The Road to Redemption – Providence 1

    It was All Saints Day, November 1, 1755. In Lisbon, Portugal, considered one of the most Christian cities in the world, thousands of people packed the local churches. Then at 9:40am one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history (estimated to be between 8.5-9.0 on the Richter scale) hit the city. As the churches swayed people ran out into the streets only to be crushed by falling stones. Attempting to get away from the crashing buildings they rushed to the water front only to be met by three successive tsunamis. Finally as they ran from the tsunamis back into the city they were met by fire which ultimately consumed much of what was left of Lisbon. Estimates of deaths range from 10,000 – 100,000, making it one of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes of all time. The questions which then confronted Christian Europe were: did God cause this to happen? Was this the Providence of God?

Providence is not a word that is commonly used in the modern American lexicon other than to refer to a town in Rhode Island or to a hospital system here in Southeast Michigan. I have no great theories on why we have allowed a term of such great Biblical and theological importance to go dormant, yet we have. Be that as it may we are going to resurrect it for a little while not only because it matters to "the church" but because it matters to us. I say that because, whether we realize it or not, we not only deal with the concept of providence on a regular basis, but we often struggle with it during some of the most difficult times of our lives (as did those who suffered in the Lisbon earthquake).

    Let's begin with a few simple definitions of providence from Dictionary.com.

1. The foreseeing care and guidance of God or nature over the creatures of the earth
   
2. God, especially when conceived as omnisciently directing the universe and the affairs of humankind with wise benevolence
   
3. A manifestation of divine care and direction
   

The issue at stake in these definitions as well as in any discussion of or struggle with Providence is that of how much power does God have and how does God use it. We wrestle with these issues every time we ask questions such as: "Why did God let this happen?" "How could God allow evil to exist?" "Why am I still here when I want to die?" "Why hasn't God answered my prayers?" We also make reference to Providence when we make statements such as: "It's all in God's hands." "God always has a purpose." "God's in control." "God will provide."

Over the millennia people of various religions, races and cultures have wrestled with these questions. They have wondered about their own freedom from or dependence on God or the gods. At times people have believed themselves to be completely independent of supernatural forces while at other times people have come to see themselves as no more than puppets of the gods/God. As we will see over the next few weeks Judaism and Christianity have expressed and held widely divergent views on the extent of God's Providence.

A final piece with which we must deal when speaking of Providence is the role that science has played in how we understand God's control or lack of it in human affairs. As science has developed its understanding of things such as genetics, evolution, geology (including the physics of plate tectonics and earthquakes) and brain chemistry and the social sciences have developed concepts which explain human interactions (both individually and corporately) humanity has the knowledge that allows it to see itself as completely independent of God. We see this in the rise of the New Atheism movement. Writers such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins have led this movement which believes that religion, and in many ways, the concept of Providence should be exposed and done away with by rational arguments.

Though much of what I have articulated above is focused on how Providence and evil are linked we will see that Providence in the scriptures is a much broader concept.

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Giving 3

 

    Having used our last two articles to look at giving in both the Old and New Testaments it is time to turn our attention to the ways in which giving is a spiritual discipline. Before we do, however, I want to offer a couple of thoughts about tithing. Tithing is the practice of giving 10% of one's income to the church and other helping organizations. Our examination of giving in the scriptures offered us a Biblical basis for tithing. However while I believe in tithing (it is something that Cindy and I practice) there is no hard and fast rule that one must tithe. It is a goal…toward which people are encouraged to work…as well as a benchmark beyond which some people are able to go. The other thing I want to offer is that tithing is a total of our giving to charities which serve the needs of those around us. While I would love to have everyone tithe to the church, the needs of the world around us are great…and any assistance we can give to those in need gives glory to God. Now, let's look at giving as a spiritual discipline.

    The first way in which giving acts as a spiritual discipline is that it orients us to God. The reality of our lives in the 21^st Century is that we are pulled in multiple directions by our culture. As one speaker put it, we are pulled by the three "A"s; accumulation, appearance and achievement. When combined with the pull from the "F"s, family and friends it is a wonder that we can keep our wits about us at all. What giving offers us then is a reorientation of our hearts, minds and lives to God. By giving to the church we are practicing the imitation of God in Christ who gave his life for the world. Though we are never going to inoculate ourselves from the pull of the "A"s and the "F"s, by giving we realign our compass to true north, that is to the very heart of God in such a way that we are more intimately connected with God.

    The second way in which giving acts as a spiritual discipline is that it reminds us that all we have is a gift of God and that gratitude is the appropriate response to God's generosity. In the movie "Finding Nemo" the seagulls are portrayed as flying around saying, "Mine, mine, mine." In a sense this is the way we as human beings often act. It is the "possession is nine-tenths of the law view;" that whatever I have acquired is mine and no one can tell me how to use it. By giving, we practice letting go of the attitude of "mine, mine, mine" and instead say to God, "Yours." This helps to set us free from the self-centeredness that infects humanity and replaces it with a conciseness that we are all the beneficiaries of God's good gifts of creation and community.

    The third way in which giving acts as a spiritual discipline is that it helps us set aside fear and deepen our trust in God. The interesting thing about Americans is that regardless of our income/assets, most of us feel insecure. A recent survey showed that among Americans with assets of between one and five million dollars only 28% felt financially secure. This sense of insecurity causes many people to hold on tightly to all that they have believing that if they give any of it away they will be at risk. By giving, we practice setting these fears aside and we discover that God is continually present with us, insuring that we have what we need (even if it is not always what we want).

    The final way in which giving acts as a spiritual discipline is that it connects us with other people. You and I live in a world which, even with all the social media around us, is becoming more and more disconnected. By giving we connect with others to work for a better world. We also connect with those whose lives are changed. A friend of mine who gave to and volunteered with an inner-city eye-care ministry in San Antonio once had a woman launch herself into his arms in a grocery store and say, "Because of you I can see." My friend had become part of a larger community of humanity than he ever thought possible. This is what we can do when we are willing to give of our resources. We can become more closely connected with our church, community and world.

    

The Road to Redemption - Spiritual Disciplines: Giving 2

    Our previous article offered an overview of giving in the Old Testament. We learned that there were five specific offerings which the people were to give to God, the Temple and the priests. These offerings (sacrifices) were intended to be means by which people gave thanks to God, sought God's forgiveness and supported the Temple and its priesthood. People were also supposed to give ten-percent of all that they had to God and to the work of the Temple. In addition, something that was not covered last week was that people were to be generous in terms of assisting the poor. We will now turn to the New Testament and examine its attitude toward giving.

    Money and how people deal with it is one of the main topics with which Jesus dealt during his ministry. In fact not only did Jesus talk about money more than anything else other than the Kingdom of God, but eleven out of thirty-nine of his parables were focused on money as well. In the Gospel of Luke one out of every seven verses is related to money. Why the focus on money? I believe Jesus spent so much time talking about money because in some ways money had become an idol for God's people. What I mean by this is that people put their ultimate trust in money/goods rather than in God. And because of this people forgot that money (as with every other possession) was a gift from God which was intended to be used the way God designated. In addition, Jesus implied that many persons who did give were doing so for the prestige it offered them rather than as a means of praising God.

    Let's look at some specific texts. One of the most famous of Jesus' teachings on giving occurs in Matthew 25:42-45 where he speaks of giving to the least of these. We were to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked and look after the sick. While this text does not specifically mention money it is implied because Jesus was already living in a money-based economy (rather than a rural barter economy) and so all of the food, clothing and housing would have had to have been paid for with cash. Jesus tells his followers that they were to sell what they had, give it to the poor, and then come and follow him. (Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22) While I don't believe Jesus meant for his followers to actually sell all that they had, I believe it was a way of reminding them of what their priorities ought to be; Jesus and the Kingdom of God first, money second.

