happy father's day

we are going to take this sunday off to honor our fathers. we will not be meeting at fude this weekend. we will be back around the table next sunday at four at fude. have an awesome father's day and give your dad a hug.
peace to you,
scott

hard hearted harbinger of haggis

there is a phrase that occurs a few times (at least 35 on my count) in the bible that causes me to scratch my head.

this week at the upper room we are looking at the miracle of jesus walking on water.

the disciples have recently returned from preaching in pairs; many were healed and delivered. they are tired, so jesus decides to take them away for a little r&r. their plans are foiled when a large crowd gathers on the shore as they arrive for their much needed rest. jesus begins to teach. the day gets late and the people are hungry. the disciples tell jesus to send the people into town so they can go get some food before the markets close up for the night.

'you give them something to eat' was his response. go see how much food you have. five loaves and two fish. jesus prays, breaks bread and the multitude is fed. pretty amazing.

the disciples are still exhausted so jesus sends them back into the boat to head across the lake for some time off.

they get half way across the lake and a storm kicks up. jesus is not with them. what are they going to do? he was on his way to pray on the mountainside.

there in the mist a figure appears...some sort of ghost. the disciples are terrified. then jesus calls out. "take courage! it is i. don't be afraid."

then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. they were completely amazed, and then the bible says "for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."

now i have all sorts of questions about this episode in the life of jesus. but my biggest one is this: "what does it mean to have a hard heart?"

this and more on sunday night at fude,

peace to you,
scott

kick it to the curb

then jesus went around teaching from village to village.
calling the twelve to him, he sent them out two
by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
these were his instructions: “take nothing for the
journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in
your belts. wear sandals but not an extra tunic.
whenever you enter a house, stay there until you
leave that town. and if any place will not welcome you
or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you
leave, as a testimony against them.”
they went out and preached that people should
repent. they drove out many demons and anointed
many sick people with oil and healed them. mark 6:6-13

odd instructions that jesus gave. take nothing. no food, no money, no extra jacket.
don't bounce around from house to house.
and if people do not listen or welcome you, then shake the dust off your feet.

dust on your feet? kick it to the curb on your way out of town.

but why? and why two by two? why bring a staff? why not moving around?

think about it...and bring your thoughts sunday night...

peace to you,
scott

in my hometown

i was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand
into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man
i’d sit on his lap in that big old buick and steer as we drove through town
he’d tousle my hair and say son take a good look around
this is your hometown, this is your hometown
bruce springsteen

yesterday i was back in my hometown.
i was looking forward to seeing familiar faces and catching up with old friends.
and yet i was not looking forward to going back to my hometown.
we were back for a funeral of a dear friend.
it was one of the saddest and most inspirational funerals i have ever been to.
as we listened to the family share, we were reminded of what a special women she was.
it is easy to forget. it is easy to overlook the little things they do to make you great.

sometimes when familiarity should breed a growing respect it breeds an increasing and easy-going familiarity. sometimes we are too near to people to see their greatness.

that is so true of our friend irene.

these words were spoken about jesus when he was back in his hometown. the place where he was misunderstood. the place where people refused to see him for who he was. they were too near to him to recognize his greatness.

i often wonder how people will remember me when i am gone. will i be thought of as the quiet kid in elementary school? will i be remembered for the way i acted as a teenager? (these are the things that they held against jesus when he came into their synagogues and taught with wisdom and authority.) what about the people around me right now? how will they remember me? what impact am i leaving in their lives? what fingerprints have they left on my heart?

what would they say about me in my hometown?

peace to you,

scott

this little piggie

in the first few lines of mark 5 we find ourselves in one of the more puzzling stories in the life of jesus.
demons causing a man to cut himself with stones as he lived in a cemetary.
jesus confronts the demons and "gives them permission" to enter a herd of pigs.
life and beauty confronts chaos and cruelty.
pigs are destroyed and people are enraged. they beg him to leave. misunderstood miracle.
i have seen this story played out in our day...maybe not with pigs..but...
well, we will talk about that more on sunday night.
peace to you,
scott

he don't even care/who dis is?

