"HER BLACKWIDOW'S CURSE . . ."

Probably not a black widow, but yesterday while I was in the office Mrs. Ref noticed a HUGE spider on its web outside the window. The office is on the second floor, so I couldn't go out and spray it with a Costco-size thing of Raid. And for those of you paying attention, the windows in the house are pretty much sealed shut. One was sealed open in the office, but luckily I hammered that shut several days ago.

Description: REALLY REALLY BIG. It is bright yellow, has black or dark-brown tipped legs, no other obvious markings, has a REALLY big bulbous back end (sorry, no stepping on this one) and devours anything that flies into its web in a matter of seconds.

Any arachna-philes out there who might be able to tell me what type of spider this thing is?

SING FOR THE DAY

"B" died yesterday. It had been a long two weeks for family, friends, wife and him. We all knew it was coming, it was just a long process. He seemed to hold on until the last of the family was able to get out to MT and visit. After they showed up, he went downhill really quickly. The last time I saw him, his eyes seemed to recognize your voice and his body played out the death rattle.

His wife seems to be relieved that it's over, but still saddened by it just the same. She made the comment that this was my first death. Flashing back to CPE, I said, "No, it isn't. But it is my first one while collecting a paycheck." During CPE, I had to pay the hospital for the privilege of being with people when they died.

Not sure when the funeral will be, but THAT will be my first experience officiating at one. His wife did the smart thing and organized everything ahead of time, knowing that she wouldn't be in any shape mentally to deal with it afterwards.

I'm betting on a Saturday service, but I'll find out later this week.

YEAR C - PENTECOST 13 - PROPER 17

I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again: the faith we proclaim is a subversive faith. It's a faith that is in direct opposition to society. Society tells us that greed is good. Society tells us to look out for Number One. Society tells us that God helps those who help themselves. Society tells us that it is the individual above all things. But none of those things are what Christianity tells us. Christianity runs counter to what society tells us. Christianity has a different focus.

In the early days of the movement, Christianity was an extension nof Judaism. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 a.d., however, that commonality was shattered and it became its own religion. That religion was continually at odds with the society that surrounded it. It was different from the religion of Rome, it refused to acknowledge the emperor as God, it had strange customs (such as eating flesh and drinking blood), and Christians were persecuted for those differences and beliefs. Persecutions were an on-again off-again sort of thing, depending on who was in power and whre the problems were. But in 303, the emperor Diocletian bagan what is called the Great Persecution and many many Christians were martyred. And they were martyred because they didn't follow the rules of the state -- they were martyred because they were considered subversive.

This subervisiveness shows up in Luke when Jesus eats with outcasts and sinners. It shows up when Jesus heals people on the Sabbath. It shows up when Jesus forgives people of their sins. It shows up when Mary sings the Magnificat. It even shows up in Luke's genealogy of Jesus. Luke's geneology would seem to be a straightforward lineage of Jesus from Adam. But if you look closely, you'll find some interesting things.

For instance, Obed is listed as one of Jesus' ancestors. Obed was the son of Boaz and Ruth. Ruth was the great-great-grandmother of King David. Ruth was also a Moabite. According to Deuteronomy, Moabites aren't supposed to be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. But there she is, part of the royal family tree and with her own biblical book to boot. People of illicit unions aren't supposed to be admitted to the assembly either. However, Nathan is listed in that geneaology. Nathan, son of King David, listed in 2 Samuel after David had taken "many more wives and concubines." I guess "wives and concubines" aren't illicit if you're the king.

Why am I bringing all of this up? Because our faith tradition is filled with illicit unions, the admittance of the outsider, persecutions and people whose bad and immoral behavior was par for the course. Because our faith tradition advocates for the poor. Because our faith tradition expects us to help the helpless. Because our faith tradition puts a low value on social status. THAT is our faith tradition.

However, something changed. Over time, Christianity became the state religion of Rome and eventually the Western world. It tied itself to the goals of the state: self-preservation, creating rules and order, maintaining its hierarchy and promoting the status quo rather than promoting the Kingdom of God. When religion becomes one with the state, it's never a good thing; becuase in the long run, religion will acquiesce to the state to maintain its own existence.

Which brings me to our current political situation. The election season is heating up and we have just over two months unti we elect our next president. The conservative Christian right has proclaimed George Bush as the savior of the nation. Under him, the argument goes, Christianity will take its rightful place as the religion of the state. I've recently read a variety of quotes that essentially say, "Bush has been ordained by God to return our country to greatness and spiritual wholeness." With all due respect, I think they are wrong.