    The Apostle Paul was not quite as critical of having money. He was a small businessman who made tents for a living and understood that money was not evil in and of itself, though the love of it was (1 Timothy 6:10), but instead money was a medium of exchange which could be used well or used poorly. Proper uses of money included caring for family and relatives (1 Timothy 5:8); supporting the work of the church and its leaders (1 Corinthians 9:13-14; Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:15-20); and the support of those in need (Romans 12:13, 20). Paul also offered a special reminder to the wealthy that they were to focus their lives on God while being generous in giving to others (1Timothy 17-19). Finally Paul believed that generosity in giving was a virtue to be cultivated. This comes to our attention in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 where he refers to the generosity of the Macedonian churches. Though the churches in Macedonia were small, poor and under great strain they gave far more than was expected to the relief fund for the church in Jerusalem. The Apostle even encourages people to set aside money every week in order that they have something to give to others and to the church. (1 Corinthians 16:2)

    Some of the most concrete demonstrations of giving are found in the Book of Acts. In Acts 2:44-45 we read, "All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds
to all, as any had need." This sharing of all that the early church possessed is mentioned again in Acts 4:32. For the early church, the bottom line was that every person gave what they had to insure that no one did without what others needed. Giving in this way was one of the great draws of the early church; a community in which giving was at the heart of their life.

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines: Giving 1

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines: Giving 1

    "They are always asking for money." This is one of the most frequent complaints lodged against churches by members and non-members alike. I am not sure if churches would be convicted of this trespass in a spiritual court of law, but since perception is powerful we will take some time to examine the Biblical history of asking/giving and "giving" as a spiritual discipline.

    We begin in Genesis, in which we find several stories involving giving. The first is that of Cain and Able (Genesis 4:1-16) where the twins each bring an offering to God. Cain brought to God "an offering of the fruit of the ground" while Able brought to God "of the firstlings of his flock." A second offering story in Genesis involves Abraham and his encounter with the Melchizedek, priest of the God most high. (Genesis 14:17-20) In this story Melchizedek blesses Abraham and Abraham offers up ten percent (a tithe) of all that he has to the priest.

    Giving becomes formalized throughout the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Torah contains the Law of Moses which calls for five different types of offerings for five different purposes. These offerings centered on worship and sacrifice. Just a note, sacrifices and offerings were never meant to "buy" God's favor or "make" God do something. They were instead meaningful acts of thanksgiving, praise or confession as well as support for the Temple and its priests.

    The first type of offering was a Burnt Offering. The burnt offering consisted of a male animal (bull, lamb, goat, pigeon or turtle dove…based on the wealth of the giver) which was to be completely burned up on the altar. None of it was to be eaten. The animal was to be perfect (without blemish…in other words one's best and not a left-over). The individual would lay his/her hands upon the animal's head understanding that this animal was standing in (as an atonement for sin or dedication of one's life) for the person making the offering.

    The second type of offering was a Meal Offering. Israelites were to bring cereal or vegetable offerings in addition to animal offerings. The second chapter of Leviticus describes four kinds of cereal offerings. They were to be cooked with oil and salt but no honey (go figure). These offerings were brought to the priest who would cast a small amount into the fire and eat the rest. Meal Offerings were a way of demonstrating generosity in response to God's generosity.

    The third type of offering is a Sin Offering. This offering was intended to take care of (expiate) any unintentional failures or weaknesses in one's relationship with God. The offering was dependent upon one's station in life. The High Priest offered a bull, leaders offered a male goat and ordinary Israelites offered a female animal, and the poor offered a small amount of grain.

    The fourth type of offering was a Peace Offering. The Peace offering was one that was shared between God, the priests and the people. An animal was sacrificed and then was eaten by priest and people. This was an offering of thanksgiving and praise…as well as a community building exercise.

    The fifth and final type of offering was the trespass offering. This offering was similar to the sin offering but it consisted of money. It was offered as repentance for any fraud which was unintentional. The sacrifice was to be equal to the value stolen, along with a 20% gift to the priests and to the one cheated.

    Finally there was the tithe (giving of a tenth). In Leviticus 27:30-33 Moses tells the people that one tenth of all they had produced (crops and animals) was to be given to God. This command was echoed by King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:4-5) when he ordered the people to tithe to the Temple and the priesthood. The response of the people was overwhelming in that they gave of all that they had. I hope this explains why we ask for "tithes and offerings" on Sunday morning…because in the scriptures there are both (though you can leave the bulls and goats at home).

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Being in Community 3

    This article will first be published on September 11, 2013, the twelfth anniversary of the attacks on our nation by a small group of terrorists. While the immediate response to the attack was to draw all Americans together in community, it was not long before it began to tear our nation apart. What I mean by that is that many of our citizens began to look suspiciously at any citizen who appeared to of Middle Easter origin. People refused to fly with women in hijabs or Sikhs in their traditional turbans. Entire communities rose up against the legal building of mosques or Islamic centers, claiming that they would be breeding grounds for terrorists. This fear and its accompanying rhetoric then extended beyond those of Middle Eastern background to anyone who did not look "American" enough. The challenge that is still before us is to continue working toward building community in which all human beings are valued for their innate worth as children of God.

     We begin building this kind of community by connecting ourselves with God who created all of us and who loved the world enough to send the only Son into the world in order to save it. Connecting with God comes through an ever deepening life of prayer and meditation, and regular attendance in worship (we have covered both prayer and worship earlier in this series). These actions attune our lives to God and God's desires for us. They also allow us to respond to God in thoughts, words, songs and actions. While these practices may seem somewhat awkward to many of us because we may never have practiced them, over time they can become an important and meaningful part of our lives.

    We continue building community by developing caring relationships within the body of Christ. We can do this through interacting with others before and after worship, being part of a Bible study, Dinners for Eight or covenant group (you can find out more about these in First Things), coming to church events, assisting with our All Abilities Inclusion Ministry, or volunteering for one of the various mission activities in which the church engages. These activities allow us to come to know one another on a deeper level than would otherwise be possible through a Sunday morning greeting. By so doing we can share our hopes, joys and sorrows in such a way that we are bound together as authentic community.

    Community occurs not only within the walls and activities of our church but it is built within the community. Part of our tradition as Presbyterians is that we are to be engaged in the wider community. We have founded colleges, universities, community assistance programs and have been engaged in the political process. We do so because we believe that God calls us to be making a positive difference in the world around us. Thus part of being in community is to connect and work with those who are striving to bring about meaningful change in our world. This can be done by engaging in Interfaith work, volunteering or sitting on the boards of helping organizations, tutoring at Alcott Elementary School or in any number of other ways.

    Being in Community continues with building community internationally. While the problems facing our world often appear overwhelming there are simply ways in which we can build a closer knit community. One of my favorites organizations (and there are many, many others) is KIVA (kiva.org). KIVA allows individuals to make loans (as small as $25) to farmers, small entrepreneurs or homeowners all over the world. As the loans are repaid (they have a 99% repayment rate) you have the opportunity to loan the repayment to others. In this way it is possible to be in community with people across the globe in an ongoing fashion.

     Finally being in community means taking care of the world in which we live. Whether this looks like being active in environmental organizations, participating in River Rouge cleanups, recycling Styrofoam here at the church or going green at home, we can be in community with God's creation of which we are a part.

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Being in Community 2

    In our last article we examined the concept of community in the Old Testament. What we discovered was that community is an integral part of God's creation in that human beings are in community not only with one another but with God and the creation itself. In other words we are all related. The issue then is how does this relatedness lend itself to becoming a spiritual discipline? The answer is that being in community becomes a spiritual discipline by living appropriately with God, neighbor and creation. In some sense then, being in community, as we will see, is a cumulative discipline. It is developed by putting many of the other spiritual disciplines into practice.

