Money

 

Frederick Buechner (who died this past week at 96) writes this about:

Money

THE MORE YOU THINK about money, the less you understand it.   The paper it's printed on isn't worth a red cent. There was a time you could take it to the bank and get gold or silver for it, but all you'd get now would be a blank stare.   If the government declared that the leaves of the trees were money so there would be enough for everybody, money would be worthless. It has worth only if there is not enough for everybody. It has worth only because the government declares that it has worth and because people trust the government in that one particular although in every other particular they wouldn't trust it around the corner.   The value of money, like stocks and bonds, goes up and down for reasons not even the experts can explain and at moments nobody can predict, so you can be a millionaire one moment and a pauper the next without lifting a finger. Great fortunes can be made and lost completely on paper. There is more concrete reality in a baby's throwing a rattle out of the crib.   There are people who use up their entire lives making money so they can enjoy the lives they have entirely used up.   Jesus says that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Maybe the reason is not that the rich are so wicked they're kept out of the place, but that they're so out of touch with reality they can't see it's a place worth getting into.

Be alert

 

The Vacation

BY WENDELL BERRY

Once there was a man who filmed his vacation.
He went flying down the river in his boat
with his video camera to his eye, making
a moving picture of the moving river
upon which his sleek boat moved swiftly
toward the end of his vacation. He showed
his vacation to his camera, which pictured it,
preserving it forever: the river, the trees,
the sky, the light, the bow of his rushing boat
behind which he stood with his camera
preserving his vacation even as he was having it
so that after he had had it he would still
have it. It would be there. With a flick
of a switch, there it would be. But he
would not be in it. He would never be in it.

Help us, LORD

 

A prayer from The Reformed Journal by Kevin Timpe  (find yourself in it)

Almighty God,

It is hard to know how to pray.
Prayer should unite us — to you and to each other. But we are not of one accord, instead biting and devouring one another.

Meet us, God, in our particularities, giving us each the goods that we need for this coming week.
For those of us in despair, give us hope.
For those of us in grief, give us comfort.
For those of us who are made to feel unwelcome, give us a place to belong.
For those of us facing oppression, give us liberation.
For those of us barely hanging on, give us another day.
For those of us with righteous anger, give us the prudence to know where to direct it.
For those of us drowning in uncertainty, give us clarity.
For those of us who are content, give us solidarity.
For those of us for whom your presence is felt and trust comes easy, enable us to come alongside others and share it.
For those of us who lead, give us wisdom.
For those of us engaged in your work, give us perseverance.

We know that we are not one, as we should be.
We’re reminded that false unity is grounded simply in the absence of external conflict rather than the presence of your shalom.
Unite us around the table of your body and blood. Unite us with our siblings and kindred — with every single one, since that is who you lived and died and rose for.
Make us one; make us your body.

You’re still moving, and still you will redeem. So we praise you, God so faithful.*
Amen.

Heal Us, O Lord

“Preoccupation with correct thinking. That’s the deeper problem…It reduces the life of faith to sentry duty, a 24/7 task of pacing the ramparts and scanning the horizon to fend off incorrect thinking, in ourselves and others, too engrossed to come inside the halls and enjoy the banquet.”  Peter Enns in his book The Sin of Certainty

A prayer by Jane Zwart from The Reformed Journal. Find yourself somewhere in it.

Dear Jesus–

Jesus whose love healed a man whose demons were legion; Jesus whose omniscience did not interrupt when Mary took him for a gardener but instead asked her to name her sorrows; Jesus whose mercy changed his disciples from adolescents who jockeyed for the best seat in paradise to apostles who threw the doors of Christ’s kingdom wide open–

Dear Jesus, have mercy on us.
Our demons, too, are legion. So we ask you to heal us. Heal the wounds we have inflicted, and heal the hurts we have suffered at the hands–and tongues–of others. Heal us of the hereditary sickness of white supremacy. Heal the generational injuries that Black and brown people bear. We do not ask to forget our scars. We ask for Jubilee.

Dear Jesus, have mercy on us.
Our sorrows, like Mary’s, you know by heart. And still you listen.
So we pray for those who grieve.
Crucified God, bind up the brokenhearted.
We pray for those who suffer illness or injury.
Resurrected Lord, let our sorrows leave us clear-eyed so that we can see you beside and before us.
And we pray for those who find themselves startled by joy.
Holy Spirit, let us not slight the fruits of love and joy and peace, of patience and goodness and kindness, of faithfulness and gentleness and self-control.

Dear Jesus, have mercy on us.
For we too jockey for favor, as if your love were as finite as our own. Which is why we pray, too, for those with whom we can hardly bear to break bread.
Ascended Christ, remind us that it is your body, given for us. Remind us that the feast is yours. And even where we are not of one mind, let us be of one heart: yours.
Master of the Universe, clothe us not in rightness but in righteousness, and keep even our bitterest disappointments from leaving us bitter.
Jesus, have mercy on us.
Let the circle be unbroken.
Amen.

Doubt, Forsaken and Resurrected

 

Doubt

Pastor Jenna preached today (May 1, 2022) on the post resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples and more importantly to Thomas who had asked for proof to  the resurrection of Jesus (John 20: 24-31). Jenna used the following quote from Professor Kate Bowler which I found meaningful and intriguing and so share it with you.

