Monday musings March 30, 2020

I cannot believe that this is the third week of sheltering. I’m not sure how different that is since I retired. I do miss attending physically church. Watching on-line is ok but it is different than being there with 500-600 other people. Nancy and I only go out to the grocery store and to support through take out our favorite restaurants. I continue to keep loved ones in prayer, those who care for people with COVID19, and for all the front line responders police, firepersons, and ambulance personnel.  Also prayers for those who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut because of sheltering. Pray for those teachers and administrators who are now working to develop curriculum for teaching at home. For parents who are with their children who may be uncertain as to what is happening in the world and for patience. For children to ease their anxiety and fear and offer them hope. For our governmental leaders to let go of their personal agendas and to do what is best to ensure the safety of their constituents. For all of us to not let our anxiety and personal insecurities to dominate our thoughts and behavior. For churches to realize now is the time to leave the building to offer what we can to those who are suffering. Remember Matthew 25:35-41 when you do for the least of them you are doing it for Jesus.

Most of my prayers, focus on others having common sense. I keep reading about people gathering in parties or going to spring break without regard to their health or how they may affect the health of others. Even pastors who insist to have large church gatherings risking exposing a large number of people and they going forth and exposing countless others. I marvel of their lack of sensitivity. Pastors who would do this, I feel are criminally responsible if any of their congregates become sick or worse. To not abide by what we hear from those who are front-line experts about social distancing is foolish and lack common sense.

I am jumping all over the place and I will try to bring it back. As a member and clergy (though retired) of the United Methodist Church, I try to not only live as best as I can with scripture but also the three General Rules of John Wesley. The first is to do no harm. Continuing to violate common sense and decency, not caring how our behavior can affect others, does harm. The number of cases here in the surrounding Omaha area continue to escalate. More of these are community spread. I realize that there are people who such mild symptoms that they may not know that they are infected. We can still mitigate the escalating numbers if we would stay home and only leave for necessary things. We can also not act out of fear by hoarding items.

The second is to do all the good you, as often as you can, in all ways you can. Today there are opportunities to share what we have with those who are less fortunate or in greater need. The church that I belong to has raised over $10,000 to provide gift cards not just to congregation members but to any who are need. Just imagine what other churches could do by remembering to do all the good one can.

The third is to attend to the ordinances of the church. For me in this on-line environment this can become more difficult. I and others need to avail themselves as best they can with the means of grace that God provides for us. Even in times such we are living; God has not abandoned us. God’s love for us continues to provide us hope, light in the darkness, and in a future we have yet to see. This is the promise we have in Jesus. No matter where we are, we can pray, be present with one another through Zoom, Skype, Duo or many other means, we can read scripture (Our live group meets weekly over Zoom studying scripture and sharing with one another), and worship together maybe in a different style and way. We can continue to not only focus on personal piety but also social piety.

What may seem forever will eventually pass. We find our hope in Christ not only with science and isolation. My prayer for us today harkens back to the prayer Jesus taught us. Jim Wallis did an article from Sojourners with this and I would encourage everyone to read it.

Til my next musing or rant blessings

Eldon

Protocol

January 15, 2020

                My clergy brothers and sisters are in Lincoln at the Orders and Fellowship. Being under the weather, I elected to stay home. I had planned to attend as it was in Lincoln and I could have commuted. Also, the topic of ABCD community development would have been interesting. I had been exposed to it in the 90’s but more from a community health and social perspective. It would have been interesting to see how this would apply to developing systems that could revitalize not just communities but also churches.

                This was not what I wanted to write about. I read the “Protocol” that is being purposed for the general conference in May. I would suggest that all leaders of the church take time to read and study the document. This includes both clergy and laity. What it reminded me was a paper that I had written 20 years ago for seminary. I was writing on rural churches in a declining population. When I had finished the paper and was proof reading, I had found that instead of United Methodist Church, I had written the Untied Methodist Church. Luckily, I was able to correct my typo as spell check was of no help. As I think back on that Freudian slip, it may have been prophetic. Even 20 years ago, there were signs of an impending schism regarding sexual orientation and discussion of inclusion or exclusion.