First of all, God isn't a Republican. Nor is God a Democrat for that matter. And second, the kind of religion being advocated by these groups is one in which the less fortunate, the poor, the destitute and the outcast are further marginalized. There is no hospitality. There is no grace. There is no room for the "other." There are only those who are in, and those who are out.

It isn't Christianity they are advocating. It's Nationalism wearing a diamond-studded cross for decoration. Christianity, remember, is subversive. The state martyrs subversives. Christianity is rife with drunks and womanizer, backsliders and whores, thieves and troublemakers. The religion of the sate requires three-piece suits, background checks, and an unquestioning allegiance to the approved statement of faith. Christianity is concerned with empower others. The state is concerned with keeping power to itself. Christianity is concerned with humbling itself. The state is concerned with exalting itself.

And here, the government and the conservative Christian right seem to be skating on thin ice. Listen again to what today's lessons have to say:

From Ecclesiasticus: The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers, and enthrones the lowly in their place. The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations, and plants the humble in their place.

From Hebrews: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.

And from the Gospel: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind."

Are we doing that? Are we truly living out the faith as proclaimed in Scripture? Or are we living out a state-run, cleaned-up and censored faith approved by those in power?

Yes, this is the political season and you need to vote for whomever you think is the best person to do the job. But don't vote for that person because he has been anointed by his supporters as God's chosen man. Because I gotta tell you, it is exactly this type of prideful, self-exultation that today's lessons, and our overall tradition, warn against.

STYX

Styx is coming to Missoula! Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to get to see them (current finances and all that). However, should a certain Anglo-Baptist want a wedding gift, and be willing to come and get it, I could probably find a way to make it happen.

FANFARE FOR THE COMMON MAN

Okay, so I may be committing the sin of pride here, but someone other than a friend has cross-referenced to my site. On my "Snowblind" post, a guy by the name of Jay Phillippi said he found my blog through a BeliefNet article. Not one to always believe what you read, I went over there and checked it out. Sure enough, I'm listed in the article "Best Spiritual Blogs." I'm listed on the second page, second to last entry, under "Clergy Blogs." Apparently the best feature on my blog is my list of links to other sites.

That can mean one of two things: I'm good at figuring out good things for people to read, or the sermons I'm posting aren't worth reading. Hmmm, I've always thought that they preach better in person than on paper. Now if I could find a way to get someone from BeliefNet to show up in person . . .

And totally off-topic -- my lovely wife has a post about driving in Montana that's worth a look. Laugh if you will, but the best stories couldn't possibly be fiction! So (maybe not as off-topic as I thought) should you come to visit in person, keep your eyes open.

NOT DEAD YET

I suppose someone will tell me that that title is in bad taste, but then, I think Gary Larson is a god. (Ooh ooh, heretical too!)

I have a lady whose been going to the Sheridan parish on and off since I got there. She's an Episcopalian who started attending the Methodist church when Christ Church didn't have a vicar.

Anyway, she has a husband who's dying of lung etc. cancer. He's been bad since I've met him, and he's gotten worse in the last few weeks. He's now in the hospital, basically waiting to die.

This must be the worst part about death. You know you're going to die, your family knows you're going to die, in fact, EVERYONE knows you're going to die, but your body won't let go. He's come to terms with all of this and has mentioned on several occassions that he's ready to go. His wife and family are ready for him to go. But his body is still hanging on.

This really takes alot out of everyone. Life doesn't stop because you are going to die. And, unfortunately, it drags everything out past the point of exhaustion. Maybe that's the appeal of assisted suicide -- so you can die on your own terms. So you can die when everyone has come to terms with it. So you can die and let your family and friends get on with their lives.

I'm not sure if I'm advocating assisted suicide here; simply pointing out that dying doesn't always happen on our terms, and it is a blessing when it does.

May he go quickly and peacefully.

SNOWBLIND

Well, not really, but we've had some pretty nasty weather lately. Lot's of wind and rain and cold. The wind blew open the front door of St. Paul's and damaged the latch. So, although we are "always open," we need to fix the door so that it at least closes. Need to make sure we keep the rain and critters out of the church. Being out here, "critters" can mean anything from chipmunks (or is it "chipmonks") to bear I suppose.

