Timing is Everything

 

  Time fascinates me.  I love stories that involve time travel and all of the crazy and weird loops and twists that changing the past creates in the present. Or, how viewing the future changes what characters do when they return to their own time. 

  Time, for most of us Westerners, is a commodity that we spend.  We are frustrated when someone or something "wastes" our time.  We recognize that there are only so many hours in any given day.  Time doesn't stand still.  Time waits for no one.  Time is money and so on.

  Sometimes, something unexpected or unforeseen interrupts our planned use of time and then it feels as if time stands still.

  Sometimes, when we make the choice to retreat or vacation we feel the rest that comes with taking time away from work, even very good work.

  Time is a gift, every second of life is a gift, and that is important to remember.

   I have come to see time as one of the most important elements of reading the Bible.  Throughout the stories in Scripture time plays a key role and when we pay attention to the timing of any given story in the Bible, we will find that our understanding of God and human beings will change.

   There are stories in the Bible that take minutes to unfold, and others that take generations.

   But, paying attention to the timing of any given story will help us see a great deal that we need to see.

  There is a story in the Gospels where Jesus was walking along with his disciples, and a man named Jairus came running up to Jesus frantic and deeply concerned.  Jairus was a Jewish religious leader.  He taught people about the God of Israel, He prayed with people, and undoubtedly did a variety of other things as well.  But, Jairus was also a husband and a father.  And it is his role as a father that brought him to Jesus in this special story.

  When Jairus finds Jesus he pleads with him to come to his house, because his daughter is sick and apparently so much so that she is near death.  But, Jairus has faith.  He believes that if Jesus comes to his house, his daughter will be healed.  Jairus has heard the reputation of this carpenter from Nazareth.  He knows that many have testified to his power to heal, and he is desperate for the life of his daughter.  He is a truly loving dad.

  Jesus says yes and begins to make his way to Jairus' house.  And that is when it happens.

  Timing is everything.

  While Jesus, his disciples and Jairus are making their way through a very crowded street, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years, pushes her way through the crowd and eventually reaches out to touch the hem of Jesus' outer robe.

  In a moment, time stands still, for Jesus.  He knows someone touched him and that power left him.

  He asks: "Who touched me?"  To which the disciples reply: "Are you serious, Jesus?" (my paraphrase)  They can't believe the question, because the crowd is so thick, they are wondering "Who hasn't touched you, Jesus?" (again my paraphrase)

  But, Jesus knows someone touched him, and when the woman reveals herself and that she has been healed.  Jesus blesses her and sends her away with hope and joy.

  Now, some of you reading this might be thinking "Wow!  That's great!" and you're right it is great, but remember this story began with a different person (Jairus) asking for help in healing his daughter, and the walk to his house has been interrupted by this whole interchange.  

  As a father myself, I can empathize with Jairus at this moment.  And I imagine that my internal clock of desperation would be screaming at me right now.  "Jesus!  We need to hurry!  My daughter is dying!  Don't you remember?!  You said you were going to help me, you were going to heal her!  We are wasting time!"

  And his worst fears are realized for only moments later someone arrives to deliver the most dreaded news a parent could ever hear.  "Jairus, don't bother Jesus anymore.  Your daughter is dead."

  Jairus is hit with the flood of emotions I am sure.  But, the first few moments are shock and terror.

  And in that moment when Jairus is wrestling with the harsh truth of the news he has just received, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid. Let's continue to your house."

  I don't know about Jairus, but I would be hard pressed to have hope.  Nevertheless, when Jesus arrives, he enters with three of his disciples and Jairus and the girl's mom.  And in one of his most dramatic miracles, Jesus raises this little girl from the dead.

  Now, for most of us, the timing of this story is hard because with Jesus in charge the story had to pass through death to get to healing and hope.

  I don't like this story, in spite of the amazing miracles that Jesus performs, because I believe it is trying to teach me that my sense of urgency and timing is not always in step with God's timing.  That is frustrating, but it also is illuminating, because it means that there are circumstances in my life where I think the timing is all off, or totally out of whack and I come to find out that what felt like ridiculous turned out to be redemptive.  