Scripture tells us that the first step in practicing being in community begins with God's people deepening their relationship with God. This is initiated by the people proclaiming that they will love the Lord their God with all of their heart, soul, and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5/Luke 10:27) This proclamation does not negate love of others. It is a reminder that being in community is built upon the foundation of loving God first. The community then engages in the other God-orienting spiritual disciplines such as worship, prayer, fasting, Sabbath and meditation. Each of these practices deepens the community's connection with God.

The second step scripture offers us as a means of practicing being in community focuses on deepening our relationship with neighbor. In some ways this second step may be the most difficult because it demands that people love their neighbor as themselves. (Leviticus 19:18; Luke 22:39) This concept is especially prominent in the Law of Moses (God's rules for appropriate living) as found in the Book of Deuteronomy. This Book includes regulations that require care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the blind, the stranger and the sojourner. The Law requires that people act honestly, speak the truth and even protect slaves who have escaped from their masters. Justice is not to be perverted through bribes and even the king is bound by the law.

Jesus continued this call to being in community by loving neighbor in both actions and words. Examples of Jesus loving neighbor included healing the woman with the flow of blood (Luke 8:43-48) and ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19) as well as forgiving those who crucified him (Luke 22:34). Each of these actions allowed individuals to be restored to being in community with God and others. Examples of Jesus encouraging loving neighbor through his words included the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) and his call to serve the "least of these" (Matthew 25:31-46). In some ways Jesus' entire ministry was a demonstration of loving those neighbors who had been excluded from community in order that they might be reconnected with God and others.

Loving neighbor was also a part of the life of the early church. In the Book of Acts (4:32-35) we read that the early church held everything in common in order that no one went without food or shelter. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Rome reminded his readers to be devoted to one another (12:10), honor one another above themselves (12:10), live in harmony with one another (12:16), build up one another (14:19), and accept one another (15:7). In I Corinthians (11:17 ff) Paul took the church to task for not sharing their food with one another.

Finally being in community includes caring for creation. We witness this first in Genesis (2:15) where Adam is placed in Eden in order to tend and care for it. The language used in this passage is focused on being a steward of the land. In Leviticus 25:3-5 God's people are told that they are to till the land for six years and then on the seventh year they are to give the land a Sabbath rest. In Revelation we read of God destroying those who destroyed the earth (11:18) and then creating a renewed heaven and earth on which people can live (Chapters 21-22). Though care for creation has not always been at the forefront of Protestant theology, it is an inherently Biblical concept.

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Being in Community 1

    I realize that the idea of being in Community as a spiritual discipline might appear to be a bit of a stretch. Spiritual disciplines are supposed to be those endeavors that we undertake which will draw us closer to God. Disciplines such as prayer, service and Sabbath seem to fit the description of a spiritual discipline much better than does being in community. Even so, I believe that being in community is not only a spiritual discipline, but is a discipline which is desperately needed in the culture in which we live. First though let's begin with the basic understanding of community in scripture.

    The idea of community is rooted in creation itself. First, according to the Genesis account, human beings were not some "add-on" to creation, as if creation itself was simply a place for God to put people. Instead human beings were an integral part of the warp and woof of God's creative endeavors. What this means is that we are in "community" or connectedness with every living thing. Second, in the first creation account (Genesis 1), human beings are created as a two-some which tells us that human beings are intended to be linked together. In the second creation account (Genesis 2) the male is made first but it becomes apparent to God that the male is incomplete on his own (ain't that the truth). God then makes all sorts of animals to complete the male, but none suffices. It is not until God makes another human creature, the female, that the male is finished. Again then, scripture at its most basic level reminds us that we are created to be in community.

     The importance of community continues in each of the saga stories of Genesis 3-11. In the Cain and Able story we witness the horrific results of the breaking of community through murder. The image of connectedness is so powerful that the earth itself cries out in pain because of Able's death. In the Noah story we witness God saving representatives of the entire worldly community (Noah's family and the animals) by which God would begin to rebuild creation after human beings had broken community through violence. Finally, in the Tower of Babel story we witness what happens when community believes itself capable of living without a connection with God; they end up doing foolish things. Woven in and through these stories are genealogies which remind us that every generation is connected (in community) with the generations before and after it.

    Community becomes the focal point of the rest of Genesis as well. Once we have left the sagas of Genesis 3-11 we encounter Abram (who later becomes Abraham) and his family. Often we want to speak of Abram as if he was all by himself. We are told however that he was not alone. Though Abram was instructed by God to pick up stakes and go to the land to which God would lead him, the story understands that the community of Abram (Sara, Lot, slaves and animals) were to go as well. In a sense, Abram's family was the first cell in what was to become a multicellular organism called the saved people of God. We know this because in Genesis 12:2 God promises Abram that God will make Abram into a great nation (community); one of the purposes of which was to bless all the other families (communities) of the earth. This promise binds all families of the earth together into a single community of blessing.

    This sense of community is also found at the end of the scriptures in the Book of Revelation. Though Revelation is filled with terror, it is also filled with hope; hope which comes to fruition in renewed community. We first witness the creation of a renewed community in Revelation 7:4 when God places God's seal upon the 144,000 of Israel. This is followed (7:9ff) by a description of a limitless number of people from "every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" who are singing praises to God. These people represent God's new, redeemed community. Finally at the close of Revelation in Chapters 21 and 22 we read of the new heaven and earth in which humanity lives intimately with God and with a restored creation. This conclusion to the scriptures allows us to see the importance of community in that God will not rest until true community between God, humanity and creation is fully restored.

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Sabbath 5

    The last several articles have helped us to learn more about Sabbath. We discovered that it is deeply rooted in the creation story and is to be seen as a gift of God; a gift that allows people to renew and refresh. The question before us then becomes, how ought we to live Sabbath in our lives; what are some practical applications of Sabbath? Though there are any number of suggestions, I want to use the Ten Principles from the Sabbath Manifesto (http://sabbathmanifesto.org/) offered by Reboot, a Jewish on-line community.

    Principle One – Avoid Technology We begin with what is for many of us the most difficult of the ten principles, disconnecting from our wired world. This means not answering emails, texts or tweets; surfing the internet or playing video games. By so doing we allow our brains and fingers to rest.

    Principle Two – Connect with Loved Ones This principle used to be one of the main stays of American life. Sunday for Christians and Friday/Saturday for Jews was a sacrosanct time for being with family; having some face-time. This allows us to truly nurture often lost relationships.

    Principle Three – Nurture Your Health We live in an age in which our bodies are assaulted by the big three demons of early death; sugar, fat and salt. Our bodies crave them and we give in to them. By unplugging from these at least one day a week we allow our bodies a moment of physical refreshing. In addition, a nice Sunday walk can't hurt either.

    Principle Four – Get Outside This principle is a follow-up to our previous principle. If part of Sabbath is reconnecting with God there are few places better than God's creation in which to do so. By walking or simply sitting outside we allow God's beautiful creation to enfold us and remind us of God's presence and love.

    Principle Five – Avoid Commerce Many of us of a certain age remember when stores were not open on Sundays. We were offered a reprieve from acquisitiveness. Now the challenge is up to us to take time away from acquiring things at least one day a week.

    Principle Six – Light Candles This principle may seem a bit odd, yet candles are reminders of God as the creating agent (Let there be light) and of Jesus (Jesus is the light of the world). Lighting candles allows us center ourselves in God.

    Principle Seven – Drink Wine I think that this principle might be the favorite principle for many of us. Drinking wine (or grape juice) makes sense because not only do the Psalms (104:14) tell us that wine gladdens the heart but because wine is a Biblical metaphor for the chosen people of God; thus reminding us that we are special to our Creator.

    Principle Eight – Eat Bread
Once again we turn to Biblical imagery. Psalm 104:14 not only tells us that wine gladdens the heart but that it is bread that sustains the heart. Bread is the symbol of God's beneficence toward humanity. Without bread (grains) civilization could not exist. In addition it reminds us that Jesus is the true bread of life.