It's late August, and we've got weather that reminds you of early October. The rain is good. This area has been in a drought for way too long to complain about that. I did notice, though, that we've got snow in the hills. Yes, snow. I visited out here once many years ago and a resident told me that the only month they have never recorded snowfall was July. Must be true, because here we are in August and the snow is falling not too far from town.

PENTECOST 12 - PROPER 16

Did you hear it? The methodical movement of Jesus on his journey. And as he makes that journey, he teaches in one town and village after another. Starting in Virginia City and moving through Nevada City, Alder, Laurin, Sheridan and Twin, steadily heading towards Butte and his showdown with the mining authorities; all the while, teaching as he goes.

And someone asks him, "Will only a few be saved?" I'm not really sure where this comes from. Jesus doesn't appear to have had a direct confrontation with Pharisees or Sadducees, and he doesn't blast the ever-present hypocrites. But there it is: Will only a few be saved?

Jesus response is both interesting and shocking. In a word, yes. And that response seems to shock our modern, all-inclusive, I'm-okay-you're-okay, everybody-let's-just-get-along sensibilities. After all, Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors, says that prostitutes will enter the Kingdom of God, heals all kinds of people of illness, constantly invites the outsider, and forgives people of their sins. But here, Jesus becomes exclusionary and says that the door is narrow. Many will try, he says, but will be unable to enter.

There are a couple of things that stand out in today's gospel. The first is that many will TRY. There's a big difference between trying and doing. My first summer in seminary, I worked as a hospital chaplain. Actually, "work" implies a paycheck -- I "volunteered" and paid $500 for the privilege of being a hospital chaplain. I spent that summer being with people in all stages of life, from birth to death and everything in between. There were seven of us in my group, which meant that once a week one of us was on call 24 hrs at the hospital.

Not everything was peaches and cream, and there was one member who was rather difficult. One of his annoying habits was to be consistently late to our 8 am meeting. We were having a discussion about this little problem, when he said, "I'll try to be here on time from now on." The supervisor did this: Take out a coin and ask several people to try to take the coin from my hand. Then ask one person to take the coin.

The point was that you can try all you want, but unless you do it, it doesn't happen.

How does that relate? How about this: I'll try to volunteer my time . . . I'll try to pledge . . . I'll try to buy food for the food bank . . . I'll try to say my prayers . . . I'll try "whatever." Trying doesn't get it done. Trying to enter through the narrow door doesn't get it done. Doing it gets it done.

The second thing that stands out is the line, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets." This strikes me as fair-weather friends. "We ate and drank with you." It's easy to be a disciple when times are good, but what about when the leader is taken away and people are left to fend for themselves. What about when Jesus was taken away to die? What about now when individual spirituality of loving nature seems more popular than belonging to a community and following Christ?

"You taught in our streets." Yes, Jesus taught, but did the peopole learn anything? Did they incorporate those teachings into their lives? Did they study? Did they do more than try?

I walked into the church last week to get ready for the service. On the altar rail was an envelope. Inside the envelope was a little tract from someone calling themselves "A Sower of God's Word." My first thought was, "Oh oh, now what?" I set it aside and read it later in the week.

This tract began with the battle over the Ten Commandments down in Alabama a few years ago. Remember that? The judge brought in this 20,000 ton monument into the court. Evangelical Christians gathered around and prayed. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth over that. But this tract eventually moved to challenging its reader to seek out all of the commandments given by Jesus. "We live by a New Testament," it said. It was asking if you knew what Jesus said as well as you know the Ten Commandments.

Something struck me as I read this tract. Nowhere did it say, "You must do THIS," whatever THIS is. Rather it said to seek out the commandments given by Jesus, to study them, and to live by them. One sentence that was highlighted said, "We are pilgrims on the journey of hte narrow road."

The story said that doing this put him one on one with Jesus. That God wasn't talking to a crowd he could hid within, but was talking to him personally. Say what you will about traveling evangelicals, but I have to hand it to this one -- no easy black and white answers here; simply a request to dig deeper, to wrestle with God, to move from a wide, generic and general Christianiy to a narrow, specific and focused faith.

Jesus seems to be saying, "You know about me, but you don't KNOW me." Is he being exclusionary? Sure he is. But when you start talking specifics you become exclusive. Airlines are exclusive about who they let into cockpits; hospitals are exclusive about who they let operate on people; you are exclusive about who works on your car. I know some general stuff about airplanes, medicine and cars, but you don't want my working on any of them.

