit or a theory. The best doctrines are those that speak to deeply felt needs of those who seek God. For example…

We have a need to know who created the universe and placed us in it. In response, the Church tells us that it is the Lord God Almighty who is the Creator and Parent of all life and being. We see God’s hand at work in the world around us. It is powerful, though only a glimpse. To see God face to face is something we hope for and long for and live for.

We also need to know that we have a source of forgiveness and understanding that will not let us down. In our declaration of the divinity of Jesus Christ, we are saying that God sees us not just from the viewpoint of a loving Creator/Parent, but with redemptive concern as well. God’s reason for dealing with us in Jesus Christ is to offer us forgiveness of sin, release from guilt, to reconcile us and draw us closer to the ultimate purpose for all creation.

And, we need to know that we have a friend who is near, always able to sustain our faith, bind us together in worship, and empower us in God’s mission. So, we proclaim that God is the Holy Spirit, ever present in our midst for guidance, comfort, and strength. As St. Paul says, the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and heirs with Christ of God’s amazing grace.

The Holy Trinity: Three expressions of how One Living God relates to everything and everyone in the universe. More than a theory, it is a teaching given to us to help us better know who God is, how God loves us, and how God abides with us.

June 16, 2011