    Principle Nine – Find Silence We live in a noisy world. Whether it is in the car, at home or where we go to eat…noise is everywhere. Noise keeps us from resting and seeking inner peace. It distracts. By turning off the noise we have an opportunity to rediscover our inner selves.

    Principle Ten – Give Back Jesus healed on the Sabbath because it showed the worth of human beings. By serving others on a regular basis we do the same. We connect with God through imitating Jesus' actions and rediscover our own image of God.

    The true gift of these principles is that they can be exercised on any day and in almost any place. They help us to understand that Sabbath is not simply a day, but a mindset, in which we practice connecting with God, neighbor, the self and the world.

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines – Sabbath 4

 

    Several months ago I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine who said that in 2012 he had not taken a single day of vacation and had taken only an occasional day off. The tone in his voice seemed to be one of pride and despair mixed together. The pride was that he loved his church and would give his all for it. The despair was that he was tired and that his congregation considered any time away as goofing off. Lest we think that this is something that only ministers do, consider that the average American will give back anywhere from 2-7 days of vacation time this year; or a whopping 226 million unused days, worth more than $34.3 billion dollars (CNN Money).

    The reasons given by individuals for not taking their vacation time/days off include everything from a lack of income to take a meaningful vacation; to I will be fired if I take the time off; to I will be passed over for promotion if I am not constantly in the office; to I will appear to be lazy to my supervisor; to the firm cannot get along without me; to work is where I get my "strokes" so I want to be there; to a fear of being seen as occupying an position that can be eliminated. Even with all of these reasons for not taking time off at least these persons have vacation. I say this because almost 25% of American workers and 31% of low-wage earners in this country get no paid vacation at all (International Business Times). We have been referred to as the "No Vacation Nation" because we are the only industrialized nation without federally mandated vacation and holidays.

Walter Brueggeman, in his book "Mandate to Difference" (Westminster-John Knox Press, 2007), examines this phenomenon of the lack of Sabbath/time off. He argues that Sabbath was originally a gift of God to the people as they left the bondage of Egypt. In Egypt the people of Israel had been slaves working 24/7 to produce bricks and other goods for Pharaoh. They were merely human machines whose value was economic and not intrinsic. Once liberated, the people of God were given the opportunity to rest and refresh themselves as God had always intended. This sense of Sabbath however was lost when Israel moved from being an agriculturally based community to a city centered society. In that move, King Solomon made it clear that the people in the rural areas were to produce not for their own good but for the benefit of the elite in Jerusalem (p. 23). He, and the kings that followed him, were the new Pharaohs demanding that people were to once again produce 24/7, which made the Sabbath an impediment to the work of human machines; thus Sabbath was ignored.

This view of 24/7 work and a lack of Sabbath is still with us because we live in a land of Pharaohs. We have work-Pharaohs who remind us that our only value is in what we can produce and so we are not to take time off. We have love-pharaohs who want us to believe that we have to earn love which requires continual work. We have religious-pharaohs who tell us that because the world does not yet look like the Kingdom of God we need to spend all of our spare time working for the transformation of that world. We have church-pharaohs who tell us that our spare time should be spent at the church because it needs us. We have activity-pharaohs who proclaim that any down time is wasted time. Finally we have our inner-demon-pharaohs that tell us we are not perfect and so we need to work harder and harder for all of our other pharaohs in order to be acceptable.

Jesus said, "Come to me all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Jesus is the un-pharaoh. Jesus calls us to Sabbath. Jesus calls us to rest and refreshment. Jesus calls us to not be anxious about anything. Jesus reminds us that we are beloved children of God with intrinsic value. Jesus calls us to embrace the Sabbath because it will help us to become fully human; fully capable of loving God and neighbor. The challenge for us is to not only worship on the Sabbath…but to take Sabbath; to take the time to rest and refresh as God intended.

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines – Sabbath 3

    In our last two articles we examined Sabbath. We discovered that it has its theological origins in the creation story in Genesis where we learn that God works and then rests. God created for six days and rested on the seventh. We also learned that the observance of Sabbath, while being an integral part of the life of the people of God for centuries, was only loosely followed until after Israel's return from the Babylonian Exile around 520 BCE. Sabbath became more important upon their return to the land of promise because it was one way for the Jewish people to maintain their cultural and religious identity (no other religions practiced Sabbath). Over time the Sabbath observance was regulated by a series of very specific rules and regulations concerning what a person should or should not do on the day of rest. We can see this today in Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States in that members of these communities live close to their synagogues so that they only have to walk short distances to worship on the Sabbath (in order to be obedient to Sabbath regulations).

    When we move to the New Testament we are confronted by what appear to be a series of mixed messages about the Sabbath. On the one hand Jesus appears to observe the Sabbath by faithfully attending synagogue services. We can see this in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 4:16) where we read, "He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom." In this sense Jesus was a very pious Jew who understood that Sabbath required people to gather for worship which always included reading and reflecting on scripture. On the other hand Jesus was not a fan of some of the regulations which restricted what could be done on the Sabbath. His disregard for these regulations was the basis for many of his confrontations with the religious authorities. Among these disagreements were healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-3; Luke 6:8-10; Luke 13:9-16; Luke 14:1-13; John 5:1-18; John 7:21-24) and Jesus' disciples plucking and eating grain on the Sabbath, which was considered work (Mark 2:22-28; Luke 6:1-3).

    Jesus' deals with the criticism he receives for violating the Sabbath in two ways. The first is that he offers up very good rabbinic arguments against his opponents. In terms of healing people on the Sabbath Jesus argues that since the Law allows for a farmer to get his ox out of a ditch on the Sabbath in order to save it, he ought to be able to save people who are more precious than oxen (Luke 13:15-17; 14:2-6). His arguments are not simply clever ways to get around the rules and regulations but were based on his understanding of the purpose of Sabbath. He declared that the Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). In other words the Sabbath was intended for the rest and restoration of humankind. Thus any actions that helped people (such as healing) were acceptable on the Sabbath. The second way in which Jesus responded to criticism of his Sabbath actions was to declare that "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Luke 6:5; Mark 2:28; Matthew 12:8) The "Son of Man" was the title Jesus used to describe himself and by so doing made it clear that he was the one, and not the religious leaders, who defined what could or could not be done on the Sabbath.

    The Book of Acts, which describes the creation, growth and expansion of the early church, does not spend time dealing with Sabbath controversies. Sabbath is only mentioned as the day of the week on which Jews would gather for worship at which time Paul or some of the other followers of Jesus would tell them the Good News of Jesus death and resurrection. In addition we can catch glimpses of the early church moving its worship (and perhaps Sabbath day) to the first day of the week (Sunday) which was the day of resurrection (I Corinthians 16:1-2; Acts 20:7). Paul addresses this change in two of his letters (Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16-17) where he assures his fellow believers that one can worship the Lord on any day; that there is no need for a special Sabbath day.

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines – Sabbath 2

    In our last article we defined Sabbath as a time of rest ordained by God on the seventh day, seventh month or seventh year. We discussed that the origins of Sabbath can be found in God's resting on the seventh day after six days of creation. Finally we looked at the various ways in which that sense of rest was applied to people, animals, commerce and even the earth itself. Sabbath was thus intended to a gift of God to the people; offering them rest from their labors.

