1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Year B - Advent 1 or Needed Change ¹

November 30, 2014

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

In the United States of America (again clarifying its dys-unity—racial at the moment and in other ways at various times) it is Thanksgiving Day (unified in its official celebration on the same 4^th Thursday of November in 1941).

Rather than dreading the dysfunction of our common-good (for ever has it been thus) look to what is still available: we are not lacking in any spiritual gift. This means it is not too late to still take on the dys-unity round and about. We have what we need and this clarifies for us that the issue is that of desire, of will.

To date we have preferred to jockey for our privilege niche. Once we find it, it is like an enchanted evening, never to be let go. An Advent question is how much privilege we are willing to give up that others might have some and enough more to thrive. If we are all willing to die for our current state, we will collectively do ourselves in before Jesus is revealed in our care for one another.

Give thanks—there are enough gifts to make a change in our basic relationships with one another. May this become a radical understanding that we will act upon it now on behalf of subsequent generations for it will take all our current life-times to make this shift. Anything less than starting now to live out of our abundance of gifts just won’t do.

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If you are interested in following a daily devotional or to have past Year B comments in one collected spot, check out my new book Wrestling Year B: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience at http://amazon.com/author/wesleywhite

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Year B - Advent 1 or Needed Change ¹

November 30, 2014

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Restorative justice is important because it opens a way forward, a way beyond retribution. In that sense, “restore us” is important. Unfortunately, the way we usual read “restore” is some going back to one set point or another without any learning having taken place. We just want to be in G*D’s good graces again with a spit and a promise that things will be different next time and we’ll never again be separated.

If we are on the cusp of something new and then get scared and back away into some idealized past, we have blown an Advent opportunity.

May we look again at the demands of a restoration and how we are going to participate in our own salvation as well as that of our Neighb*rs and G*D’s.

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If you are interested in following a daily devotional or to have past Year B comments in one collected spot, check out my new book Wrestling Year B: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience at http://amazon.com/author/wesleywhite

Isaiah 64:1-9

Year B - Advent 1 or Needed Change ¹

November 30, 2014

Isaiah 64:1-9

We are so enamored of revolutions. We track history by its wars, its revolutions. Yes, we light fires to make ourselves known that our adversaries might tremble and overplay their hand.

Our revolutionary fervor is stoked by who it is that is to blame for the current untenable state of affairs. We’ll even blame G*D claiming G*D’s anger and absence made us fiery.

We need a new vision of G*D, beyond one who marks iniquity and never forgives or forgets it. We also need a new vision of ourselves. If we are not going to consider that we are all one people, why should G*D?

And so we come to an Advent question about our vision: Is G*D anticipating your blessing with a blessing or anticipating your foul-up with a curse? What do you see on the horizon and how will that affect your living today?

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If you are interested in following a daily devotional or to have past Year B comments in one collected spot, check out my new book Wrestling Year B: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience at http://amazon.com/author/wesleywhite

Mark 13:24-37

Year B - Advent 1 or Needed Change ¹

November 30, 2014

Mark 13:24-37

In these days of suffering for so many everywhere in the world it is as if the sun has been darkened, making such suffering invisible to those who could change it.

In these days of suffering for so many right where we are it is as if the stars we have hitched our comfort to have fallen and everyone is far more vulnerable than they could imagine.

In these days of suffering there is more than enough. We do not need more power and glory. What else has gotten us to the state we are in? We do not need a further demonstration of privilege with the elect getting a pat on the head and the non-elect getting one last kick while they are down.

There is no fig tree large enough to demonstrate the state of affairs, the season, we are in. We are living out past decisions without re-deciding.

Beware all you want, keep eternally vigilant all you want, we no longer need to wait for a time to come— it is rising before us like a City of Zombies and there is no where left to turn.

We do not need more works-righteousness Wakefulness. We do not need more predestined laissez-faire.

What we do need is a Word of Creation, of Change, of Compassion. May this season find us learning these words along with a Courage to live them.

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If you are interested in following a daily devotional or to have past Year B comments in one collected spot, check out my new book Wrestling Year B: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience at http://amazon.com/author/wesleywhite

Ephesians 1:15-23

Pentecost Last or Evaluation Day
November 23, 2014

Ephesians 1:15-23

A corollary to premeditated mercy is prayer without having heard of faith. When criteria needs to be present for prayer to arise, something is bound to be skewed or screwed.