                Sexual Orientation has too often been the central discussion of the denomination for the past 50 years or maybe even longer. This has led to contentious arguments focusing on scripture as literally interpreted and those who feel that the focus should be on loving. In seminary, I was constantly reminded to not proof text scripture which is to just quote verses without looking at the context both historical and literary. Those who opposed full inclusion would often quote Leviticus and Paul to support their contentions for exclusion. Some would also look at Matthew 19 though Jesus was talking about divorce and not same sex relationships. By the way as a side note, I do not see the same arguments being used regarding divorce which Jesus did condemn. In fact, as I read the gospels, I find that Jesus never really said anything pro or con regarding same sex relationships.

                Over the last 50 years, efforts have seemed to involve trying to appease everyone to keep the United rather than the Untied Methodist church. This has never seemed to work to the satisfaction of either side of this debate. I heard at my annual conference, people threatening to leave the church if there were any changes made in the Book of Discipline that would allow more freedom. As a pastor, I had been verbally attacked by those who were not members of the church for things that had not been changed but they thought we should not even be discussing this issue. As a District Superintendent, I had churches threaten to leave the denomination if any changes would be done to be more inclusive. This despite that nothing has changed. My conversations have been mostly with the “traditionalists” more so then the reconciling. Those conversations have involved some heated discussions and often misquoting of scripture. I retired before the special called General Conference but did support the One Church approach though could see some of the flaws that were present.

                It is with that background that the “Protocol” came about. And thus, my comments on the Untied Methodist Church. I have stated to others including my pastor that we are focusing on the wrong things. Jesus certainly got into trouble by his doing things what were not scriptural and in fact were condemned by scripture. Things such as healing on the Sabbath, touching lepers, reaching out to Samaritans, having women disciples, and showing love even on the cross. If I err, let it be for love not law. I am a follower of Jesus not Paul. This does not mean that I don’t believe that scripture is important in my life. It does provide me ways of understanding how to love God and to love neighbor. This is both found in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. It does mean that I don’t worship scripture. I worship God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I continue to see the Triune God at work today. So, I am not worried about 2020 General Conference. Maybe it is time to untie that past and focus instead on the present and the future. To include all of God’s children into the fold of the Methodist Church in whatever form that may take.

Eldon

               

UPdate 9/19/19

Update 9/19/19 a palindrome date

                I want to apologize for my lack of keeping up. It seems that I have great intentions but even in retirement I am easily sidetracked. I was doing a study in Genesis and had reached the point of the reasons for the flood. God was so discouraged by the violence of humans that God wanted to start over, a mulligan of creation. As I was ready to write about that, El Paso and Dayton happened. I was shocked. I waited in vain for our Nebraska representatives to do more than just talk. I should have known that they would not say or do anything except to blame the shooters who possessed automatic weapons claiming mental illness. I wondered if the shooters had not been anglo would that have made a difference. These acts were domestic terrorism and to discount that will continue to give credence to others who indeed are mentally ill but also influenced by extremists in our country, particularly neo-Nazis.  I know that God promised never to destroy creation by floods, but we have free will to destroy the nation and world on our own.

                For the Jewish, Muslim, and Christians, reading the scriptures, even what I know of the Koran, must realize what God wants for all of us. I am a follower of Jesus. I find at times that I struggle with the senseless slaughter of innocents, the destruction of our planet, and the general blindness of God’s desires. Jesus said that there are two things that supersede all laws. That is to love God with everything we have, which is found in Deuteronomy, and to love our neighbors found in Leviticus. What a world we could have if we could just do these commands regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political persuasion.   I’m not sure what it would take. Maybe just starting with small acts of love and compassion. It’s hard to do in the environment of especially our country today. John Wesley stated in the essentials unity and everything else diversity. Jesus’ commands are the essentials. Almost everything else is just man-made. All doctrines need to default back to these commands.

