Posts

“People do what they can.” Someone said this to me recently. And I thought about it. I don’t really agree. For the most part, I don’t think that people do what they can. We do what they want to. And there can be many motivations for what we do, and the motivations are often self serving.

If we did what we can, what we are capable of, this world would be a far different place. We can feed every person on the planet. But we don’t. We can significantly stop the progress of global climate change. But we don’t. We can create an economy that is far more equitable and accessible. But we don’t. We can eradicate prejudice and oppression. But we don’t. We can do a lot of things. But we don’t. So, I can’t agree with the generalization, “People do what they can.” Basically, people do what they choose to do. Sometimes those choices are severely limited, but for most of us, we do what we choose to do.

And our choices make a difference. They can be very significant.

Here’s a mundane example. I had to go to Lowe’s Home Improvement store this week. There are two of them near me. I went to the first. What I was interested in was too far up to reach. In addition, I wanted it in a different color. So, when a salesperson came by and asked if I needed help, I said yes. I wanted to see the item closer. He could not get it down. I was not allowed up the ladder. Did it come in the other color? I was told to go on the website and find out. It was basically, “No, I can’t help you.”

Then I went to the other Lowe’s. The salesperson told me the item could not be gotten down. Could I go up the ladder? “I don’t know anything about it,” he said and walked away. So, I went up the ladder. Was there another color? He checked on it for me. When I made my selection, there was only one left, and it was missing a screw so he gave it to me. No paying for it. Then he ordered what I needed and told me when I could pick them up. It was basically, “Yes, I can help you.” The first salesperson could have done the same thing, but didn’t.

We do what we choose to do. We have the ability to help, to serve, to care, to invest ourselves in the community and the needs of others. We also have the ability to be self absorbed, do what is easiest, protect our interests, and live for ourselves.

Will we do what we can do? For the life of the world?

Lectionary readings for today:

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Deuteronomy 16:1-8
Philippians 2:1-11

Prayer: May we affirm our amazing power and potential by living for the good of the world. Amen.

Do you believe in God? We are told that a majority of the population of the US believes in God. If someone asks you, “Do you believe in God?” how do you answer?

When surveys are done, the questions are simple and straightforward so that the results are clear. In religious surveys, people are asked, “Do you believe in God?” The answer options are usually “yes”, “no”, or “don’t know.” Frankly, if I was called in a phone survey and asked this question, I would find myself in a quandary. Do I believe in God? Well, that depends on how you define or understand “God.” I don’t believe in the God that many people who say they believe in God believe in. So, that might lead me to answer, “no.” If the assumption when asking the question is that every person has her/his unique, evolving, and incomplete understanding of God, then I could say “yes.” As a pastor, I think the expectation is that I would say “yes” I believe in God. And I do believe in God when described in certain ways.

When someone tells me about her experience of God, that she are praying to God, that God has told her to do something, that she believes in God, what I hear someone talking about the God that she knows. Or God as she understands God. I do not assume that she is talking about God as I understand or know or experience God. I think the problems come when we universalize our definition of God and impose it on others or assume that when they are thinking about God they are thinking about our God.

There may be one God, but there are as many understandings of that God as there are people. Maybe what really matters is not so much what a person believes but how they behave.

Lectionary readings for today:

Psalm 119:9-16
Haggai 2:1-9, 20-23
John 12:34-50

Prayer: May we embrace the mystery of God and the ethical teachings of Jesus. Amen.

Yesterday, we mentioned getting credit for doing good as a motivation for some people to do the right thing. Another twist on that is refraining from doing something bad only if you think you’ll get caught. If you don’t think anyone will find out, then why restrain from doing something wrong or immoral? If you won’t get caught, why worry?

In the imagery of baptism, the person goes under the water, dying to the old self, and comes out of the water being born as a new self. A Christian is a new creation. Embracing the Christian life has to do with our whole being. It is not just like passing the bar exam which qualifies you to practice law. Or getting a license so that you can drive a car. These commitments involve specific activities but not necessarily the entire self. The Christian life is about who we are, all the time, in every circumstance, in every thought, in every action, from the core of our being. There is no being Christian in this situation but not in that situation. There is no living the Christian life five days a week and taking the weekend off.