    The question then becomes how important was the idea of Sabbath in the actual life and work of the people of God. There are some scholars who believe that Sabbath, while being a nominal part of the life of the community, was in reality a late addition to the theological landscape. This argument carries some weight because there is little or no direct mention of Sabbath in the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I/II Samuel or I Kings; a period of about 500 years. However the two references in those books are significant and might imply that the Sabbath was so ubiquitous that it did not need mentioning. These references are first to David who, when hungry and fleeing from King Saul, ate the shew-bread. (I Samuel 21:6) The shew-bread was set out on the Sabbath to be eaten by the priests. The second reference concerns a woman from the town of Shunem who went to see Elisha the prophet, even though, as her husband puts it, "It is neither the new moon nor the Sabbath." (II Kings 4:23)

    Regardless of the lack of multiple references to the Sabbath in the Old Testament history books we can catch glimpses of the importance of the seventh day in the words of the prophets whose work overlaps much of the latter years of those same books. Amos (Amos 8:4-5a), writing around 787 BCE, refers to the Sabbath in his critique of the greed of Israel. "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, "When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the Sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?"
Isaiah (Isaiah 1:12-13) also refers to the importance of the Sabbath around 712 BCE when he declares, "When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and calling of convocation— I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity." Finally, Jeremiah (Jeremiah 19:21-23) writing around 600 BCE states, "Thus says the Lord: For the sake of your lives, take care that you do not bear a burden on the sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the sabbath or do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors. Yet they did not listen or incline their ear; they stiffened their necks and would not hear or receive instruction."

    We see an increasing focus on the Sabbath in the writings and history following the Exile into Babylon. As the people attempted to come to grips with their national humiliation and as they attempted to retain their religious identity profaning the Sabbath became an explanation for their defeat and reinstituting the Sabbath a means to sustain their identity. We see this in the work of the prophet Ezekiel whose early prophecies (Chapters 20 and 22) contain indictments against Judah for desecrating the Sabbath and whose later prophecies (Chapters 44 and 45) offer images of a nation who keeps the Sabbath. In the historical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which describe the restoration of the nation of Israel after their return from exile, we see the lengths to which national leaders would go to insure Sabbath observance. In Nehemiah 13:19 we read, "When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, to prevent any burden from being brought in on the sabbath day." By shutting the gates foreigners could not tempt God's people to engage in violations of the Sabbath (buying, selling, etc). This and other Sabbath protecting acts slowly became the norm for Israel and set the stage for some of Jesus most interesting confrontations in his ministry.

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines – Sabbath 1

    Sabbath is not a term which most of us use in everyday life. It is one of those religious words that we ministers like to throw around…as if everyone else understands what we mean. So let's begin with the most basic definition of Sabbath. In the Hebrew it is derived from the word "shavath" which means repose, or to cease exerting oneself. "Shabbat" which is the current Hebrew word for the Sabbath is a specialized form of shavath, and means a weekly cessation from work. Depending on one's translation of the scriptures, Sabbath is used around 170 times in the Old Testament and almost 70 times on the New Testament. Thus it is one of the key concepts contained within the scriptures.

    The idea of Sabbath is rooted in the story of creation. As Genesis begins, we read about God creating all that there is. For six days God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. God created light and dark, the earth, plants, animals and finally humans. When God had finished creating God took a break. In Genesis 2:1-3 we read, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested (savath-ed) from all the work that he had done in creation." The concept of rest then is grounded in the very essence of God. If God can rest, then so can the rest of creation.

    Sabbath next appears in the Noah story when the ark comes to "rest" in the seventh month. Though this is not a direct reference to the Sabbath, it highlights how important Sabbath (and the seventh) had become in scripture. The next direct reference to keeping a Sabbath occurs during the Exodus. In the Exodus (the movement of God's people out of slavery in Egypt into the wilderness and then into the land of promise) God provides the people with food and water. The food comes in the form of manna (a bread like substance that springs up at night and can be harvested in the morning) and quails. In the 16^th chapter of Exodus the people of Israel are told that they are to collect manna for only six days and not on the seventh. The seventh day is in fact to be a day of rest. The gift of God is that the manna that comes on the sixth day will be adequate to feed the people on the seventh day as well.

    The Sabbath becomes enshrined in the community when it is mentioned in the Ten Commandments. In Exodus 20:8-11 we read, "Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it." Once again we see how the concept of Sabbath is tied directly back to creation. In a sense if we are made in the image of God then our lives ought to reflect God's life…including that of a weekly rest. In the Book of Deuteronomy and its restating of the Ten Commandments, the reason given for keeping the Sabbath is two-fold. First it is to be kept because God commanded it. Second it is to be kept as a remembrance that the people of God were once slaves in Egypt and forced to work every day. The Sabbath becomes a reminder that God's yoke is easier than that of Pharaoh.

    The concept of Sabbath also applies to the land and indebtedness. In Judaism there is a sabbatical (Sabbath) year. This year occurs on the seventh year of a seven year agricultural cycle. In the Sabbath year the land was to lay fallow. No agricultural activity was allowed. In essence the land was not allowed to work just as people and animal were not allowed to work on the weekly Sabbath. At the same time, at the end of this year all debts, except those owed to foreigners, were to be forgiven. This was rest from working for others. The Book of Deuteronomy refers to it as "release."

    Summing up Sabbath, it is an intentional act of rest that is given to all of creation.

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines Hospitality 3

    In our last two articles we spent some time looking at hospitality as an ancient cultural practice shared by most nomadic people's as well as by ancient Greek society. We also discovered that this practice became an integral part of the Biblical narrative, in both the Old and New Testaments. Hospitality was practiced by people as diverse as Abraham, Jesus and members of the early church. It would seem fitting then that we as 21^st century Christians exercise this spiritual discipline as well. However the question becomes what does hospitality look like in America in 2013? I ask that because chances are most of us would be a bit averse to inviting any and every stranger into our homes in order to feed and clothe them. While this might work on occasion, I have heard too many stories of this kind of hospitality ending up costing people their property and their lives. So what then ought hospitality to look like?

    Hospitality ought to look like a loving attitude toward "the other." I define "the other" as those people who are different from us in any way. Unfortunately we live in a place and time where the media (radio, television, internet and print) and politicians attempt to make us fearful of "the other." We are to build up security barriers all around us so that regardless of where we are we can be alert and not allow "the other" to harm us. This fear is described in a recent Huffington Post article where a cab driver (originally from Ghana) decided to attend a local Baptist church in Maryland where he had dropped off a fare. The members called the police and accused him of being a trespasser…even after he told them he was a "Baptist from Ghana." Christian hospitality is to demonstrate the exact opposite attitude. It is to be one which sees the other as a child of God regardless of race, religion, language, ability or any other worldly condition.

    Hospitality ought to look like intentionally welcoming "the other." In the same article, the author describes attending a church in Washington D.C. which was renowned for its welcoming spirit toward the homeless. Regardless of this reputation however, when the author visited the church not a single person spoke with him during the coffee hour after the service. Our world has been described as one in which we have come to expect more from our technology and less from each other. This growing technological divide combined with our innate Western sense of personal space leads many of us to feel uncomfortable welcoming those whom we do not know, or with whom we do not have some immediate common bond (school, work, hobbies, etc.). Christian hospitality challenges us to move out of these comfort zones in order to intentionally greet and make to feel welcome those with whom we come into contact. While we ought to insure that we practice this kind of hospitality within our church walls, the critical test of hospitality is how we practice this in our schools, work places and neighborhoods.

    Hospitality ought to look like making a place for "the other." As noted above, hospitality begins with how we see others and then continues with how we welcome them. The final part of hospitality involves integrating people into the community. This means being intentional about discovering and implementing ways to insure that "the other" becomes "us." At Everybody's Church we do this through coffee hour (insuring people are introduced to others); through our AAIM ministry (Rejoicing Spirits worship and other inclusion activities); through our hosting SOS during which we get to know our guests and invite them to be part of our community; through Bible studies, Dinners for 8, small groups and other fellowship and service opportunities. Though the description of hospitality I offer does not exactly mirror that of the scriptures (for example by not taking strangers into our homes), I still believe it offers us a faithful vision of Christian hospitality in our day and time

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines – Hospitality 2

    Our last article looked at the tradition of hospitality as an ancient custom shared by human beings all over the world. The essence of hospitality is sharing what one has (food, clothing, shelter and protection) with a stranger. This sharing was not dictated by law but was considered to be part of the essence of being a good human being because it was believed that God or the gods desired that we take care of one another. While hospitality was primarily a product of nomadic cultures we will see that it became part of the Jewish and Roman cultures in which Christianity was birthed.