  The more I have studied the timing of God in the Scriptures, the more I have found myself praying for a rhythm and heartbeat that align with God's.  For while I like to think I am in control of my own destiny, and life and schedule - I know I am not, and like Jairus I need to relinquish my need to control time and allow space for God to do what God will do in me, through me and around me each and every day.  Timing is everything, and God's timing is perfect.  It doesn't always feel that way, but this truth cannot be denied the more we read the story of God in the Bible.

The Transformative Power of Vision

  The human body has several senses through which it encounters the world around it, we have ears to hear sound, we have taste buds to discern flavors in food and drink, we have skin with which we can translate texture, we have scent receptors in our noses through which we can discern attractive and repulsive smells, and of course there is the sense of sight.
  For most people the ability to see is a very important part of life.  We can't drive a car, or do a variety of other activities without sight.  And we readily recognize the challenges and limitations faced by those who have lost their sight.  I was reminded of this facet of daily living recently as I went in for a routine eye exam, and followed that up with ordering a new pair of glasses.
  As of the writing of this post I am wearing those new lenses, and my eyes are still adjusting to the new apparatus, but the longer I wear them the more comfortable my eyes become in seeing the world around me.
  I am fascinated by sight, because the various components required for this sense to work. Our eyes are dependent on light, without it we can't use our eye balls.  If there is enough light to see, the lenses in our eyes are working to focus on objects near and far in order to give us a picture of our surroundings.  And that information which is light received in the eye ball has to be translated via the optic nerve and interpreted in the brain.
  Wow!  That is so complex!
  And, the ability to see gives us a profound metaphor for the spiritual life. 
  If you read the accounts of Jesus' life in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will find stories where Jesus healed people of literal blindness.  There were numerous people whose paths crossed with Jesus, and when that happened they asked for him to restore their sight.  But, there are many types of blindness, and Jesus came to heal all of them.
  Another form of blindness Jesus came to heal was spiritual blindness.  This is even more complex than the physical body's process for receiving light and translating it into sight.  Spiritual vision is shaped by a variety of factors, but Jesus comes to provide us with clarity of sight, and ultimately release from the factors that blind us to spiritual truth.
  So how does one know where they are blind and where there vision is clear?
  Good question!  Thanks for asking!
  I won't pretend that I have all my vision ducks in a row; rather, I will begin by acknowledging that I am certain I don't see the full picture yet, but God continues to touch my eyes, open my heart and clarify the spiritual reality around me and most importantly inside me.
  I believe the first step in the process is coming to Jesus with empty hands and asking him to touch our eyes.  "Lord, reveal to me where I am blind. Open the eyes of my heart. Touch me so that I may see more clearly who you are, who I am, and what you are calling me to."
  It's a simple prayer, but hopefully in God's grace and timing we will find that we are able to see with greater clarity and focus the vision God has for His Creation, and our part in it. 

The Transformative Power of Listening

  There are few things in life as important or as transformative as listening.  Allow me to elaborate...when in comes to marriage the health of the relationship is vitally connected to the intentional listening of each spouse to the other.  When it comes to friendship, we would likely not want to spend time with people who never listen to us, and vice versa, others will probably not want to spend time with us if we never listen to them.  When it comes to learning, one cannot learn from someone else if they never listen to the other.  This is seen in obvious ways in education and classroom settings.  If students don't listen to their teachers then they certainly won't learn much.

  Listening is essential for life.  And it turns out, in the realm of spirituality and soul, listening is just as important as it is in any other arena.  

  The Bible is a story and God uses this special story to speak.

  But, if we are not careful we can come to the text of scripture with a variety of assumptions about it's purpose and content such that we are actually not listening.  One of the great tasks of the spiritual journey is listening to the text of scripture in order to allow it to speak on its own terms.

  This is not easy, and anyone who tells you it is, is sorely mistaken.