that day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "let us go over to the other side." leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. there were also other boats with him. a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. the disciples woke him and said to him, "teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
he got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "quiet! be still!" then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
he said to his disciples, "why are you so afraid? do you still have no faith?"
they were terrified and asked each other, "who is this? even the wind and the waves obey him!"

heard this story so many times...read it just as many. listen to the rich texture of language. you can totally picture it.

a furious squall.
the waves broke over the boat.
it was nearly swamped.
jesus was sleeping...on a cushion.

such incredible detail in this story. i would imagine if i had been there, it would have been in slow motion. i wonder how many details you would remember if you thought it would be the last few minutes of your life.

and he don't even care.

or does he? he is the calmer of the storm. he speaks. the waves stop.

who dis is? even the wind and waves obey him.

this is true shock and awe...they were terrified.

peace to you,

scott

happy ressurection day

in memory of j.c.

we take time this week to focus on the unfathomable sacrifice of jesus on the cross. we remember the searing pain and respond to the shed blood by falling to our knees in humility. you gave so much...the least we could give is our lives. thank you jesus. thank you.
friends, take time this week to survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died. respond to the immeasurable of love of god.
peace to you,
scott

p.s. enjoy this video by my other favorite j.c.

all about the green

this sunday is all about the green...
not golf...
or frogs...
or money...
the significance of palm sunday
the symbolism of st.patricks day
the sweet allure of green jello (ok maybe that's a bit much)
so study up on your palm sunday and your maewyn succat...
peace to you,
scott

riddle me this

he said to them, "do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? instead, don't you put it on its stand? for whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
"consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "with the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." mark 4:21-25

riddle me this…riddle me that…who can understand mad phrasing from this hep cat?

it seems that jesus taught in parables to make things more plain; to give us a tangible example of some invisible, untouchable reality. but this passage requires a little mind workout. i wonder if that was also part of jesus’ plan. almost as if the phrase, “if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” means…stop and think about this for a minute, or wrap your mind around this one for a second.

i love the fact that jesus’ words are not always immediately accessible. that for one to understand what he was getting at, you have to dig, think for yourself, ask questions. this is no teaching for the light of heart or weak of mind. following jesus requires all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

and yet if we come to scripture with the heart of a child…the kingdom is ours. this is the glory of the paradox of faith. a path not at all easy to figure out and live perfectly, yet so simple a child can comprehend and walk it.

so unravel this riddle for me…what is this parable all about? lamps under beds, hidden things brought to light, measures used and more for those who already have?

peace to you,
scott

digging in the dirt

the parables of jesus are pure genius. the master storyteller, weaving truth in fiction. farmer and seed…scattering on soils. most people don’t understand. left scratching there heads. i count myself one of them on this one. i get the soil story after the explanation that jesus gives. but why does he only let a few of them in on the deeper meaning of the dirt?
jesus words to the disciples before he explains the significance of the soil are these:
"the secret of the kingdom of god has been given to you. but to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"
yeah…that’s what he said.
what does that mean to you?
i think i may have to do a little digging in the dirt this week
i’ll let you know what i find on sunday.
peace to you,
scott

hey hermano

then jesus' mother and brothers arrived. standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. a crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
"who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "here are my mother and my brothers! whoever does god's will is my brother and sister and mother. mark 3:31-35

jesus refered to his disciples as family, as brother and sisters, mothers and friends. what seems to be the prerequisite to one of those titles?
saying the sinner's prayer?
memorizing the ten commandments?
being a kind and generous person?
exactly what is obedience to the will of god?
if jesus were to give you a title, would it be hermano?
things to ponder until we meet,
peace to you,
scott

happy valentines day

what the what?