With or without a reason to so pray, might we not still look for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in our midst. Perhaps from that invisible one over there or from my own illustrious self? Such a spirit brings hope deeper than expectation. Such hope engages us in fulfilling all that has brought us to this time and building a sturdier foundation for that which won't arrive until long after we have passed by.

If Christmas was Incarnation and Easter was reIncarnation, we might finally figure out that a creation based on the carnal blesses the carnal. And that the carnal is not the end-all and be-all of life. Lord knows we are not to Lord it over one another. If only we could see this day as part of a feedback loop or an evaluation to be taken seriously, we might know the abundance of a merciful prayer.

At the end of this yearly sequence, may we be wise enough to not simply rinse and repeat. Report one difference made in your life or through your life (and don't forget to show your work). Reveal and add to the fullness of life.

Psalm 100

Pentecost Last or Evaluation Day
November 23, 2014

Psalm 100

Knowing any claim to the present being a culmination of intent (G*D's and mine), we can't simply declare things are all wrapped up. Obviously they are not and any claim to the contrary is simply fantasy and a usurpation of power.

Nonetheless, we can continue without a neat wrap-up. We can even continue with a sense of joy filling our next attempt to climb a step beyond our present. Try the psalm backward.

First, presume G*D is good, creation is good.
Also First, hold to an understanding that love endures—not only all things, but forever.
Add yet another First, mutual trust is what rolls the generations along.

Second, enter these with thanksgiving for all that has given evidence that these Firsts last.
Secondly, let praise loose that it might beckon a shy future to peek out and bless what is happening and secure this connection.

Thirdly, all of this is to be bone-deep. Know maker and made encourage and entice one another further together.

Fourthly, gladness is a sign of worthy work going on—so whistle while you work.

Fifthly and finally, so live that all the earth is joyful—so joyful that noise goes beyond cacophony, to harmony rich and connected beyond theory and experience.

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For a musical adaption of Psalm 100, try Ann Reed's "Where the Earth is Round". Don't forget to note the bones of Indigenous Peoples who have claimed the goodness of creation even as they were massacred.

http://youtu.be/4Bil_EpuKOQ

What other non-hymn music might well be a hymn if our ears were better tuned?

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Pentecost Last or Evaluation Day
November 23, 2014

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

At least we are not categorizing sheep (good) and goats (bad). We've moved to distinguishing fat sheep (bad) from sheep (good). This helps us begin to define what is helpful behavior that builds up one another and delineate that which is out-of-bounds.

It is immediately obvious that not everyone will buy the understanding and boundaries of community. Profit of one kind and another always seems to enter in our decision-making.

The most difficult part of this passage is the way it ends with David being set up as a Fat Sheep among the Lean. Either the community is engaged in building one another up or allowing discrimination and hurt to find an entry spot and take hold. Servant leaders run as many risks, if not more for their intended benevolence, as Dictatorial leaders or Democratic leaders or just plain leaders.

If this is the best outcome of a church year, it is no wonder we shift immediately to an advent assessment.

Matthew 25:31-46

Pentecost Last or Evaluation Day
November 23, 2014

Matthew 25:31-46

This past year we started out analyzing the needs around us—"What is broken that needs fixing." We went on to acknowledge it was going to take a real presence and not wishful thinking or injunctions from on high to begin addressing the realities of how far short of where might be regarding relationships with creation and one another. Folks from afar could see better than ourselves the need for a new leadership paradigm (partnership of high stars and low mangers). Even with such recognition we wrestled with the intractability of being our own worst enemy. Eventually a moment of breakthrough came—and another. It appeared that we we crossing boundaries and finding the intersectionality of our common life when our practice to develop this into a habit stumbled over the humility needed to continue such. We got into all manner of arguments about symbols of food and male marking and divisions over which leader to follow.

After such a year we are at an important point of evaluating how it went. Any progress made?

What will make this day have a sense of movement? Claiming kingship feels a bit hollow in light of any newspaper or news program. Claiming some artificial Doctrine of Discovery and subsequent Reign is foolish on its face.

Is there any evidence that this coming Advent will bring any greater clarity of need or vision of a goal worth putting our life toward?

Even with Christmas plans are in place, what would lead us to think we are up to recognizing a new stable location; that mercy is any the closer to surfacing in our day-to-day lives; that we are any better prepared for learning from one another, much less teaching?

