A Poem - How Have I Judged You

Pat Clark shared with us this poem that she wrote. Thank you so much, Pat, for being willing to be so vulnerable and for sharing this part of your journey with us.

How Have I Judged You?

 Let Me Count the Ways:

I saw your sin but not the person within.

I saw your shame and said you were to blame.

I saw the pain in your face but didn’t take

      the time to listen or embrace.

I saw your joy but felt my envy instead.

I listened to the gossip but didn’t’ go to the source.

I heard of your need but held onto my greed.

I used the literal word of God to keep you

       in your place instead of offering

         God’s mercy and His grace.

But worst of all I saw only your difference,

      made many assumptions and

          failed to get to know YOU!

Will you and God please forgive me?


Pat Clark, October 23, 2013


James 2:13 (ESV)
13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

On accepting grace for ourselves

Not to make this blog all about me, but this morning's discussion about how we fail to accept grace for ourselves reminded me of a blog post from my own personal blog. I wanted to share these thoughts with all of you. I wrote this last year between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah. A new year. Also sometimes called the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. A time to make a joyful noise. This is the time when the Rabbis believe that the world was created. It is a celebration of God as King and Creator. We are reminded that God brought the world into being and continues to uphold the world, a continual outpouring of life and creativity.
These days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are days of Teshuvah, repentance. A time to reflect on our mistakes and make the conscious choice to turn toward the only one who can offer unconditional grace and forgiveness, toward the King and Creator, toward the only one who can heal our brokenness.

These words from John Parsons at Hebrew4Christians spoke to me today,

"God is both infinitely loving and infinitely just, and both of these "attributes" are inseparably a part of who he is. God is One. Nonetheless, the cross of Yeshua proves that "love is stronger than death, passion fiercer than the grave; its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame, the very flame of the Lord" (Song. 8:6). It is at the cross that "love and truth have met, righteousness and peace have kissed" (Psalm 85:10). This implies that we must drop our defenses – even those supposed objections and pretenses voiced by our shame – and "accept that we are accepted." It is God's great love for you that leads you to repent and to turn to him. Allow yourself to be embraced by his "everlasting arms."

It truly is a time of celebration. We, so often, wallow in our mistakes, grovel in our repentance. We view repentance as a time to hate ourselves. I think of self-flagellation and penance...something church history has taught us. This isn't it at all, though. Repentance is confession and turning away. It is starting fresh. It is acknowledging that we are loved enough to be forgiven.
I read in the book To Forgive is Human that people don't admit mistakes or ask forgiveness unless there is some possibility that they will be forgiven. This is the basis upon which relationships are built. You cannot be honest and truthful in your relationship, admitting mistakes & moving on to be a better person unless you can reasonably expect some grace.
The King and Creator offers us this kind of acceptance, love and grace. Repentance is impossible without this grand acceptance.  And self-hatred isn't necessary. In fact, it's contradictory. Possibly, it's even a defense mechanism. If we hate ourselves, we don't actually have to believe that we can change, be different, be loved, be forgiven. If we drop the defense of self-hatred, we can repent, turn, start fresh, walk new...right into a sweet new year. This is joyous, indeed!
Shanah Tovah!

The Cyrophoenician Woman

This week we are looking at some of the difficult passages of scripture:

There are so many passages in the Bible that are troubling...that can lead to a somewhat difficult relationship with the Bible, including this passage from the gospels: Mark 7:25-30. How can we understand this scripture in light of all the things we've learned in this series? In light of the message of grace and love offered by Jay Bakker in session 7? How about Deuteronomy 20:1-20?

 I thought I'd offer links to a few different discussions of the Mark 7 passage.

In Desperate Need is a somewhat traditional interpretation of the passage hosted on the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship Website.

Jesus Was Not Colorblind is an article posted on the Patheos website by David R. Henson. Patheos hosts the bio pages for the Animate: Bible presenters and a blog featuring articles by leaders of the progressive Christian community.

Preparing for Discussion - Grace: Love is the Bottom Line

Next Wednesday we will be discussing session 7 of Animate: Bible, Grace: Love is the Bottom Line , presented by Jay Bakker.

 The following are some scriptures and questions from the journal and facilitator guide to get us started:

We talked already this week about some of the things that keep people from the church, from scripture, and from God. Bakker experienced a much more public crisis of faith than most of us, but the fact remains that most of us have been tripped up by one thing or another in our faith journey. The journal book lists some things that might create hurdles and challenges in staying connected to the church and the Bible - science, shame, guilt, and bad theology... Are there things that have pushed you away from the church at different points in your life? How did you come back?

Turn to Galatians 3:26-29. How does this passage "help us reconsider the social, political, and theological boundaries" of our current culture?

How might we help ourselves and others heal from the the misuse of the scriptures? Bakker has been especially active in homosexual communities trying to bring healing from the wounds that have been inflicted by the use of scripture as a weapon. I have mentioned before that some of the places where I have seen the most wounding is in the treatment of women and children.

Are there other times when you have seen scripture used as a weapon? ....or as a fortune cookie? ...or a fairy tale? The journal book suggests looking at these scriptures in reference to those misuses of scripture:

Leviticus 19:28
Proverbs 10:10
Matthew 10:34

There are so many passages in the Bible that are troubling...that can lead to a somewhat difficult relationship with the Bible, including this passage from the gospels: Mark 7:25-30. How can we understand this scripture in light of all the things we've learned in this series? In light of the message of grace and love offered by Jay Bakker in session 7? How about Deuteronomy 20:1-20?

How can we see these difficult passages in the light of the message of love throughout the Bible? In light of 1 Corinthians 13?

Are there things that keep you from reading the Bible? Fears about what the Bible really says or of misunderstanding the Bible? Has your relationship with scripture changed over the course of this study? Are you more inclined to look away or to dig deeper?

I want to say that I think both responses - to look away for a time or to dig deeper - are equally valid. There is a time and a place for hanging on to what you DO know and leaving the rest alone. There have been many times in my life when I've clung blindly to a faith and a God I just can't even come close to understanding. The minute I claim to understand God, I've made it clear that I don't really understand.  I think the key is to hang on to the things you know to be true. God created you. God knows you. God is a God of love and grace.

Peace!

Who is Jay Bakker?

Jay Bakker is the presenter of the 7th and final session of Animate: Bible, Grace: Love is the Bottom Line.

Jay came into the public eye early, when his parents built and lost a Christian television network and entertainment complex. As a result, Jay dropped out of school and church, spending his teenage years rebelling against just about everything.

When he found his way to sobriety and back to faith, he founded a church called Revolution, which has branches in Phoenix, Atlanta, New York City, and Minneapolis. He’s written several books, his most recent is Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I’ve Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God.

Five fast facts

1. Lives with his wife and their cat in Minnesota
2. Is a comic book aficionado, and he builds superhero dioramas
3. Known to consume massive quantities of Diet Coke
4. Won an award from GLAAD for his advocacy for gays and lesbians in the church
5. The podcast of his sermons is heard by thousands every week

(bio from:  http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/voices/jay/)

Read more on Jay Bakker's website: http://jaybakker.com/

It appears that Bakker is, indeed, here in Minneapolis, though his website still lists him as living in Brooklyn and pastoring Revolution Church NYC. Several recent podcasts are listed as happening at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. A letter on his blog also references his move to Minneapolis.