Rend the Heavens: Advent Day 7

Rend the Heavens text: And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” John 1:21

Prompt: For Pete's sake

Once, in a sermon for a preaching class in seminary, I portrayed Martha speaking to Jesus about not coming when her brother, Lazarus, had died. The professor didn't like the sermon because he said, and I quote, "It was too angry."

I have spoken about that moment many times.

Too angry? Too angry at an untimely death? Of someone Jesus loved?

What's too angry?

What is too angry with Jesus?

Are we too angry when we want a little more clarity on the when and where this is all coming down?

Are we too angry when we are ticked about the unfairness of grace, even as it includes us?

Are we too angry when the heavens seem silent about injustice, war, and pain?

Are we too angry when we wonder why the second time Quirinius was governor was the right time, but not the first time Trump was president?

Are we too angry when we are grieved to silence toward the Divine at untimely deaths and powers and principalities that seem run amok?

For Pete's sake, what's too angry?

Because I'm not sure that I'm actually there. Because I still breathe, I still speak, I still pray, I still hope.

So, no. No. I am not yet too angry.

And I'm pretty sure Martha wasn't either.

Comments

Religious Holidays in Anchorage

You may have read in the Anchorage Daily News about a new policy regarding certain religious holidays and the scheduling of school activities. If not, a link to the article is here . The new rules do not mean that school will be out on these new holiday inclusions, but that the Anchorage School District will avoid scheduling activities, like sporting events, on these days. The new list includes Passover, Rosh Hashanah , Yom Kippur , Eid al - Fitr and Eid al - Adha . They are added to a list which includes New Year's, Orthodox Christmas and Easter, Good Friday, Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. The new holidays may be unfamiliar to some: Passover is a Jewish celebration, in the springtime, that commemorates the events in Egypt that led up to the Exodus. The name of the holiday comes specifically from the fact that the angel of death "passed over" the houses of the Israelites during the plague which killed the eldest sons of the Egyptians. Passover is a holiday

Latibule

I like words and I recently discovered Save the Words , a website which allows you to adopt words that have faded from the English lexicon and are endanger of being dropped from the Oxford English Dictionary. When you adopt a word, you agree to use it in conversation and writing in an attempt to re-introduce said word back into regular usage. It is exactly as geeky as it sounds. And I love it. A latibule is a hiding place. Use it in a sentence, please. After my son goes to bed, I pull out the good chocolate from my latibule and have a "mommy moment". The perfect latibule was just behind the northwest corner of the barn, where one had a clear view during "Kick the Can". She tucked the movie stub into an old chocolate box, her latibule for sentimental souvenirs. I like the sound of latibule, though I think I would spend more time defining it and defending myself than actually using it. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure how often I use the

When the Body of Christ is Fat

Bitmoji Julia enjoys tea Within a very short amount of time, two people whom I love were called "fat ass". One of these slurs occurred in the church building and the other occurred in the same building and within the context of worship. Both incidents were the result of a person with already impaired judgment lashing out at the person who was in front of them, perceiving them to be unhelpful or denying aid or service. Regardless of the "why", the reality is that the name was uncalled for, hurtful, and aimed to be a deep cut. The reality is that a person who is under the influence of legal or illegal substances and often displays impaired judgment can still tell that body shaming- comments about shape, appearance, or size- is a way to lash out at someone who is frustrating you. That means those words and that way of using them are deeply rooted in our culture. An additional truth is that when we, as a congregation, attempted to console and listen to those who h

Faith, Grace, and Hope

Search This Blog