When you start talking specifics, the field is narrowed. It becomes a discipline, and it takes work. Jesus is stating the obvious, he's not being intentionally mean. Christianity is a discipline. We have a responsibility to study and incorporate that faith into our lives. It is THAT that makes the door narrow.

Taking a second coin out: Many will try, few will actually do.

10.87 SECONDS

So we're watching the Olympics last night, as Mrs. Ref is want to do lately. Bob Costas was doing his thing between events, "Now we'll go out to the pool and see . . ." or "Now we're going over to the indoor stadium for the gymnastics final."

One of these times he actually said, "Now let's take you over to the track for our uninterrupted coverage of the premier event in track and field, the men's 100 meter sprint."

Okay, I may not have quoted verbatim, but the point was, he DID say "uninterrupted coverage." THE RACE LASTED 10.87 SECONDS!!! Was there any way that NBC could have actually interrupted that?

C'mon Bob, you're supposed to be a professional.

BEST THING

The house is starting to look like home. Besides all of the clutter that we seem to perpetually collect, the stairwell and upstairs hall were carpeted yesterday. Mrs. Ref and I did an incredibly good job picking out the carpet -- it looks great.

We also got a bed. For those of you who don't know, the waterbed we had had for several years (a tube-type thing with several tubes rather than one big wave machine; very nice actually) developed a problem. The tubes began to weep (like your waterglass does sometimes) at an unspecified time. By the time we figured it out, the bed was ruined. So we bought an air mattress to get by. That was late May. Finally, in late August, we bought a bed. I actually slept through the night.

All of this just in time for our open house/thank you party. We've invited everyone who helped get the house ready for our arrival to a parish-sponsored thank you bbq and open house. Now if I can just get some of our pictures up before Saturday . . .

PENTECOST 11 - PROPER 15 - YEAR C

Here we go . . . are you ready? For those of you who have been following along, you'll remember that Luke has us on a journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, and things are starting to get dicey. With that in mind, let's look at today's gospel together.

"I came to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were already kindled." What is Jesus talking about here? What do YOU think he's talking about? That's not a rhetorical question . . . any thoughts?

People's responses ranged from exciting the faithful to the Holy Spirit to changing the way things were.

All good thoughts, and I think you are right on track. What does it mean to be "on fire?" When a salesperson has a great month, exceeding her goals, we say she's on fire. She's burning up her competition. Or in sports, especially basketball, when a player hits shot after shot after shot after shot, what do we hear Dick Vitale scream? "He's on FIRE, babeeee!!!" That guy drives me nuts.

Fire is also light. Think about the Easter Vigil service. Now, I donl't know what's been done here before, but at Seabury the Easter Vigil begins between 5 and 5:30 am, depending on the time of the sunrise that year. The choir starts to gather around 4 to practice. Some people handle this early morning service better than others; but there we are, dressed in our Easter finest gathering in the dark to celebrate the risen Christ. A fire is kindled in the dark of the morning, the Paschal candle is lit, and a deacon leads the procession proclaiming, "The Light of Christ." And we respond, "Thanks be to God." The light of Christ, represented by the Paschal candle, lit from fire. A light unto a dark world.

"Do you think I that I have come to bring peace to the earth?" Let's define peace here. Thoughts on that?

A woman responds, "The lack of conflict."

That's perfect! A lack of conflict. Before Jesus was born, the Roman Empire had suffered a century of civil war. The empire was coming apart. Civilization was in danger of being destroyed. And then came one man, Augustus, who saved the world. He was the one who finally brought peace to the empire. And how did he do this? By crushing anyone who opposed him. Peace, the lack of conflict, reigned supreme. The seaways were safe, the roads were safe, trade flourished and people prospered.

Israel was one of those nations that Rome controlled. As long as they didn't get out of hand there was peace. Around the time of Jesus, they were complaining, but not to loudly. They were advocating revolt, but only in secret. And finally, in 66 AD, the unrest bubbled over into open conflict and they battled Rome for four years. In 70 AD Rome had had enough, crushed the revolt and destroyed the temple, and peace reigned supreme.

Luke wrote after this event. Was it possible that people were looking for a restored Israel, a strong Israel that could escape and defeat its occupiers so that THEY could establish peace on their terms? You betcha. But if peace is determined by the victors, then, no, Jesus didn't come to establish peace. Victory and peace through open warfare isn't what Jesus was proclaiming. Not then, and not now.