"Blessed are we who come to you in the discomfort of our doubt, for we trust that our honest unknowing is a truer and better prayer than bootstrapping efforts at certainty.

Blessed are we, receiving the gift of doubt, for we trust that it is a doorway, freeing us to become what we could not otherwise have known.

Blessed are we, remembering that You God, hold all things together. You are the invisible scaffolding that supports us, the canopy of love that protects us in the present, the stable pillars, sunk deep into our past, and the Dove that flies confidently toward the future bearing for us the peace we could never have attained for ourselves.

Blessed are we, settling into the truth that there are things that we can't know, settling into the humility that knows this one thing -- that we are of earth, and You are our God.

Notice this day what you do know and trust. Thank God for it, and leave the rest."

"My God, My God"

"MY GOD, MY GOD, why hast thou forsaken me?" As Christ speaks those words, he too is in the wilderness. He speaks them when all is lost. He speaks them when there is nothing even he can hear except for the croak of his own voice and when as far as even he can see there is no God to hear him. And in a way his words are a love song, the greatest love song of them all. In a way his words are the words we all of us must speak before we know what it means to love God as we are commanded to love him.   "My God, my God." Though God is not there for him to see or hear, he calls on him still because he can do no other. Not even the cross, not even death, not even life, can destroy his love for God. Not even God can destroy his love for God because the love he loves God with is God's love empowering him to love in return with all his heart even when his heart is all but broken. quote from  Frederick Buechner Here is Pastor Tony Vis on the conclusion of Good Friday and Black/Silent Saturday. But out there … out there somewhere beyond the stars God smiled, and God winked at his angels and God said, “Sequel! To be continued. Nothing's over until I say it's over! LOVE never ends.” LOVE died on Friday … and was buried; On Saturday LOVE lay silent … locked in a stone cold tomb! But then came Sunday … and LOVE came back! At sunrise, the earth around the tomb trembled. The rock rolled away to reveal an empty grave, a new chapter, an unfinished story, a never-ending story! Jesus of Nazareth, dead and buried on a Friday and silenced for a Saturday, came back on Sunday … and LOVE … LOVE is alive! Christ the Lord is Risen! LOVE lives to love on. A prayer for May 1 from A Prayer for Every Day translated from Dutch by Peter Buma "O God, lift me to the light on high. Do not let me stumble around in the dark. Illumine my heart and my spirit with Your joyful grace. Ignite my words, thoughts and works so that the people may see that I am a child of the light. Deliver me from the slavery of darkness. Amen."

Thinking

 

Fredrick Buechner writes this about

Doctrine

NO MATTER HOW FANCY and metaphysical a doctrine sounds, it was a human experience first. The doctrine of the divinity of Christ, for instance. The place it began was not in the word processor of some fourth-century Greek theologian, but in the experience of basically untheological people who had known Jesus of Nazareth and found something happening to their lives that had never happened before.   Unless you can somehow participate yourself in the experience that lies behind a doctrine, simply to subscribe to it doesn't mean much. Sometimes, however, simply to subscribe to a doctrine is the first step toward experiencing the reality that lies behind it. Here are my lectionary words for March 21 -27, 2022 Monday - Joshua 5:9-12      disgrace Tuesday - Psalm 32:1-5       sin Wednesday - Psalm 32:6-11  distress Thursday - II Corinthians 5:16-21   new Friday - Luke 15:1-3, 11-24     hunger Saturday- Luke 15:25-32        angry Sunday - Deuteronomy 4:1-31  discerning The Saturday lectionary lesson deals with the elder son who became angry with the father for treating his wayward brother with understanding and generous love. He never felt his father had shown him such qualities though he had worked faithfully for the father. The father tries to explain his response to a lost son being found and a dead son coming back to life but these words seem to fall on deaf ears. We are not told the remainder of the story as to what happens tomorrow when they are all under one roof. And of course we remember that this only a story designed to make a point. The elder son probably represents the pharisees and scribes who were grumbling and complaining about Jesus welcoming and meeting with sinners. I know we are not to take all the details literally but for the benefit of the "elder son" I am encouraged by the father's words, "you are always with me and all that is mine is yours."  Could it be that there is room in the kingdom for the pharisees and scribes who are children of the father as well? Something I think about in the wide world of interreligious dialogue. Prayer of the day for March 27 from A Prayer for Every Day "Father [God] of all people, hear me when I pray for my brothers and sisters in this world. Let the light of the cross go before their eyes and hearts so that their yoke becomes easy and their burden light. Amen."

Older as the years go by

 

Here is an interesting read about growing older, which I am.

THIS IS RIGHT ON THE NOSE. .......READ IT SLOWLY... I DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE IT, BUT I AM GUESSING IT WAS A SENIOR!!! I FIRST STARTED READING THIS AND WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS IS VERY THOUGHT-PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK.

AND THEN IT IS WINTER You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change....Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's NOT over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

REMEMBER:....

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

"LIVE HAPPY IN THIS YEAR AND EVERY YEAR!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

~Your kids are becoming you.......

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

~You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... "what?" . ???

~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

~Everybody whispers.

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!

It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.