    We witness the pervasive nature of hospitality within the New Testament in the travels of the disciples, the teachings of Jesus and the travels and letters of Paul. In terms of the ministry of Jesus and the travels with his disciples we need to remember that they did not work to support themselves. They were completely beholding to the kindness of others. Scripture tells us that Jesus and the disciples were supported by the gifts of his female followers. In addition there are numerous stories of Jesus eating with Pharisees as well as with sinners and tax-collectors. In other words Jesus was willing to accept the hospitality of anyone who offered. One of the most retold stories of this hospitality concerns Jesus' meal with the tax-collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19), where Jesus actually invites himself to dinner. In the Gospel of Mark (6:8 ff.) we read of Jesus teaching his disciples that they must be completely dependent on the hospitality of those who would receive them. This admonition also included a warning that they not move up to better quarters even if they were offered. Jesus' offering of hospitality is seen in the crowd feeding stories in which the disciples were told to share their meager rations with the thousands who were listening to Jesus preach. The fact that the little food possessed by the disciples fed everyone was a reminder of God's hospitality.

    Jesus' teachings also include stories about hospitality. One of the most significant of these stories was the Good Samaritan story. If you recall the story it concerns a Jewish man who has been beaten and robbed on a road going from Jerusalem to Jericho. Hospitality would dictate that anyone coming across this poor man would stop and help him. However, in Jesus' story, a Jewish priest and Levite pass him by and ignore the hospitality directive. Ultimately the one who shows Godly hospitality is a Samaritan (an enemy of the Jews) who binds the man's wounds and provides for his lodging. The Samaritan understands that God requires hospitality for everyone including strangers and enemies. A second significant teaching on hospitality occurs in Matthew 25 where we hear Jesus telling his followers that they are responsible for taking care of "the least of these." The story is focused on feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving water to the thirsty, opening our homes to the homeless and visiting those in prison. All of these are acts of hospitality.

    Finally we catch glimpses of hospitality in the life of the early church through the stories in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and in Paul's letters. In Acts 6 we watch the struggle over hospitality as the church tries to figure out how to care for Greek speaking widows in Jerusalem. They were strangers and thus had been left out of the food distribution. The Apostles take care of this and assure that the widows' needs are taken care of. In Romans 12 Paul specifically encourages the church to practice hospitality. In I Corinthians 11 he chastises the church because at their love feast (sort of an early communion service) some people were eating and drinking at the same time others were going hungry (a violation of hospitality in which all is shared). The Apostle Peter (I Peter 4:9) reminds his readers to practice hospitality "ungrudgingly".

    In the final analysis hospitality was one of the hallmarks of the early church. It is what set it apart from much of the urban Roman culture in which it was being formed. People were drawn to a community that cared for and about the stranger.

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines Hospitality 1

I want us to begin thinking about hospitality by musing on the "hospitality industry." Wikipedia defines it as "a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise lines and additional fields with the tourism industry." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospitality_industry) What makes this reference germane to our discussion is that the hospitality industry understands that it has an obligation to serve the needs of its guests. The Ritz-Carlton chain puts it this way; their staff members are "Ladies and Gentlemen, serving Ladies and Gentlemen." In other words the people who stay in their hotels are to be treated as honored guests and not merely paying customers. While not all portions of the industry act in this manner, it is becoming more and more common. Virtually every time I buy a fast-food meal or stay in a motel, I am offered a way go on line and tell the company about the service I have received. All of this is a realization that there is an obligation to serve the customer in a way that they feel like they matter.

This sense of hospitality, that one has an obligation to treat strangers as honored guests, is in fact an ancient concept. Most nomadic cultures (both ancient and modern) practiced and practice hospitality. There seemed to be something about the shared experience of wandering and having no idea where your next meal might be coming from that engendered a culture of welcoming the stranger into one's home. There is extensive literature concerning hospitality within Bedouin, Mongolian, Tibetan and Kazakh nomadic societies. Each of these groups developed a particular set of customs and rituals centered on the welcoming of the stranger. The welcome that was offered was not for gaining money or prestige, but was a culturally condition obligation. Hospitality within these cultures included offering food, shelter and safety to the stranger. This hospitality also included a welcome to an enemy, in so far as the enemy was willing to follow the rules of being a guest (no violence or betrayal).

Hospitality was also part of the ancient Greek culture. The concept was called "Xenia" which can be translated as "guest friendship." Its roots were based in religion where the Greek god Zeus was also known as Zeus Xenios because he was the protector of travelers; thus protecting travelers mattered. Religion also played a role in that one was supposed to offer hospitality to strangers because they could be gods in disguise. There were two parts to Xenia. The first had to do with the host respecting the guest. This could include offers of food, drink, lodging and safety. The second had to do with the guest respecting the host. The guest was to be courteous and was never to take advantage of the host. In The Iliad we witness the breakdown of this relationship when Paris, as a guest of King Menelaus, abducts the king's wife, Helen. This infraction of guest friendship demanded vengeance and thus became the basis for the Trojan War. The entire book, The Odyssey, functions around this concept as well with some characters showing Xenia and others not.

The most significant story of hospitality in the Old Testament is that of Abraham and the three strangers in Genesis 18:1-8. In this story Abraham sees three strangers at the door of his tent. Abraham immediately rises and begs the men to stay with him. He follows the custom of offering them a place to rest, water to wash their feet and a "morsel of bread." The morsel of bread however turns out to be freshly baked cakes and a calf cooked up for dinner. Guests received the best the host had to offer. The most prominent story of a lack of hospitality is that of the city of Sodom. (Genesis 19) When Lot, who had been a nomad and understood hospitality, received his guests into his house, the men of the town want to rape them, which is a violation of hospitality. Lot was even willing to allow his virgin daughters to be ravaged rather than violate hospitality. Notice in both of these stories the strangers are not human strangers but in the Abraham story it is the Lord who visits and in the Lot story it is angels who come to his home.

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines - Fasting 3

    Our last two articles have examined the spiritual discipline of fasting in both the Old and New Testaments. We discovered that it has been a common spiritual practice for God's people across the ages. At this point many of you may be wondering how you could experiment with the practice as a means of focusing your life upon God. What follows is a brief overview of how one might go about fasting.

    Be clear about your basic purpose for fasting: as has been said, fasting is a spiritual practice by which we can focus our mind and heart upon God rather than upon the body. Fasting is not to be used as a means of earning "brownie points" with God, as a way of punishing yourself for misdeeds, or as a means of losing weight. It is to be used as a time of self-examination and focus in which our hearts can be opened in new ways to God's leading.

    Check with your doctor: you should not begin a fast until you have cleared it with your doctor. For many of us there may be requirements to take medications with food, issues with blood sugar levels, or existing eating disorders (among other issues) which might make fasting difficult and even dangerous. By checking with your physician you may be able to work out a modified fast regime that keeps you safe while you practice.

    Begin slowly: some of us have a tendency to set extreme immediate goals in all that we do. This might express itself in trying to fast for a long period of time at the outset of experimenting with fasting. It is better to begin slowly, fasting for part of day, then a day and if desired perhaps for a longer period after that. Remember that fasting is a spiritual discipline intended to focus our minds and hearts. It is not a competition to see who can fast the longest or the best.

    Let someone know you are fasting: this may seem a bit odd that you should let someone know about this practice considering Jesus did not like public displays of fasting. I offer this advice for two reasons. First it allows someone to pray for you while you fast in order to encourage you in your fasting. Second there is someone who is watching over your physical well-being, helping to assure that your fast does not harm you.

    Decide on the type of fast in which you will be engaged: this means deciding if you are fasting as the beginning of an ongoing practice (weekly, monthly, annually), for a specific purpose (seeking God's will on a particular issue in your life), or merely experimenting to see if this might be a practice in which you might want to further engage. By so doing fasting does not become haphazard but has a focus which will make it more meaningful.     