Finally, the house divided. Father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother. But look carefully, Jesus isn't advocating conflict. Jesus is stating the obvious. Becoming a Christian, following Christ, means that you don't relate to society in the same way you used to, or to your family sometimes. As Paul says, you are a new creation. You have been changed and your outlook changes.

We all live in families, and families like homeostasis. They like everything to be the same and unchanging. When someone becomes a Christian, the family is changed. The balance is upset and family members become divided. Why do you think religion is off limits at Thanksgiving dinner? Jesus knew that by following him, families would become divided.

You can see this clearly in sports: Sox fans dont mix wiht Cubs fans; Huskies don't mix with Cougars, and heaven help the 'Bama fan who crosses over to Auburn. Jesus knew that changing one's loyalties would mess up everything.

So I ask you to look at this gospel with new eyes. Not the eyes of doom and gloom where fire, conquest and division lead to a scorched earth. Not with the old eyes of fear. But look at this with eyes of hope. With eyes that see fire as the light of Christ in a dark world. With eyes that see division as reh result of people hearing and following a new and better way. With eyes that recognize the Kingdom of God is manifested inour world right here, right now.

FAVORITE OLYMPIC MOMENT

Okay, so the Olympics are like, what, 24 hours old and I already have my own personal "Olympic Moment" that I doubt will be surpassed over the next two weeks. Now I must confess that I'm not a real fan of the Olympics. I guess I lost my interest for them after the 1980 U.S. boycott, and then again in '84. How meaningful can it be when the current superpowers are competing against smaller nations. People remember that '84 was our best medal-producing Olympics ever . . . well duh.

And then, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, was there anyone left that you wanted to watch us beat? I now root for those small nations with 4, 3, 2 or even 1 athlete(s). How cool would it be for that country to win a medal. Now THAT would be an Olympic moment.

Okay, so back to my moment. I'm watching the Parade of Nations with Mrs. Ref (she's really into the games) and the U.S. marches in. The Greek spectators give a rousing cheer and Bob Costas starts to talk about that.

"Traditionally Greece doesn't approve of U.S. foreign policy and they show that by negative attitudes towards the U.S. However, the people make a distinction between politics and sports and they are very appreciative of the athletes who have come to participate in these games. IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT (emphasis mine), but that's the general reaction."

"It's more complicated than that." I'll never be able to hear or utter those words without fond memories of AKMA.

Thanks, AKMA, for providing me with my Olympic Moment.

TARGET PRACTICE

Heather finally showed up last night. She got a late start out of CdA and got into Sheridan around 9:30 - 10:00. Her timing was impeccable -- showed up just as I was dishing up ice cream for The Kid. I'm telling you, it doesn't matter where we are, she has a nose for dessert.

Showed her around Christ Church and the parish hall. Gave her the lowdown on what I'm working with and what shape the place is in. Told her the story about cleaning out my office; which included moving out the Ruby Valley Shooters. She thought this was very funny, so I'll pass it along.

There's a 4H group called the Ruby Valley Shooters. They practice archery and shooting air rifles at targets. They do this inside the parish hall, shooting from one end to the other. They do put up big pieces of plywood to protect our walls against any errant shots.

Not sure why she found this so very humorous -- I just took it as a normal activity for Sheridan.

THE MESSAGE

New message on my St. Paul's reader board:

No Nursery Provided:

CHILDREN WELCOME IN SERVICE

PENTECOST 10 - PROPER 14 - YEAR C

Luke tells a great story. From the Annunciation, Magnificat, and birth story, through healings and parables to radical interpretations of the law, and up to the arrest, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Luke writes an incredible story; and does so in very detailed fashion. Combine his gospel with his other book, Acts, and Luke writes more of the NT than any other author.

These are not simply a collection of "Jesus stories": Jesus did this, Jesus went there, Jesus said that. Rather, Luke writes an "orderly account" of the life and events surrounding Jesus. This orderly account has a beginning, middle and end. It's a story with plot development and fulfillment unlike any of the other three gospels.

For Luke, the epicenter of this story is Jerusalem. As a young boy, Jesus' parents took him to Jersualem for the rite of purification; and his parents made a pilgrimage every year to Jerusalem throughtout his childhood. As an adult, Jesus ends up in Jerusalem for his final confrontation, death and vicotyr. Fully one-third of Luke's gospel is Jesus' movement towards Jerusalem.