                What this means for me, is that I need to reflect on how my behavior towards others and myself speak to these commands. As I look at the world around me, how do I respond to others with the love Jesus has shown me? Do I spend more time reacting to others? Do I get angry about how leaders ignore issues? I struggle. I do get angry and sometimes I can get caught up in demonizing them. I can use my anger is ways to institute change for our future generations. To help create a world where the first thing for children returning to school is not what to do with an active shooter exercise. I do find for me hope in Christ. But it does take myself and others to take seriously Jesus’ commands.

                I have continued to read Genesis and will hopefully get back to commenting on what I see. But I would challenge readers to look at the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5-7. Reflect on what is there and what that may mean for our lives together.

Shalom

Eldon

The Fall Gen. 3-4

                As I continue to read the very beginnings of our common scripture, I would invite you to read Genesis Chapters 3-4. We begin the narratives that form a continuity with what happens with the tribes of Israel and also leading us to our understandings as Christians.

                When we last read of the creations stories, it the first God declared everything was very good. In the second story, we have a pastoral scene of great peace and serenity. But, what started good quickly turns to tragedy. The first man (Adam) and the first woman (Eve) were given everything in the garden except one thing. That was to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree that was in the very center of the garden. It is in the third chapter, that we encounter temptation. What strikes me about this temptation, is remembering the number of times as a parent you would instruct your children after you bake cookies and place them into the cookie jar to not eat the cookies. Sometimes the temptation is too much (even for those grown adult children.) One can almost predict what is going to happen. And it is that choice one loses paradise.

                I often wonder whether it was eating the forbidden fruit that was the “sin”, or for both not willing to take responsibility for having done so. Rather than asking for forgiveness, both blame one another and the snake. Would this have made a difference? The narrative does not even offer that as a possibility. There was no remorse, no saying I’m sorry, no asking for forgiveness. It is easy for us to judge them, but this continues today. Think of all the times we read about tragedies and everyone is quick to blame someone else rather than admit to their choice and mistakes. We can blame our parents, our schools, our society, fake news and media, etc. It would seem that seeking amends has become a thing of the past. And our willingness to not take responsibility for our choices has devastating consequences. Think about the world and even our communities as we look at the societal abuses of today. The number of mass murders, all the “isms”, and the way we discount ourselves and our leaders from the consequences of our and their behaviors.

                So, in scripture what are the consequences of Adam and Eve’s choice? They are exiled from the paradise of Eden. They are to toil the earth and the pain of childbirth. No longer is everything given to them. And there is even greater consequences that we see in chapter 4. We have the narrative of Cain and Abel. Cain being the oldest of the siblings. This story of the oldest not being the one chosen by God is a common theme throughout the Hebrew scriptures. I will address this more in the story of Jacob. We don’t know if Adam and Eve told their children, why they had to move or why they had to work so hard. I imagine that they did not either out of shame or just wanting to forget. Regardless, Cain was the one that was traditionally the privileged one. So it most of have been quite a shock to him that his sacrifice was not acceptable to God and his kid brother’s was. We don’t have a clear idea as to why though it is assumed from what God tells him that it was not the sacrifice but instead the attitude of the giver.

                So, Cain begins to pout much like all of us when things don’t go the way we think they should. He allows his anger to consume him rather than looking at ways that he could change his attitude and grow more mature. His anger not towards God but towards his brother grows until he murders his brother. I would ask, is he a child of his parents? Is this the consequences of a narcissistic person who believes just because he is the privileged one that whatever happens to hold them accountable, they either blame something else or attempt to destroy others who would take away their perceived power.

                Like his parents, when God confronts him, he first denies having done anything. When the truth comes out, he shows little remorse about this act of fratricide. It is only his concern about someone taking revenge that he shows any concern and it is about him. So, he too faces exile. (A side note or rabbit trail, I have often wondered about where he found someone to be in a relationship and have children. That is until one re-reads Gen. 1.27-28. It was there that it would appear that God created a number of humans not just one.)

