Thanksgiving

 

"If the only prayer you ever pray is 'Thank You,' that would suffice."

- Meister Eckharrt, 1260-1328

 

Prayer:

Gracious and Loving God,

Thank You.

Amen.

"It's just not normal, Rich," he said emphatically. "Homosexuality is not normal."  To which I replied, "Of course it's not normal to you, my friend - you're not gay!"

I know of a large family made up of several sons. Two of those sons happen to be gay. Both of them are faith-filled committed Christians. One believes it's best to remain celibate. The other does not.

Here's a thought: maybe we should let gay folks decide for themselves, and the rest of us should just mind our own business.

As a Christian and lover of the Bible, however, I can't ignore what it says. Yet when I read the Old Testament passages on the subject (Gen. 19:5, Lev. 18:22 & 20:13) I can't help but be reminded that these same books instruct men to shun menstruating women, and avoid pork (and all animals with a cloven hoof) as well as shellfish. At the same time these books allow for slavery and polygamy. So it shouldn't surprise me that the ancient Israelites (3500 years ago) weren't up-to-date on everything.

The Apostle Paul mentions the issue (perhaps) in three passages (Rom. 1:26-27, I Cor. 6:9 & I Tim. 1:9-10). But here's the thing - Paul never knew Jim & Billy, two friends of mine who've been together for over 25 years. Listen to what the late Harvard Chaplain, Rev. Peter Gomes says:

"The homosexuality Paul would have known and to which he makes reference in his letter, particularly to the Romans, has to do with pederasty and male prostitution, and he particularly condemns those heterosexual men and women who assume homosexual practices . . . All Paul knew of homosexuality was the debauched pagan expression of it . . . . 'Sodomite' as we now know, refers almost exclusively to a male prostitute, and is not a Pauline synonym for 'homosexual,' as we understand that term."

So St. Paul is not condemning Jim & Billy! He's condemning very pagan and immoral practices (heterosexual men visiting male prostitutes in pagan temples. Yikes. I'd like to speak out against that as well.)

Prayer: Gracious and Holy God, thank you for your love for all people. Forgive your church for not always welcoming all people. Teach us all to love as you love. Amen.




         

Heilsgeschichte

There are some words you just never forget. "Heilsgeschichte" is one of them. It's German for,  "salvation history."  It's pronounced, "Hiles-ga-schick-ta." Trust me. Heilsgeschichte is something Biblical scholars and theologians notice in the scriptures.

In the Old Testament it's the redemptive history of God and the Jews. In the New Testament it's the savings acts of Jesus Christ.

Scholars believe that this is the first and therefore the oldest telling of the sacred history:

 "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.  When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land
flowing with milk and honey."       - Deut. 26:5-9

The Jews also sang their holy history. Psalms 44, 68, 78, 105, 106, 114 all retell the sacred story.  The story of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and return is the heilsgeschichte of the New Testament. We retell it at every communion service.

Sacred history culminates in the Return of Christ. The idea of heilsgeschichte is in direct contrast to the ancient Greek view that history is meaningless. The biblical view is that God is working in human history, and that history is heading somewhere - to the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer. God of the ages, give me the faith to believe in sacred history, that life is not meaningless and that history will culminate in You.  Amen.

Hell

We were having a discussion one night at youth group about heaven and hell. I love talking about big issues with others, especially teens, because sometimes they say the most insightful things. That night a young man named Jordan said it best: "I believe in hell. I just don't think it's a very big place."

Some folks seem to think of it as just the opposite, which is quite a sad outlook if you really think about it. Brian McLaren once challenged this view with an analogy that goes something like this: If folks are being tortured in your basement, how much of a party can you really have upstairs in your living room?

I believe the point of heaven and hell is that this world matters. How we live matters. What we do with what God has given us matters.

Here's a thought: The point about heaven and hell is not the afterlife but this life. It's to motivate us for this life here and now!

Prayer: Loving and Gracious God, help me to live this day as a Citizen of Heaven. In Your Name. Amen.

Extra credit 

Somewhere in his writings C.S. Lewis wonders aloud if hell is eternal. Maybe it's a temporary place until something essential is learned?

Maybe in the end, it's as author Rob Bell suggests, "Love Wins." This view is called "Christian Universalism." It's the belief that Jesus Christ is indeed the Savior of the world and that everyone is saved because of him, regardless if they believe in him or not. His love and grace will have the last word. "As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ" (I Cor. 15:21-22)

Let me give the last word at the moment however to Brian McLaren:

"It's none of your business who does and does not go to hell. It is your business to be warned by it and to run, not walk, in the opposite direction! It is your business to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, to love your neighbor as yourself, to have confidence in Jesus Christ and live as Jesus lived. Let the imagery of hell remind you that life is serious business, that there are real consequences to how we live and believe, that justice and injustice ultimately matter more than most of what people worry about. Now stop speculating about hell and start living for heaven!"

From A New Kind of Christian, p. 126