"i tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." mark 3:28-29

what the what?

peace to you,
scott

how he loves us

ooo! ooo! pick me mr. kotter

some of you are too young to remember the sweathogs, but i totally thought of them as i was reading this week about jesus picking the twelve disciples. they were quite a rag-tag bunch of hooligans. like horshack, washington, epstein and barbarino, you had impetuous, sometimes immature, guys who formed this close knit gang with jesus. peter shooting his mouth off like epstein and john, 'the one who jesus loved', raising his hand in the front like horshack.
it made me think of what that crew would look like if jesus were to pick them today. would they have piercings, mohawks and tattoos? or would they look like they just walked out of an old navy ad? would they be eccentric musicians and artists or perhaps math nerds who play world of warcraft? who would jesus choose today? would i have been one of the twelve? would you? i think we might be surprized.

peace to you,
scott

a new law

over the past few weeks we have been discussing jesus and his 'sabbath-breaking' tendencies. we have realized that all too often our tendencies are to make lists and rules and we may even have the audacity to place those rules above compassion and love for others. this video captures the heart of that. it is by an artist that often inspires and always challenges me...derek webb. enjoy.
peace to you,
scott

hand hand fingers thumb

hand hand fingers thumb
one thumb one thumb
shrivelled up and numb

one hand two hands
called him up to the front
the pharisees lean forward
to see the sabbath stunt

hand hand fingers thumb
one thumb one thumb
made right and them some

one hand one hand
the healing over and done
by the love of god’s one and only son

the power of jesus to heal amazes me. whether it is cancer or a disfigured limb, jesus has power over this body. the physical world is under his authority. i do not understand why or how it happens, but there have been times where i have witnessed firsthand the healing power of christ. (i have also had more times than i can count where i have prayed and it seems that there has been no change in the situation at all--maybe that is proof that there is no formula)

i love the story that mark shares in the beginning of his third chapter. jesus is in the synagogue again. the pharisees have gathering in the front row, the place of honor…hoping to somehow trap jesus in leading people astray.

enter the man with the withered hand. he was not born this way. a disease has taken hold of his body and rendered his hand useless. jesus has compassion on him…a stone mason by trade, desperately in need of both hands to provide for his family. too proud to beg. he turns to jesus.

jesus asks him to stand. the pharisees get excited…this is their moment. he will heal this man. they will have him trapped.

the plot thickens. is it lawful to do good on the sabbath or to do evil? to save a life or to kill?

stretch out your hand.

hand hand fingers thumb
one thumb one thumb
made right and them some

one hand one hand
the healing over and done
by the love of god’s one and only son

peace to you,
scott

wheat kings and pretty things

one sabbath jesus was going through the grainfields,
and as his disciples walked along, they began to
pick some heads of grain. the pharisees said to him,
“look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
he answered, “have you never read what david
did when he and his companions were hungry and in
need? in the days of abiathar the high priest, he entered
the house of god and ate the consecrated bread,
which is lawful only for priests to eat. and he also gave
some to his companions.”
then he said to them, “the sabbath was made for
man, not man for the sabbath. so the son of man is
lord even of the sabbath.” mark 2:2
the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath...there is a lot packed into that statement.
we will unpack that phrase...the picking of wheat...the eating of consecrated bread..on sunday at 4 at fude.
peace to you,
scott

slow down and go fast

fasting is not one of my strong suits. let's just get that out on the table. i like food. i thoroughly enjoy the consumption of carbohydrates, proteins and sugars. i take great pleasure in pacifying my palate. i have actually contemplated writing a book on food. certainly not a cookbook, as unless it goes on the bbq, i am quite sure i can make it taste bad. but a book based on the biblical model of sharing a meal. (i even have a couple of sample titles should it become a reality: 'the sacrament of the shared meal - eating together as a sacred act of worship' or 'the sacrilege of the common meal - rediscovering the lost art (heart) of eating together')
that being said there have been times in my life where i have chosen to fast. usually at some point of decision or crisis. not typically as a discipline, more as a desperate search for clarity. it has been in those times, where i have slowed down, skipped a meal or two, that i have thought more clearly and heard more deftly the nudging in my heart and soul. where i sensed god speaking to me. there is something to this sacred discipline of fasting...if not i doubt that jesus would have encouraged it.
in mark 2:18-22 jesus is challenged by the religious leaders as to why his disciples do not fast. he talks about the bridegroom being with them (we will discuss this more on sunday) and he says that when he is gone, his disciples will fast.
so as his disciples, do we fast?
it seems there is a time to feast and a time to fast?
when is your time?
peace to you,
scott