                So the moral of the narrative seems to suggest that there are consequences to our choices that have adverse effects on our lives and the lives of others. We have the idea that what was perfect is lost. This has given the rise of the doctrine of original sin. That as descendants of Adam and Eve, we are born as sinners. When I was in seminary, I took a class on the Torah that one of the teachers was a Rabbi. He explained that in his understanding and throughout Judaism the concept of original sin was a more Christian belief. He felt that this was a narrative to try to explain how evil came into the world but not that there is some inherent genetic defect that is passed from parents in the act of procreation. I have also struggled with this particular doctrine. Do we suffer sin and are we all sinners? Yes, I believe that. But it is not because I was born that way, but it is because of the choices that I make. Otherwise, we could misuse the choice and blame it on “I was born this way.” What I believe is that we are born with the capability to make choices. This changes as we grow older. The sin of Adam and Eve was disobeying God and not taking responsibility for that. Today, we choose whether to follow God or our own desires regardless of how this affects others.

                Another alternative explanation of the “Fall”  that was proposed by the Rabbi, was it God’s intention that Adam and Eve needed to leave Eden so that they could mature and being able to choose God, not for what was provided but instead for loving God. Without knowing the difference between good and evil, they could not be fully human. I think about raising my children. There is a point where our children need to make choices on their own. We can guide them as they grow to make better choices but we can’t make choices for them all their life. We can teach them that there are consequences to what they choose. We can show them better ways of living that do not harm themselves, others, and the world. We can also teach them responsibility and forgiveness.

                So, we have these chapters. One thought I have about Adam and Eve. Was this just a way of understanding how perfection and maturity can be lost and that it does not mean that there were actual people named Adam and Eve? Aren’t we all adams and eves? What we can learn is that we too have choices to obey God’s desire or to seek our own desires.

                So, what? What is God’s desire? We find that answer in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. We are to love God with all of that we are and to love one another. Just as God loves us. It is important to see God’s mercy even in the exile, as it is God who makes their clothes to wear. God’s mercy extends to all of us no matter what or where in our exile we are.

                Eldon

               

Bible study 8/1/2019

                I have been contemplating ideas about what I want to do regarding devotions and study. Retirement would seem to open up time to do things you have always wanted to do and to some extant that has been true. There have been a number of things that I am doing that provide enjoyment. Yet, there are still times that I seem to waste time. So, I have decided to try something ambitious and hopefully will stimulate me to not only study, but to share some of my opinions and thoughts. Don’t worry this will not be a political rant, but there are some things that we need to reflect on regarding our communities, nation, and world.

                So what is this project. I plan to read a couple of chapters from scripture and then comment on them. Most of the commentaries, I have either given away or turned in to outlets to sell. I have kept some that I have in the past enjoyed and hope to continue to study those. My first thoughts about reading the chapters was to start with the gospels. I have re-thought that. The scripture that informs our beliefs as Christians and certainly of Jesus was not those scriptures but the Hebrew scriptures. So, I plan to start there. As I do that, I will be using not the traditional Christian translation but from the Jewish Study Bible, the Tanakh published by the Jewish Publication Society 2004. The Tanakh is composed of the Torah, History, and Wisdom literature. These contain the same books that appear in the Christian bibles but are not in the same order. I will be using some of the information from that and my own opinion. A disclaimer, what I write is my opinion and my insights. Feel free to disagree. The spirit of Wisdom moves all of us to differing understandings, which in my opinion, are what we need for our journey. I am more progressive in my understanding of God (I might even say though I am more informed by liberation theologians, I am also informed by process theology) and thus may have a bias to the way I understand scripture. Be warned.