Set a definite time and length for your fast: good parameters are helpful in any task including spiritual disciplines such as fasting. Setting parameters entails making clear when you will begin your fast and when you will end it. You may want to choose a particular day of the week as well as a specified time during that day. This will help to insure that you actually fast rather than letting it slide by.

Be consistent: if you choose to make fasting a practice, it is good to be consistent in the timing and length of your fasting. By so doing you begin to develop a rhythm to your practice which will deepen your experience of encountering God. This is similar to prayer, where having a set time and place to pray helps to ensure that prayer (and fasting) become long term practices.

Spend time in prayer: as I have noted in earlier articles, fasting is a practice intended to connect us more fully with God. If it is to do so it needs to be accompanied by prayer. The connection between the two can be seen in the scriptures where fasting and prayer are almost always linked.

Reflect on your experience: Ultimately any spiritual discipline must deepen your relationship with God or it is not worth doing. If fasting does not prove to be meaningful to you, then perhaps other disciplines might prove more beneficial.

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Fasting 2

    In our last article we looked at fasting in the Old Testament. Fasting was/is the spiritual practice of not eating food for a particular period of time. Fasting was used for any number of purposes including seeking God's help in the face of war, sickness and impending danger. It was also used as means of approaching God while seeking forgiveness or more generally seeking God's will. Fasting was considered to be useful because it allowed people to focus on prayer and a relationship with God rather than the needs of their own bodies. Fasting was only commanded on the Day of Atonement but was frequently used (as we have seen) on many other occasions. Finally fasting was to be done not as a ritual but as a devotional practice which was accompanied by a humble and contrite heart. Fasting as a public show of piety was rejected by the prophets and by God. As we turn to the New Testament we will see that while fasting is present, it does not play as significant a role as it did in the Old Testament.

    The scriptures only record one fast of Jesus. This fasting occurs during his testing in the desert at the beginning of his ministry. In Matthew 4:1-4 we read of Jesus being forced into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be tempted by Satan. For the Gospel writer this is Jesus' Moses-like wilderness experience which will require total concentration on his call from God if he is to save humanity. In order to succeed, Jesus fasted, setting aside all physical desires so that he could be totally connected to God. The fast prepared him for the test and gave him the courage to remain faithful to his mission. It is noteworthy that on at least one occasion (Mark 2:17-19) when the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting and Jesus and his followers were not, Jesus explained this by saying that his followers could not fast because he was with them (implying that they might fast later). Jesus also continued the prophetic tradition of condemning fasting that is for show and not as an act of inward devotion to God (Matthew 6:16-18) .

    The Book of Acts offers us a glimpse into the place of fasting in the early church. In Acts 13:1-3 we read of the church at Antioch praying and fasting in order to discern God's will for their congregation. The result was that the Holy Spirit commanded them to set aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. A second example of fasting is that of the commissioning of elders. Paul and Barnabas in their travels would appoint elders in each of the churches they visited. This appointment process was accompanied by prayer and fasting (Acts 14:21-23) . This passage can be understood that all "ordination" of elders was accompanied by fasting…though it may only mean that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in all the churches. The third and final occurrence of fasting in Acts comes in Acts 27:9 which refers to "the fast." This would imply that Paul along with his companions continued to keep the Jewish fast of the Day of Atonement. The dearth of references to fasting in Acts has been taken by some scholars to mean that the practice was not essential in the life of the early church. I would take it to mean that Jewish Christians brought this practice to the Gentile Christians and it took a while to take hold in those communities.

    I believe this to be true because over time fasting became a required practice in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican traditions. Within these traditions there are fast days and fast seasons such as Lent. Each tradition created its own rules and regulations so that people would know when and how to fast. Lutherans encouraged individual fasting but it was not a prescribed practice. Our own Protestant tradition initially rejected fasting as a practice. Calvin believed that believers' entire lives ought to be focused on a simple life which would produce a sense of continual fasting. Zwingli (an early Reformer) was so opposed to periods of fasting that he encouraged people to have a sausage-fest during Lent. In more recent years we Protestants have come to see fasting as a spiritual discipline which can be used to focus our lives while we seek God's guidance and direction.

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Fasting 1

    Fasting is perhaps one of the most ancient and common practices among all religions. It is the practice of abstaining from eating, and sometimes drinking, for an extended period of time. In ancient religions fasting was used to prepare priests and priestesses for the task of approaching the gods (Hellenistic religions); for obtaining penance (pre-Columbian Peru); as the preparation for a vision quest (Native American peoples); as a means to receive visions (Evenk peoples of Siberia); as a means for shamans to control the spirits (multiple religions); as preparation for changing seasons (Pueblo peoples); as a way of enabling individuals to reach a transcendent state (Jainism); as a way to celebrate holy days (Theravada Buddhism).

    Fasting is also a part of most major world religions. It is integral to the Baha'i faith where during most of March Baha'i's will not eat or drink during daylight hours. In Buddhism it is practiced during times of intense meditation, though monks and nuns seldom eat after the noon meal as a way of practicing an almost daily fast time. Hindus (depending on which school one follows, or which gods one worships) can fast on certain days of the month, certain days of the week or during religious festivals. The type and duration of fasting varies as well. In Islam, fasting is the fourth of the Five Pillars of the faith. Most Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan. The fast is daily and lasts from dawn until dusk. Fasting is believed to move one away from bodily desires and toward charity and humility because it focuses on giving up indecent speech, fighting, arguing and improving ones charitable giving. Sikhism is one of the few world religions that does not promote fasting.

    The ancient Israelite religion (the precursor to Judaism) practiced fasting as well. One of the oldest examples of this occurs in the book of Job when Job's friends join him on the ash-heap and sit with him for seven days and nights. Though fasting is not specifically mentioned, the context of mourning (wailing, dust and ashes) implies that they did not eat for this period. A second example of fasting as mourning occurs in the book of Esther when the Jews fast because of a decree which was intended to destroy them. This use of fasting, as part of mourning, is one of many different ways in which fasting was used. Here are some other ways in which fasting was used.

Fasting was used as a way of preparing to encounter God. Moses speaks of having fasted for forty days and forty nights on Mt. Sinai as preparation for encountering God (Deut. 9:9). Daniel used it as preparation to meet God in prayer (Daniel 9:3). It was used as a means of expressing penance for wrong-doing, such as when King David, having been convicted by the prophet Nathan of having committed adultery and murder fasts as his infant son dies (2 Samuel 12:17); or when Moses fasts because he broke the first copy of the Law (Deut. 9:17-18); or when Ezra mourns for the faithlessness of the people in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:4-5). It was used as a means of seeking God's forgiveness. We see this in the writings of the prophet Joel when he encourages the people to fast in order that God's judgment not fall upon them (Joel 1:14). The prophet Jonah calls the people of Nineveh to fast for the same purpose; so that God will not destroy them (Jonah 3:7). Fasting was also used to humble one's soul (Psalm 35:13), to celebrate a victory (2 Chronicles 20:3), to seek God's protection in dangerous times (Isaiah 58:3) and as preparation for a dangerous mission (Esther 4).

In modern Judaism fasting continues as a religious practice. There are six major fast days within Judaism, with the two primary being Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Tisha B'Av (the remembrance of the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians). Certain Jewish traditions add other days and times such as a bride and groom fasting on their wedding day. Fasting is used seek atonement, to mourn and to express gratitude.

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines Prayer in the New Testament 2

    The previous installment of our New Testament prayer discussion focused on The Lord's Prayer as a model for Christian prayer. What we will look at in this article is the place of prayer throughout the New Testament. We will do this because prayer, as much as any other element, binds the second testament together. We will begin with prayers around the birth of Jesus, continue with Jesus' prayers and then move into the prayers of Paul in his letters.

