Jesus' Bizarre Prayer Request, John 17:20-26

How do you feel when someone prays for you outloud and you didn't even request prayer? Are you comforted or do you feel intruded upon? Maybe it depends somewhat on what the pray-er asks for on your behalf.

I wonder how the disciples felt when Jesus interceded for them in the 17th chapter of John's gospel. This is the part of the gospel we refer to as Jesus' farewell discourse. Here, Jesus prays for his disciples just before his death. I bet the disciples felt strange though during this prayer. After all, it was not like our intercessory prayers. Now if the Son of God was going to pray for me, I'd really like him to petition God for my health, financial security, joyful family life, health and happiness for those I love, and my happiness and safety. Throw in a request for open parking spaces close to the front door of the church each time I head down there in the evenings, and I'd be ecstatic. Now that would be a prayer!

Jesus doesn't pray like that for his disciples. Rather, he offers a bizarre petition: "As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be in us, so the world may believe that you have sent me" (vs. 21). Jesus prays that his followers would be drawn into the life of the Holy Trinity. This, of course, is not your usual petition. The reality being referred to is deeply mystical. It's hard to wrap your head around. The Johannine theology is wondrous: The Father sends the Son to humanity precisely so that the Son may draw all humanity into the relationship that exists between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Whatever the status of your life is right now. Whether the glass is half empty or half full or pretty close to downright empty, you reside in God. Even all your seeking, doubts and uncertanties are experienced while in the security of the Trinity's joyful dance of relationship.

Think about that for awhile.

Leviathan--God's Pet Dragon

As an epilogue to our Blessing of the Animals, I offered a reflection on Psalm 104 today. It is a psalm extolling God's wonderful creation, especially animal life. The reading was especially poignant today, hearing the psalmist stand amazed at the "deep wide sea, brimming with fish past counting" as we all with heavy hearts consider the damage to marine life occuring now in the Gulf of Mexico. Humans continue to use and destroy rather than bless and nurture the creation.

This psalm is powerfully beautiful yet very odd. Consider the mention of Leviathan in verse 26. In other Old Testament books, Leviathan is the monster that inhabits the chaotic, unordered watery depths. In Job, it represents the power and mystery of God's creation, unconquered and uncontrolled by human beings. In Isaiah, it is the enemy of God that God had to conquer to bring order to the earth and overcome chaos. Yet in this psalm, Leviathan is God's pet dragon who romps in the waters (The Message). It is not scary at all. It is playful. It is God's playmate.

In verse 31, the psalmist calls God to rejoice in or enjoy God's creation. This is very strange language. No where else in the Psalms is God encouraged or called upon to rejoice or enjoy creation, God's own work. Humans are usually called upon to rejoice in God or enjoy God. The implication is that all of creation is upheld by God's joy. God delights in what God has made, and that delight is the very energy and vibrancy of the universe. This is very different than God as understood in the Noah story, for instance, where God regrets creation because of human wickedness and vows, after the flood, to restrain God's self from ever destroying the world again. It seems to be a commitment made with a sigh of resignation. Whereas Genesis paints a picture of God who sustains creation through an act of self-constraint, this psalm says that creation is sustained by divine revelry.

I like this playful, joyful God proclaimed by the psalmist. What about you?

An Awkward Reunion--John 21:1-19

In this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples, Jesus is calling them once again, as he did at the beginning of his ministry, to follow him. They are doing the same they were doing when Jesus first called them--fishing. Isn't it funny how God calls us, not while we're in church or immersed in a blissful, prayerful meditation, but when we are carrying out the mundane activities of our seemingly mundane lives. Better yet, Christ calls in the midst of our failure.

The disciples are fishing and haven't caught anything, and then a figure from shore suggests they try on the other side of the boat. They do and bring in a hugh catch. It's then that they recognize it is Jesus.

Peter, always the first one out of the boat, can't wait to row back to shore with all this fish, so he jumps in and swims to shore, leaving his buddies to wrestle with the fish. Jesus has prepared a fish breakfast for them (Eucharist?). Over breakfast, Peter and Jesus have the necessary conversation. You know the meetings you have with people who you've disappointed or had a disagreement with or an out-and-out fight with. This was one of those awkward conversations. Made more awkward by Jesus and Peter's inability, at least a first, to get on the same page.

Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves him. The first two times he uses the Greek word agape for love--you know, that divine, sacrificial kind of love. Peter responds, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Peter uses the Greek word phile for love--brotherly, friendship kind of love. Finally, the last time, Jesus also uses phile when he asks Peter if Peter loves him. And Peter responds that he does, using phile.