                I plan to start with the Torah or the first five books of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. While I was in seminary, I have a rabbi teach us about the Torah and presenting some of the differences between Jewish reflections as compared to Christian. So what is the Torah and what does that mean? Torah has been interpreted in many ways. Some have seen these books about being the law despite the amount of narrative found in all five books. Some have seen these books as teachings and instructions. The root of Torah in Hebrew is y-r-h which means to shoot ( an arrow.) the Torah hits the mark. There are likely many authors that have contributed to the thoughts and writings. Likely, the books came together from a variety of scrolls to form one large scroll during the Babylonian exile. So the books came to be all of the above, law, narrations, teachings, and instructions. Proverbs 1.8 “My son heed the discipline of your father and do not forsake the instructions [Heb torah] of your mother.”

                As you read through the Tanakh, you will notice particularly in the Torah several duplicates of the narrative. It has long been believed that there are several different sources that have contributed which have been identified as the JEPD. The J source earliest connection was to David and Solomon around 10 BCE. It is translated in scripture as Lord. In reading, it presents a highly anthropomorphic God who has a close and intimate relationship with humankind. The E source connection was to the Northern kingdom and is translated as God or Elohim. This view of God is more distant and speaks through dreams or messengers, angels. The P is for the priestly voice that likely came together during the exile. It has a strong interest in order and boundaries. The D is the Deuteronomist and likely came about during King Josiah’s reform. This was likely the scroll of Deuteronomy. Recently there has been suggestion of yet another source the R for the redaction source which integrated all the variant sources into one scroll during the exile.

Be that as it may be, it can be helpful to have some understanding of why the differing sources and to what purpose might be had because of that. If you want to follow along choose your favorite translation while I will be using the translation of the Tanakh. I wanted to start first at the beginning. So I will be diving into Genesis chps 1-2. When people talk about literally that God made the world in seven days, I asked which creation story are they talking about as there are two very distinct narratives. First, let me back up to Genesis which is Greek. In Hebrew, the title translated is in the beginning. Genesis is a book of beginnings that are broken up in four major arcs, primeval history, Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph.      We are going to start with the primeval history and with the creation stories. Read Genesis chapters 1-2. These creations stories have some affinity with Babylonian myth of Marduk in the Enuma Elish. The main difference is that it was not done through killing but through the work of God. The first creation story, which lays out the creation occurring in seven days, is likely from the P source. On page 12 of the Jewish Study Bible had a diagram like the following:

                Day 1 light                                                                           Day 4 lights (sun, moon, stars)    

                Day 2 Sky (separating waters)                                     Day 5 fish and birds

                Day 3 Land and plants                                                    Day 6 land animals and humans

                                                                Day 7 Sabbath

This starts with generalities and pairs with the specifics, accumulating with the sabbath. The number 7 has often been interpreted literally. 7 has significance throughout the middle east as a symbolic number of completion. I believe that it was never meant to be taken literally but is seen as completion. Also, I like that way the Tanakh starts with verse one “when God began to create heaven and earth”. In many of our bibles, Genesis begins with God created out of nothing. Somehow that idea of something already existing seems more troublesome that there was a moment of nothingness. Yet, for many in the middles east nothingness was not as frightening as the concept of chaos. God brought order to chaos. The other thing about the first creation story that stands out for me is that God created humans, both male and female, in God’s image. Another part of the creation that appears, is the command to be fruitful. And what they could eat was the fruit of the trees to eat and the animals all that is green plants. Not even vegans or carnivores.

The second creation story begins with 2.4b. There is no seven day sequence. There is no water but the earth was dry. Here the Lord God created man from the dust of the earth. The Lord planted the garden and Adam (a play on the Hebrew word Adamah or dirt) was to tend it. This is likely from the J source as God creates Adam and blows into him the breath of life. Notice Adam is not made in God’s image. With the creation of Eve, has led to centuries and millenniums of the notion that women are supposed to be submissive to men. To me this is a complete misinterpretation of these scriptures. God created Eve to be equal to caring for the creation.

So, what should we take from the beginnings? What would this say to us in the 21^st century about the environmental crisis we live in? If we are created in God’s image, should we not be concerned about tending what God did and is doing in creation? I believe the continued destruction of our planet is not a political problem but is a theological problem. We are called to action more than just words but also in deeds.

Eldon