"And why is all of this important?" you ask. Because Year C, which we are currently in, is the year in which the majority of ur gospel readings come from Luke. Because if you don't understand, or are unaware of, this, the gospel lessons are no more than individualy-wrapped snippets that have no coherence whatsover. Moving from Sunday to Sunday without seeing the connection, we run the risk of failing to see the forest for the trees.

Luke is taking us on a journey. It's a journey that reveals the Kingdom of God. It's a journey that moves Jesus from prophet to Son of God. It's a journey that, if you are paying attention, becomes more explicit, dangerous and exclusionary with each passing week.

And speaking of danger, here's a dangerous question for any preacher to ask: do you remember the gospel reading my first Sunday on the job? Or the sermon I preached?

(**One person in Sheridan did, nobody in VC did -- note to self, "make sermons more memorable")

The first gospel text and sermon were on the good Samaritan. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" the lawyer asked Jesus. Here we begin to see Jesus' views regarding the kingdom. He answered the lawyer, "Be a good neighbor. Serve others without regard to their status."

The following week was Mary and Martha. This time Martha, the servant, was rebuked in favor of quiet Mary. After that came the "Ask, seek, knock" passage. Jesus telling us to be active in our faith and relationship with God. And then came the request of Jesus to play judge and the parable of the rich fool, with the warning to guard against all kinds of greed; the upshot being that this life is uncertain, so plan for an eternal life.

The gospel this week is similar to that of last week: money, or things, don't last forever. Last week, life was uncertain and subject to an untimely death. This week, Jesus is saying that the accumulation of possessions is uncertain; thieves will steal them and moths will eat them. Your job is to work towards storing up treasures in heaven. And like the rich fool didn't know when he would die, neither do we know when the Son of Man will come.

Consequently, we are living in an in-between time; between the already and the not yet. The already of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and the not yet of the unknown second coming. It's a sort of perpetual Advent. The difference being that during the Season of Advent, we know when Jesus is coming; this time, we don't. God is the master of the wedding banquet. We are the slaves who have been left in charge during his absence. We don't know when he will return, but return he will; and blessed be those slaves who are awake and alert when the master comes back. You can extrapolate that if the alert slaves are blessed, then those who are caught sleeping are doomed.

And this is where Luke starts to get explicit, dangerous and exclusionary. Explicit because Jesus is telling you exactly what you need to do: be a good neighbor to everyone, listen to God, pray regularly, and focus on the treasure of heaven not earth.

Dangerous because Jesus starts laying out a plan for being part of the Kingdom of God. We are in danger of being lulled into a false sense of security during this in-between time. It's hard work to remain constantly vigilant. And as Luke continues, we are told about having to hate your father and mother, that being attached to possessions results in the same fate as Lot's wife, that houses will be divided -- father against son, mother against daughter, and that war, desolation and lawlessness are just around the corner. It's dangerous work to follow God in favor of society.

Exclusionary because Jesus seems to be limiting who will enter the Kingdom of God. Those who know about God but don't do what is asked will be severely punished. Those people who don't use their God-given gifts will be thrown out. Only a few people will actually be able to enter through the narrow door, and righteousness doesn't necessarily guarantee salvation.

These aren't the usual happy scenarios that we are accustomed to thinking about. What are we to do? First, I think it is imperative that we look at the big picture. What is happening in the entirety of the gospel, gospels, NT, and Bible? Too often, it seems, people become fixated on one particular passage and then use that to define God, or brow-beat people with different opinions.

One of the reasons that God seems so complicated, so hard to define, is because God is a LIVING God. You can't base the entirety of a person's life on a few sound bites here and there. Neither can you hope to understand God by focusing on a few passages here and there. Therefore, your responsibility to God, your family and yourself, is to become familar with everything pertaining to God; which means familiarizing yourself with scripture every day.

And finally, we have a responsibility to be servants of God. This doesn't mean only on Sundays, or saying grace at Thanksgiving. It means being ready every day to serve God. It means being ready every day to be at odds with society. It means living every day as if God were returning tomorrow.

Yes, it's hard work to remain constantly vigilant; but it's apparently better than the alternative.