How many less children will die from hunger this last day of Pentecost 2014 than did in 2013?
How much cleaner and available is safe water given the amount of fracking for profit going on?
How differently are we dealing with the migration and welcoming of peoples?
How many coats are in our closets for which we will play a giving game and give $1 per coat to a charity that never changes underlying structural injustice?
How many are still not covered by health care simply because it is our common need?
How many visits were made to prisons to see what is being done in our name?
How many are so invisible that they don't even make it to the list of the least?

Again, any progress made? If you can say, "Yes", back it up with more than statistics about charitable work.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Pentecost +23 or Community Practice ²³
November 16, 2014

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

We are good considering how to get an immediate return, but not so good at thinking 6 generations or even 6 seasonal cycles into the future.

For just the briefest of moments consider the ramifications of G*D not coming like a thief in the night (unless, of course, you want to remember Prometheus bringing light out from some "chaos"). In this scenario we are called to live in the light available to us that we not harm the context of coming generations.

A light here would be to attend to the extreme change we have brought to the climate that is background to every other part of life. Our raping of the earth for energy has ended up dis-respecting air and water as well. Rather than blaming this on G*D we might want to acknowledge our own own culpability for the consequences of our own actions.

An excellent way for us to improve our common-future decisions is this model: "Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing."

Psalm 123

Pentecost +23 or Community Practice ²³
November 16, 2014

Psalm 123

When we are a bit literal about the wrath of G*D we find our worminess is contemptible by G*D. This is a bit strange for a creator, but we do sometimes find ourselves misunderstanding.

For a moment, consider that G*D created you and named you Beloved or Good. Now, should that change, are we able to still call out for mercy or is that category meaningless in a situation where we have either done nothing or done something regrettable—vis-à-vis G*D.

Will G*D have have mercy where G*D has judged? Is such mercy dependent upon our change or G*D's nature? If the latter, are we able to claim that image for ourselves and ease the fear in the room and world.

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Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
   for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn
   of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Judges 4:1-7

Pentecost +23 or Community Practice ²³
November 16, 2014

Judges 4:1-7

Doing nothing (according to the parable) is evil in "the sight of the Lord". This is a difficult spot to be in. Who can ever do enough and if we do the rubric quickly switches to being done in for having done works righteousness.

Don't do nothing. Don't do more than enough. Do only what you are told. Do only enough to bring praise to G*D. Reflect back on the Pentecost Room where fear froze folks. Is that the measure of doing in every situation?

With another Church Year winding down, These pericopes may be more about evaluation of the past year, than prescriptions for a next. So, what was your return on investment this year? How was your proportion of doing to not-doing?

Matthew 25:14-30

Year A - Pentecost +23 or Community Practice ²³
November 16, 2014

Matthew 25:14-30

At home or on a journey we are always entrusting our self and stuff to others. Here it sounds as if the owner of people did not do due diligence regarding those specifically and intentionally entrusted with a few coins. The behaviors of the "servants" probably followed their usual patterns of behavior. So was this a set-up or a morality play? Are playing with fate or a legitimate choice?

If you were a judge here how would you assign responsibility? In today's fascination with austerity in an abundant world, not losing may be the best deal going. Overall, a return of +7 on an investment in a mixed portfolio is pretty good. Why the anger at one that broke even?

Come In

a presence of G*D
is a sharing

10 with and 10 without
10 full and 10 empty

meet in a moment delayed
open to revision

when instead
sleep visited

when roused with a shout
"Come out"

they came out
with and without

leaving us with a question
about coming in

is the shout to "Come out"
equalled by "Come in"

or is it more restrictive
leaving some called out out

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Pentecost +22 or Community Practice ²²
November 9, 2014

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

In every identity war the church has waged there have been thousands upon thousands who died without seeing themselves included in. The exclusive church has harmed and harmed again and returned to harm some more (same process; different target).

While it is little comfort at the time, hear again the work of Jesus: "through Jesus, G*D will bring with him those who have died". (Well, as constructed it is the work of G*D, but we'll leave that for another time.) Regardless of fanciful details, "Encourage one another."

If this is an encouragement to keep on working for mercy and  grace in the present, good. If this is one step too many to be an encouraging word, OK—use what you can for encouragement.

Whether an expectation of joy or an after-the-fact promise, may you have what you need to engage the powers-that-be with an affirmation larger than their limitation.