The Christian path determines the very core of who we are: heart, soul, body, and mind. Our journey of faith involves letting this commitment, this lifestyle, infuse us in greater and greater measure. It is a journey of becoming pure of heart; devoted first and foremost to the kind of loving of self, others, and God, that we see in Jesus.

Do we get lost on the way? Yes! Are there detours? Of course. Do we sometimes veer off the road entirely. Sure. Do we backtrack? Sometimes. But somehow, we find ourselves still seeking our home in God. We find our highest good in serving love. When we do something bad or wrong or immoral and think it doesn’t matter because we will never be caught, it does matter because we are harming ourselves. We are pulling ourselves away from our well-being and wholeness and health. And so we come back to the late basketball coach, Dean Smith’s words: “You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do the right thing.” No matter who is or isn’t looking.

Lectionary readings for today:

Psalm 119:9-16
Isaiah 44:1-8
Acts 2:14-24

Prayer: May we be honest especially with ourselves. Amen.

They say that a lot more can be accomplished if we don’t care who gets the credit. The problem is, we do care who gets the credit. If it’s our idea, we want to be recognized for it. If it is our suggestion, we want that to be known. If it is our strategy that succeeds, we want that pat on the back. If we have done the work, we want the compensation and the credit.

Jesus tells his followers to do good and not expect any thanks or praise or compensation of any kind. Hm. I’m not sure that will keep the church coffers or the church pews filled. But maybe at the heart of what Jesus is saying is a reminder that everything we do is really by the grace of God. All of our ideas and accomplishments result from what we have been given. Any good we do is possible because of we have received much. .

As the late basketball coach Dean Smith put it, “You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do the right thing.”

That kind of attitude can make a world of difference. Much more good is accomplished if we eliminate the expectation that doing good will be rewarded. As Corinthians reminds us, “our competence is from God.”

Lectionary readings for today:

Psalm 119:9-16
Isaiah 43:8-13
2 Corinthians 3:4-11

Prayer: May we relinquish our desire for recognition so that the power of Love may shine more brightly. Amen.

Have you ever made a bad investment? Maybe it was money that you put into something that was expected to go big but went bust. Maybe it was buying something that seemed like a really good deal only to realize you’d been had and there was no recourse. Maybe it was time invested in a relationship that soured. Or energy and passion poured into a project that did not end in the desired outcome. All of us make bad investments.

The thing about investing in justice is that we often don’t see the ripened fruits of our labors. We may not live to see the desired outcome. We may never enjoy the sweet savor of success. Throughout history, people have worked for things like equal rights and voting rights and fair housing and an end to discrimination and have not gotten to enjoy the full satisfaction of what they were striving to achieve.

This afternoon, a huge crowd of people paraded through St. Petersburg in celebration of the gains that have been achieved by the Fair Food Campaign of the Coalition of Immokalee workers. Many corporations have agreed to buy tomatoes from growers that allow the workers shade, water, a process for lodging complaints especially about sexual harassment, and, pay one penny more per pound of tomatoes. Publix has not yet signed on to the agreement nor has Wendy’s. But the campaign is expanding to other crops and to other segments of the labor force. There is more work to do. Just because things have gotten better in the tomatoes fields does not mean that the work of justice is done. Even when Wendy’s and Publix have signed on, the work of justice will still not be complete. That will be another milestone, but there will still be a path ahead that remains to be forged toward justice for all workers and for all people.

Our faith compels us to keep investing ourselves in justice. Pouring ourselves into this work. Even if we don’t reap the full benefits, hopefully, one day, others will. The scripture verse comes to mind, “Now Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” [Hebrews 11:1] Today in downtown St. Petersburg among the farmworkers and allies, we saw faith.

Lectionary readings for today:

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33

Prayer: May we invest ourselves in the divine mandate for justice. Amen.