  Listening to the voice of God via the text of scripture requires patience, diligence, consistency and a willingness to hear whatever God wants to say.  Sometimes what God wants to say to us may bring a challenge, a hard word, an uncomfortable truth.  It is not always going to encourage, uplift or bring us joy; rather, sometimes we need to hear an undoing word from the Lord, a word that untangles us from ourselves, or breaks us in order to resurrect us.

  Make no mistake, we will come to the text of scripture and we will hear a great deal of encouraging, uplifting and helpful/joyful/exciting things, but if we are genuinely listening to the text, we will hear what we need to hear, not just what we want to hear, and that is where listening can be tough.

  Listening is vital for relationships, for learning, for the spiritual journey, and the more we practice, the stronger we will become at this vital life task.

  So, why not start today?!  Listen more carefully to that person who strikes up a conversation with you in the checkout line at the grocery store.  Listen more carefully to that person who is trying to teach you something.  Listen more carefully to your friend who is sharing a deep hurt and needs a listening ear.  Listen to your spouse, to your children, to your coworkers.  Listen and learn, and pay attention for the still small voice that whispers in your heart, and that resonates with the voice in scripture.  

  Listening will transform the way you live, and it will transform even the most difficult and frustrating and disheartening situations - and sometimes listening will bring that which is necessary.  Take time to listen a little better today.

Malestrom

  I recently finished reading the book pictured above, titled: "Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World" by Carolyn Custis James.  I am of the firm conviction that no summary I can give will ever sufficiently replace reading a book on your own, and I would never want to lead someone to think that by reading my thoughts they have sufficient enough grasp of a book in order to not read it on their own.  So, having said that, my hearty recommendation is that you read this book for yourself!
  While reading this book, I found myself profoundly affected by the exegesis James does with the text of Scripture as a whole, helping me as a man see a great many things between the cultural and narratival lines that I had never seen before.  It was amazing!
  At the heart of this book, is the realization that most if not all of the Bible is written on the backdrop of a broken system called patriarchy.  Simply put, patriarchy is the cultural system in which men are the central power holders, and women and/or children are only assigned value in relationship to the men in their life.  For example, a woman is only valued in so much as she has a husband or sons.
  James is masterful in reading a variety of stories in the Bible with careful attention to the reality of patriarchy, and additionally, she opens the readers eyes to the work of God in the story to dismantle the brokenness of patriarchy all over the place.  There are numerous characters whose lives and actions back up James' reading of the text, but ultimately, she lands on Jesus as the penultimate patriarchy smasher.  And, Jesus is also the central Imago Dei (Image of God) restorer!
  My pastoral admonition to everyone is to read this and allow the text to be presented to you in a new and fresh way, that will hopefully help you see one key form of systemic brokenness while at the same time giving you hope that systems can be remade in light of the Gospel of Jesus, and men and women can enter into what James calls - "the Blessed Alliance."  Read it!

When the Bible Opens Anew

  

  Recently, I finished reading two books which have both challenged and blessed me as a student of the scriptures.  The first book is titled - "The Cross and the Lynching Tree" by Dr. James Cone.  The second book is titled - "Finding God in the Margins: The Book of Ruth" by Carolyn Custis James.  The first deals with the intersection of Theology, Race and History in America.  The second is a deep look into the patriarchal backdrop of the book of Ruth.  In both cases scripture, history and current events were illuminated by these authors and their perspectives.

  Regarding, "The Cross and the Lynching Tree" I will begin by saying that no summary or observations I will make here can substitute for reading this book on your own.  I highly recommend it, as a text for insight into race relations in the United States, and as a theological text for grappling with the evils done because of the sin of racism.  I have read several of James Cone's books, and took a class on his work while in seminary, and I found this one the most insightful of all.

  Fair warning, it is not a light-hearted read; rather, it wrestles with the history of white Americans lynching black Americans between the Civil War and into the Civil Rights Movement.  The graphic detail is necessary to understand the devious and sinister nature of racism in the United States, and while it may make people uncomfortable, that is often a key side effect of hearing the truth.