HAVIN' A BALL

Well, don't know about that, but we are settling in. I'm finally getting both offices set up. It's expensive to start from scratch. Folders, pens, files, etc etc. Got supplies ordered yesterday for VC, and now I need to do that for Sheridan. I got all my books put away in Sheridan and am starting to actually decorate. Besides the supplies for VC, I also need to get some bookcases down there so I can get my books off the floor.

We are slowly removing all of our boxes from out of the house, still have The Kid's bedroom and the office to do, but it's coming. We are also going to be working hard this upcoming weekend in preparation for our first official visitor. Looking forward to that.

As for what needs to be done, I need to install a new faucet in the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, put on a new shower head in the bath, finish organizing The Kid's bedroom and the office, and remove all of the boxes from the house. I'm sure there's more that Mrs. Ref wants me to do, but those are the basics.

You astute readers will note that Mrs. Ref has started a blog. She's just getting into this, so be patient with her. I suggested she start one so that she can stop with the mass e-mails. Keep an eye on her -- I need to protect my reputation.

Oh yeah, almost forgot . . . I found that really important piece of paper. Turns out it was in a box (duh) that I packed (double duh) that was supposed to travel with us in the car but got left behind for the van (doh!). But I'm happy, and relieved.

Time to go run some errands.
Peace.

PENTECOST 9 - PROPER 13 - YEAR C

It was the Michael Douglas character in the 1980-something movie "Wall Street" who said, "Greed . . . is good." In some respects, he was right. Greed ultimately pulled Europe out of the mire of the Medieval era. Greed turned a fledgling country into a superpower. Greed allowed the U.S. to win the cold war. Greed allows us to keep our standard of living.

But greed has its downside also. Besides things like slavery, child labor, war and contempt for those "less fortunate," greed turns our focus inward. We begin to see ourselves as the center of the universe. Wants become needs. True charity becomes a business transaction. Looking out for #1 and "gettin' mine first" become our priorities. And it is into this downside that Jesus asks us to look.

"Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." We don't know why this man came to Jesus with the demand. He may have had a valid complaint against his brother. He may have been a whiny brat. He may have been . . . well, it doesn't matter. The point is that the guy is trying to use God as a weapon. "If I can get God on my side, I win." How much damage has been done by people to people who have believed that God is on their side? 9/11. Our response to that act. White Christians to heathen natives. Protestants to Romans. Catholics to Jews. Israel to Canaan. And the list goes on and on. I've got news for you: God is not to be used as a weapon. We cannot complain to God about other people and assume God will join us. We have more important things to do than trying to figure out how to get God on our side. Like what?

Like trying to figure out how to get on God's side. A rich man had a bumper crop, so much so that he had no room to store all of it. His solution? Tear down the too-small barns and build bigger ones. Ah yes, greed is good. Greed allowed this man to become rich. But greed has also caused this man to collapse in on himself. His sole focuse is to look out for #1. Like a black hole in space, he can only acquire. A black hole, remember, sucks everything around it in with a pull so strong that not even light can escape. In the same way, the farmer spends his time acquiring with such passion that not even the light of God gets passed on.

The farmer is operating from a theology of scarcity. Limited resources that, if he doesn't control, will go to someone else. That view, typical of our capitalistic society, has been around a long time. The plaintiff is also operating from a theology of scarcity -- scared that he won't get his fair share.

God, however, operates from a theology of abundance. "Well, yes," you say, "that's because God owns everything; he can afford to be abundant." And we can't? We aren't asked to give everything, we are only asked to give. What good did all the farmer's riches do him in the end? None. He died anyway. And what of his bumper crop? Was it parcelled out to the needy or did it rot in his new barns?

It takes courage to operate from a theology of abundance. It takes courage to spend a little more at the grocery store to buy food for the food bank. It takes courage to work towards God's vision, not our own. It takes courage to not allow society to determine our priorities. It takes courage to say, "God first."

And that is a courage that neither the plaintiff nor the farmer had. The plaintiff wasn't interested in working towards God's vision any more than the farmer. The plaintiff was only interested in God as long as God fit into his plans, as long as God could be used to get what he wanted. The farmer's only vision was for himself -- lacking the courage to share his wealth in case he might need it all someday.

We should read and listen to today's Gospel and ask ourselves, "Do I have the courage to put society's agenda aside? Do I have the courage to be used by God? Do I have the courage not to tell God how to behave?" If you do, then you are better off in the long run than either the plaintiff or the farmer.