Psalm 78:1-7

Pentecost +22 or Community Practice ²²
November 9, 2014

Psalm 78:1-7

Opening one's mouth to give a word of wisdom is to open one's self to channeling the dark days of the past that are wont to regather and repeat their dystrophy. Wisdom is always growing out of our experience, not revealed unbidden from some above.

This is election day. At question is whether folks are able to remember far enough back to where we have tried attractive avenues only to have them again disappoint. The persistence of attractive-but-false decisions is quite remarkable--almost as if they are constituent of creation.

The "dark saying" is--What can go wrong, will. So lighten up and make the affirmations yet and always available to you.

Out of a remembrance of darkness will come a hopeful word that we will cut through the darkness more easily and quickly this time and place a stronger warning sign for future generations.

Joshua 24:1-3a, 15-25

Pentecost +22 or Community Practice ²²
November 9, 2014

Joshua 24:1-3a, 15-25

If you read the elided section you will find out the reason for the "therefore" in verse 14.

It turns out that the reason we are to revere some Lord is that they are the uber-colonialist that justifies our own tendencies in that direction. Choose to follow a Lord that provides you with privilege or a Lord that doesn't? Is that a question or just a set-up? Well?

Given the "Therefore" it is no surprise that the "So" is, we choose privilege.

How is it any different in your particular congregation? What benefits the most or the richest is the choice to make. The rest is disposable. All we are really interested in is the degree of discrimination we can comfortably live with.

Matthew 25:1-13

Year A - Pentecost +22 or Community Practice ²²

November 9, 2014

Matthew 25:1-13

Imagine if this passage was only 1 verse long: “Then the presence of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.”

Does this cover what “heaven” is like—An expectation of joy?

After this verse we are back on “earth” with judgments about good and evil, wise and foolish. This mixing confuses us. By the time we have had 12 verses of division, we have forgotten the basic nature of “heaven”, creative expectation.

May your vision of “heaven” be far greater than the limitations of our ambition to win, particularly when it is dependent upon not sharing the abundance we have.

New Resource for Year B

For those early adaptors among us, we have just released a new book of past comments on Year B. If you are interested in a KCMlection comment on the lections of Year B you can order one through my author page.

Right now it is just available in print (what I think is the best format for this resource), but a Kindle version will soon be available.

This is a new enough release that the Look Inside feature is not yet activated but it is similar to Wrestling Year A. Here is one of the comments about about Wrestling Year A that is on the back cover of Wrestling Year B:

From the first sentence of the author's introduction to the last comments in Revelation, these Year A lectionary responses offer words and ideas, both playful and complex, that invite continued thought. Written in a conversational style--sometimes providing definitions of terms, sometimes offering links to websites, song lyrics, and other theologian's ideas--White entices the reader to think beyond his musings and the words of the text. Occasionally, his arrangements take the form of evocative, poetic lines that show concepts connecting and clashing. He frequently asks questions and addresses the reader, not as argumentation, but as encouragement to narrow the application into individual experience. Other times, he broadens the view by pointing to implications for justice issues, such as health care, LGBT inclusion, and the power of corporations. His use of "my" and "your" are linked, illustrating the centrality of community for people, whether moving through texts or life experiences. The metaphor of journey consistently shapes his thinking. Rather than being paralyzed by discrepancies and mysteries in texts from the past, he welcomes the opportunity to be part of ongoing, enlarged understandings and actions. ~ Evie Yoder Miller, Author of Eyes at the Window and Everyday Mercies.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Year A - Pentecost +21 or Community Practice ²¹

November 2, 2014

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

We parent one another into being. For a moment I am parent to you and then you are parent to me. When this works well we are “pure, upright, and blameless in our conduct toward one another.” 

Of course this suggests that we also are growing uniquely, regardless of the parenting we receive. This is not as easy to put into categories of behavior. I am a child for you; pushing your boundaries. You are a child for me; pushing mine.

From either perspective it is possible to give thanks for solidity when it is needed and play in its time. The “word of G*D” is not just something received, but brought forth. If we haven’t wrestled with G*D as parent and playmate, we haven’t met G*D. It will be important here to note where Paul doesn’t act as a parent, but pushes at the boundaries of cultural protocols. If we haven’t met both in Paul, we haven’t met Paul. Now, of course, we need to look in a mirror and see if we are only inhabiting one role in life. Blessings on parenting and your pushing.