A Blameless and Upright Man In the beginning of the Book of Job, God calls Job “a blameless and upright man” (Job 1:8). [1] He feared God, did no evil, and obeyed the commandments. In case any of his children cursed God in their hearts without his knowing it, he sanctified them and made burnt offerings. All he did was good in the sight of the Lord, and he was rewarded with a great wealth of children, oxen, camels, many servants, and more. This theology, that if we do good, we will receive good, was common back in the day (the 4th to 7th centuries BCE) when Job was written.…
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Seeing But Not Perceiving
Never Perceiving In the kingdom of God, the sick receive healing, the poor have enough to eat, and the weak are powerful. Yet no matter how much Jesus preaches about this kingdom, the disciples don’t get it. They want to know if they’ll sit at his right hand in heaven. They want glory and power. But Jesus called them to serve. In the Gospel of Mark, he must repeatedly admonish them to stop thinking about their own desires, stop seeking to be served, and strive instead to become better servants. As Geert Van Oyen points out in his analysis of the gospel, the acolytes want to fulfill “their own interests”…
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Calming the Storm
God’s Power Over the Elements Read from a Christian perspective, Mark’s Gospel guides us, step by step, to the realization that Jesus is the Messiah, the one sent to Earth to redeem our souls. Thus, the story of Jesus calming the sea becomes one more miracle tale, meant to be taken literally so we might be convinced. Children’s lessons highlight Jesus’s power over the weather, over disease, over everything in the universe. That’s how amazing he is. That’s how we know he’s God. And this God will help us when storms rage in our life. If we have faith, we need not be afraid. [1] That message is not unique…
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Help for the Journey
Heavenly Music In her anthology of folk tales, Jane Yolen retells a story about the youngest son of the King of Ireland, who wins a maiden and half his father’s kingdom. [1] In some ways, it’s like many youngest child tales in that he is victorious where his older brothers are not. Unlike most such stories, however, once he sets off on his quest, everything he needs is handed to him. It seems that the King of Ireland had three sons, Neart, Ceart, and Art. The youngest, Art, was his favorite. As might be expected, the older boys were jealous. One day, a strange singing began to be heard throughout…
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God’s Wrath and God’s Love
Divine Inspiration Divine inspiration comes from many sources. In Ancient Greece, there were the muses. According to the tradition of some religions, God spoke directly to their founders. For instance, there was the Mesopotamian author of the Atra-Hasis; Muhammad, who wrote the Quran; Joseph Smith of the Latter Day Saints; Báb and Baháʼu’lláh, authors of the Baha’i scripture; and Helen Schucman, who claimed that, when she wrote the Course of Miracles, she was receiving dictation from a voice who identified itself as Jesus. Although neither Jews nor Christians assert that God dictated their scriptures, many consider the Bible to be God’s spiritual word, if not the literal one. If nothing…
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Choosing Redemption, Choosing Life
Choosing Redemption Last month, while talking about forgiveness and redemption at the Recovery Church circle, the question came up of whether or not we can be redeemed from God’s love. Hearing that phrase, I imagined a demon bargaining with God to gain control of some poor peasant’s soul, as if God were in the business of buying and selling. Originally, redemption meant to buy back what one had sold. In ancient Mesopotamia, as Robert C. Ellickson and Charles DiA Thorland point out, life was precarious. Families were vulnerable to “crop failures, illness, and attack by pillagers.” [1] Families often had to borrow money, then were unable to pay it back.…
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Listening and Grace
Silence as Listening As a chaplain, I listen. This sounds easy, but listening is complex. To listen, we must be present, maintain our focus, and hold our heart open so we don’t get lost in judgment. Typically, it helps to insert comments, such as paraphrasing what you hear or asking for clarification. Yet sometimes, simply paying attention can make all the difference. The most extreme example of this kind of silent listening occurred when I met with a patient for an hour, saying nothing other than, “So what’s going on?” at the beginning, and “You’re welcome,” at the end. The man told me about his childhood, about a grievance with his…
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Mercy and Grace
Revisiting Forgiveness Last week we talked about forgiveness. During our Sharing Circle, someone commented that we often forgive not for the one who harmed us, but rather to set ourselves free of hatred and resentment. This week, we look at an idea akin to forgiveness: mercy. Unlike forgiveness, which we can offer without the other person ever knowing, when we grant mercy, such as by pardoning the wrongs of a criminal, the one who has done those wrongs must realize it. Then, within that realization, if she is open and receptive to it, she might find the blessing of grace. In this way, forgiveness, mercy, and grace are connected. Yet…
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The Election and Amazing Grace
Newton the Slave Trader The theme for this week’s service is “Amazing Grace,” the hymn written by transformed slave trader, John Newton. His story is hopeful and uplifting, reminding us of the power and potential of grace. After this week’s election results, I want to believe in grace, but it has become more difficult. I will talk about that, but first I want to share Newton’s story. Newton got a job on a ship that, among other things, traded in human beings. At first, he didn’t think about the misery of the people packed into the ship’s hold, some of whom died on the journey. He joined the other crew…
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On Resilience and Teapots
Becoming Resilient As the Psychology Today website (1) puts it, when challenged by tragedy and trauma, resilient people “rise from the ashes.” They re-engage in life, learn from their mistakes, maintain optimism, and bounce back to try even harder next time. If you’re resilient, you’re less likely to try to escape with drugs, food, gambling, or overwork because you won’t feel as lonely, uncomfortable, or ashamed. Now that science has discovered the trait of resilience, everyone’s talking about it. We admire people who overcome horrible childhoods to become successful and happy. We’d love to have more capacity to cope effectively with stress, to bounce back, feel optimistic, and keep going…