  What I found most insightful and most disturbing was the compartmentalization done by white Christians, who claimed they followed a crucified Lord, and who celebrated the lynching of innocent blacks as a terrorist action meant to keep an entire demographic enslaved to fear.  Cone candidly and directly shows the hypocrisy of a faith which follows Jesus of Nazareth to the Cross of Calvary, and minutes later after hymns and sermons in pristine chapels walked out to trees where innocent black folk swung from nooses.  

  While the theological insight was powerful and eye opening, I found that the most important effect this book had on me was the invitation to reflect on my journey of learning American history.  Even before I had finished reading the book, I came to the realization that as a white male who grew up in Northern Minnesota, I didn't hear about lynching in the U.S. history books.  I didn't hear about the various forms of torture and terror that white Christians leveled against black men, women and children over the course of the 100 years since the end of slavery.  I didn't know about any of it, and in the same moment, I was also reminded of my privilege.  

  Some people do not believe there is such a thing as white privilege, but I am convinced that the twin sins of racism and hatred have over millennia created unwritten structures, rules and hierarchies which are the byproduct of generations of groups hating one another.

  White privilege is an undercurrent of reality, that most whites are blind to, because they benefit from it.  Black people don't need to be taught about privilege, because they experience the harmful effects of it regularly.  Examples include, but are not limited to - a much higher rate of arrest and accusation of crimes, being treated differently in stores by salespeople, and a much higher incarceration rate than most other ethnic demographics in the U.S.

  This was far more than a book of history, or some theoretical work of theology and doctrine, this book did what the best books do, it took something from the level of thought and reflection and brought it down to the level of life and action.  It left me asking many questions of myself, as a highly educated, white male, but more importantly as a Jesus follower and pastor.  One question among them rose to the surface: "What are you going to do about this reality?"  And, while I have a great many ideas, I believe my first step has to be to continue the learning journey of understanding the privilege I experience and the negative effects of that privilege on those who don't share it with me simply on the basis of having a different skin color.

  

  The second book titled - "Finding God in the Margins" by Carolyn Custis James, walked me through the book of Ruth in a very insightful way, and while it's main topic was not racism in America, there was a clear connection between the main themes of James Cone's book and this book.  

  James walks readers through the story of Ruth, a short four chapter long text, nestled between Judges and 1 Samuel.  For so many people this story is a biblical romance story, but James will not let us oversimplify or reduce the book of Ruth to just one genre.  As with Cone's book, I highly recommend you read this on your own, for what little observation I offer here will not do the whole book justice.  

  The key component of insight from this book for me was a deeper understanding of patriarchy and its effects both in the book of Ruth, and in the contemporary world.  Simply put, patriarchy is the name for a society built by men, for men, and in which all others (women and children) are valueless without a direct connection to men.

  In Ruth's case, she and her mother-in-law, Naomi, are valueless as they return to Israel from Moab, without husbands or sons.  They are man-less in a culture that will only value them if they are married or have produced sons through marriage.  

  I can't read this little book with the same simplistic romance bent any longer.  The 'behind the scenes' context which James has illuminated can't be erased in my mind and now I am beginning to see the impact of both patriarchy and God's condemnation of it throughout the entirety of the text of scripture.

  And not only that, it has challenged me to see the continuing effects of patriarchy on society today.  Even in the U.S. where the word egalitarian is thrown around as if it is the norm, there are still very strong remnants of patriarchy at work in many areas of culture.  Examples include, but are not limited to - the way a woman is treated if she brings an accusation of sexual impropriety against a man, the way salespeople treat a woman versus a man, and the attempts to make women fit molds made by men for men.

  I could wax on for days about this book, but that would again rob you of the opportunity to read it for yourself.  Sufficed to say, I recommend it.  It has challenged me to look at the world with open eyes, eyes to see the curtain of evil that lurks behind gender relations. This curtain can only be seen when we understand how power works when it is misused to put men over women, rather then seeing what James calls - 'The Blessed Alliance.'