Maybe in the moment of reconciliation with the one who has denied him, Jesus was expecting too much. Maybe Peter was offering all the love he good give, though it wasn't perfect. I think Jesus finally was saying, Ok, whatever, Peter. That's good enough. Just follow me.

It doesn't take some miraculous, intense faith or love to follow Jesus and to feed his sheep. Whatever faith you can muster at the moment will do the trick. Thankfully.

The Breath of God--John 20:19-31

In this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus conveyed by John, Jesus enters a locked house (quite ghostly, non-physical) and stands among the disciples, saying, "Peace be with you" (twice). He then commissions them to go forth and serve him and breathes on them (quite physical) saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

And so John presents this Jesus who moves about miraculously--very different from his pre-resurrection movements--yet is clearly a physical body, as he breathes on them, speaks to them, invites them to put their hands in his wounds and ultimately eats with them. It is clear that John wants us to understand that Jesus' post-resurrection appearances were mysterious. The disciples were a bit bewildered by this new Jesus--was he a ghost or a man? They did not understand this Jesus and their role in proclaiming this Jesus until Pentecost.

I like the prayerful meditation where you imagine the breath of God breathing in you and through you as you breath. This is a useful scripture to introduce this contemplative practice. An good Old Testament text to use is from the Genesis creation story where God forms Adam from the dust of the ground and breathes the breath (Hebrew word ruach or spirit) of life into him and he became a living being (Gen. 2:7).

You are breathing God's breath. Breath deeply, joyously.

Anointing the Feet? John 12:1-8

"Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a poind of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 'Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?' (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.'"

The heads of kings were anointed as part of the enthronement ceremony. Frangrant oil being a sign of empowerment to rule. The only people who had their feet anointed were the dead. I wonder if this bottle of nard is left over from the spices used to anoint brother Lazarus, whom Jesus raised a few chapters earlier. One man in Mary's life was resurrecting, one was about to be put to death. Mary seems to see and understand it all. Maybe that comes from her time spent at Jesus feet while her sister was running about taking care of the household.

As we come ever closer to the end of Lent and the celebration of the resurrection, what in you needs to die and fall away so that new life might spring forth? Anoint it and let it go.

Whose Crops? Joshua 5:9-12

The Israelites have rolled across the Jordan River with ease and entered, finally, the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. The first thing they do is circumcise the the males that were born during the journey through the wilderness. This is a renewal of the covenant. Then:

"The Lord said to Joshua, 'Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.' And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.
While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year."

Why did God choose the Jews? This is a question that Jews and Christians have pondered for centuries. We call it the "theology of election." The Hebrew scriptures do not provide a uniform answer to that question. Some passages indicate that God chose the Jews because God loved them more than any other people. Other places say the Jews were less evil than other people, so God chose them. Still, the most consistent reason given for their election is that God has a divine plan to bless the Jews so that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through them. They are an instrument of God's love.

This passage from Joshua doesn't seem to support the latter explanation. The Israelites enter the promised land and immediately begin eating the crops sown by other people. And chapter six describes the Israelite destruction of Jericho which was to include, by God's direction, the destruction of everyone but Rahab and her family. They weren't much of a blessing to those in Jericho!

These questions of election still concern Christians today as we seek to understand the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict. How do you understand election--Jewish, and for that matter, Christian (we Presbyterians have been known to say a few things about Christian election)? What kind of view of election would be helpful in the current conflict?

You're Thirsty, Whether You Recognize it or Not

Isaiah 55:1-2

"Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money
for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat
what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food."

It's been a while since I've been to the Grand Canyon. I went as a boy and even then, I don't think we ventured down the long, dusty trail that leads to the bottom. We just stood at the rim and oohed and ahhed like the other tourists. But I am told that every so often on that trail, there are signs that say, "Stop! Drink water. You are thirsty, whether you realize it or not." Makes sense. It is the desert, after all, with very low humidity. Dehydration can catch up with you, even before you realize you are thirsty.

That's the way life is. You're strolling down the trail, taking in the beauty around you or maybe just trying to manage the difficult twists and turns on the rocky trail, and you don't even recognize your thirst until it's too late. You've lost a sense of centeredness, a sense of purpose; things seem to be spinning out of control. God seems distant.

Lent is the church's way of erecting a big sign that says, "Stop! Drink. You are thirsty whether you realize it or not."

How do you know when you are dehydrated, spiritually? What, spiritually, sates your thirst and hunger? Do you know how to get a drink?