    The Gospel of Luke begins with the acknowledgement that Zechariah the priest and his wife had been praying for a child. An angel says to Zechariah, "Do not be afraid for your prayer is heard…" (Luke 1:13). We move from this prayer to Mary's prayer of praise which she offers when she is told she will bear the messiah. It begins, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior" (Luke 1:46-47). The opening chapter of Luke finishes with Zechariah praising God for the gift of his son John, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited his people" (Luke 1:68). Soon after Jesus' birth we meet Simeon who gives thanks to the Lord (Luke 2:29ff) and Anna who worshipped, fasted and prayed every day (Luke 2:37).

    The recorded prayers of Jesus are relatively few, though the scriptures make it clear that prayer was an integral part of Jesus' life. The prayers of Jesus which have been preserved are those which were offered to God at significant moments in Jesus ministry. The first appears in Matthew 11:25 which is a transition point between Jesus' initial teaching ministry and his laying claim to the messiahship. Jesus prays, "I thank thee Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding…." This prayer is a reminder of why Jesus will be rejected by the religious authorities. Next we have Jesus praying to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41ff). Jesus asks God to raise Lazarus in order that people will believe that Jesus is the one sent from God. In John 12:27 we listen to Jesus wrestling in prayer, with his impending crucifixion. This prayer will be echoed in the other gospels when we find Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39ff; Luke 22:42; Mark 14:43). John 17 contains one long prayer. Jesus prays for himself, for his disciples and for all of his followers who were and are to come. Finally we hear Jesus praying on the cross, "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34) as well asking forgiveness for those who crucified him (Luke 23:34).

     Finally we have the prayers of the Apostle Paul. Paul's prayers throughout his letters and in the Book of Acts are so numerous that we could spend weeks looking at them. What I want to do instead is to look at some of the topics Paul covers in his prayers. One of the most prominent topics for Paul is that of Christian living; that Jesus' followers live lives which reflect the love and grace of Christ (2 Cor. 13:7-9; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-10; 1 The. 3:12-13, 5:23). A second topic of prayer is the Apostle praying for himself and his ministry asking that God would bless and protect not only him but also those who share in Christian work (Rom. 1:9-11, 15:30-31; Eph. 6:19; Col. 1:10; 2 Thes. 1:11, 3:1). Strengthening is a third area of prayer. Paul prays that Jesus' followers will have all the power they need to succeed (Eph. 3:16-17; Col. 1:10-11; 1 Thes. 3:13; 2 Thes. 2:16). Next, as one who was well educated the Apostle Paul prays that Christians grow in the knowledge of God (Eph. 1:17; Col. 9-10), of God's will (Phil. 1:9-10; Col. 1:9), of God's love (Eph. 3:17b-19), of the hope of God's calling (Eph. 1:18) and of all that God has given us (Eph. 1:18; Philemon 1:6). In addition Paul prays for more love (Phil. 1:9; 1 Thes. 3:12; 2 Thes. 3:5), Christian unity (Rom. 15:5-6), hope (Rom. 15:13) and grace and peace for believers (too many passages to mention).

    My hope is that his brief overview of prayer will help us to see that prayer is central to our identity as Christians and essential to our own spiritual journeys.

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines Prayer in the New Testament 1

    In our last article we examined prayer as a major component of the Old Testament. We saw that it was a spiritual discipline practiced for more than a thousand years by God's people who believed that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was a God who was both approachable and caring.

    It is understandable then that prayer also plays a pivotal role in the New Testament. We see this most clearly when Jesus is approached by his disciples with the request that he teach them how to pray. This request can be found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. For many of us it might seem odd that the disciples, good pious Jews, would need Jesus to teach them "how to pray." After all they had been praying all of their lives. Context helps us understand their request. Jesus had been critical of those who prayed long-winded public prayers in order that they might be acknowledged as spiritually superior individuals. That being the case the disciples desired to know how they ought to pray. He then gave them a formula for prayer which has come to be known as The Lord's Prayer.

    For those of you who read last week's article you will remember that we followed the ACTS model for prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). The obvious question then is if Jesus gave us a model, why ought we to have another model? My response is that much of what is in ACTS is also contained in the Lord's Prayer. Thus they work together as a means of teaching us about prayer. My hope is that this will become clear as we examine Jesus' model prayer.

    "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…" We begin with Adoration. The concept of "hallowed" means that we acknowledge that God is holy, meaning something or someone that inspires awe and reverence. The word "hallowed" is a reminder that when we address God we are not texting a friend or speaking with our best buddy. We are in communication with the creator and ruler of the universe.

    "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…" This phrase is an extension of the first phrase and its theme of Adoration. This is so because it reminds us that God is greater than we are and therefore God's will and the eventual establishment of God's kingdom are more important than our desires and our kingdoms.

    "Give us this day our daily bread…" This next phrase is one of Supplication…which if we were strictly working with ACTS means it is out of order…yet it reminds us that it is acceptable to seek from God those things that we need. I realize that many Christians struggle with praying for their own needs (this may seem selfish). Jesus however teaches that this is an acceptable practice in part, I believe, because it reminds us that God is giver of all that we have.

    "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…" We now reach Confession. Jesus makes it clear that confession and seeking forgiveness is central to a God-centered life. Without confession we would more than likely continue living in ways which are counter to the will of God. Confession allows for realignment. In addition we are to forgive others as we have been forgiven.

    "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one…" Once again we return to Supplication. We are taught that we are to ask God not to lead us into places where we might be tempted (recall Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan) as well as to protect us from the evil one who would lead us away from God. We are asking then for God's protection.

    What is notable about this prayer is that it does not contain a portion for Thanksgiving. I would offer that a reminder to give thanks was unnecessary because any observant Jew was already giving thanks multiple times during the day. Jewish teaching was that one gave thanks for virtually everything; another day, food to eat, beauty in nature, the ability to perform good works and many others. In a sense thanksgiving did not need to be mentioned because a good Jew could not exist without it.

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines - Prayer in the Old Testament

    In an earlier article we examined prayer by using the pneumonic ACTS. ACTS is intended to help us remember the basic flow of prayer. A is for adoration or praise. C is for confession. T is for thanksgiving or gratitude. S is for supplication or intercession. This article will focus on prayer in the Old Testament offering us examples of each type of prayer. I hope that by so doing we will see that prayer has been an essential aspect of the life of the people of God from the very beginning.

    We begin with Adoration or praise. One of the oldest prayers in the First Testament is actually in the form of a song. In Exodus 15:1-2, 11, following the Israelites successful crossing of the Red Sea, Marion, the sister of Moses offers a sung prayer of adoration. Here are a couple of sections of that prayer. "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." "Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?" Some of the most beautiful prayers of praise can be found in the Psalms. Psalm 146 begins this way, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long." (vs. 1-2).

    Confession is the next step in the pattern of prayer. Perhaps the best known confession is that of King David in Psalm 51. Scholars believe he offered this prayer after his affair with Bathsheba. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight…" (vs. 1-4a) The importance of confession is examined in Psalm 32:3-5. "While I kept silence (about my sin), my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up
as by the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

    We move next to prayers of thanksgiving. One of the great prayers of thanksgiving is offered by King David when he had the Ark of the Covenant brought into Jerusalem (I Chronicles 16:8-13). "O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, offspring of his servant Israel, children of Jacob, his chosen ones." In the Book of Daniel we find Daniel giving thanks for the ability to interpret dreams (Daniel 2:22-24). "To you, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and power, and have now revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have revealed to us what the king ordered."

    The final piece of the prayer pattern is that of supplication or intercession. A first example of this type of prayer is found in I Samuel when Hannah prays for a child (I Samuel 1:11).  "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite
until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head." We also witness Moses interceding for God's people following the golden calf incident. (Exodus 32:11-12) "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? …Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people."

    My hope is that this very cursory look at prayer in the Old Testament will be a reminder that God's people have always sought to be connected through prayer to the God who called, freed, saved and corrected them.