Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Reflection for August 19, 2014

"But he began to curse, and swore and oath, 'I do not know the man you are talking about.'"(Mark 14:71)

Have you ever been in an awkward situation and can feel your brain start to scramble as you look for a way out of it?  It is amazing how fast our minds can come up with an excuse, or even a lie, if we think we are in some sort of danger.

Perhaps we even begin to make promises, try to show some type of indignation, just to prove how earnest we are in wanting to be believed.

Peter certainly felt that need to scramble.  3 times we know he attempted to dodge the inquisition.  In the end of course he succeeded in the very thing he had hoped to fail, denying Jesus.

Not knowing the man you are talking about.  That of course was his final lie.  But I reflect on that and wonder are there things people say about Jesus, about others that when I hear it, I think I don't know that person?  That description doesn't fit.  We do know a person named that, but what you are telling me makes no sense.

How do you know Jesus?  What is your description of him and who he is to you?  Does what you say cause others to relate or to say I don't who you're talking about.

Blessings,
Ed

Monday, August 18, 2014

Reflection for August 18, 2014

"And what I say to you, I say to all. Keep awake."(Mark 13:37)

Keeping awake is generally not a problem for me.  At least between the hours of 5 am and 10 pm.  I suppose this is true because I generally get enough sleep especially now that I have a CPAP machine.

I only drink one cup of coffee and I try to exercise.

Keeping awake of course means more than just not falling asleep.  It means to keep alert.  Have all of your senses engaged in the world around you.

To take the data those senses are sending and to make sense out of it.  To keep awake means to not shut yourself off from the realities of the world around you.  To keep awake is to value the presence of others in your life.

To keep awake is to ready when something unexpected, pleasant or otherwise occurs.

Blessings,
Ed

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Reflection August 16, 2014

"They devour widows houses and for the sake of appearances say long prayers.They will receive the greater condemnation."(Mark 12: 40)

Have you ever heard someone pray out loud and wonder when it will be over?  I have.  It isn't fun.  You are basically getting a sermon masquerading as a prayer.  Usually these prayers are full of telling God what God should do.

It's all about appearances, the more you say, the more you keep talking, perhaps no one will notice that in the long winded prayer, you actually said nothing of consequence.

Somehow we believe that if we just keep talking eventually we will win or be seen in a better light.

I for one, like to be brief and to the point.  I try to know what I want to say and then say it.  There is no prize for length of prayer.  There is something to praying with sincerity and from the heart.

Blessings,
Ed

Friday, August 15, 2014

Reflection for August 15, 2014

"You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wage to put them into a bag with holes."(Haggai 1:6)

Do you ever feel like you work very hard, but can't seem to get ahead?  That in spite of having a job extra money rarely seems to be around.  Almost like as soon as you get paid that check is already spent, between bills and groceries, gone just like that.  That too me is what it feels like to earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.  I hope there comes a time when I don't have that feeling, but it won't be anytime soon.

There is also a sense of not having enough of never feeling satisfied.  I don't have that feeling too often, especially not with food or beverages and I have enough clothes that I should donate some.

Haggai talks about this in the context of neglecting God's house and that is why things aren't going well.  I wonder if it is true that when we neglect to tend to our relationship with God, that a lot of other things never seem to feel complete.  That doesn't mean that if our relationship with God is good that we will suddenly have more than we need.  But we may be better equipped to make the most of what we have.

Blessings,
Ed

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Reflection for August 14, 2014

"Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy."(Psalm 132:9)

When I'm in my uniform you can tell I'm a priest. The black shirt and the collar are a dead giveaway.  While that outward appearance gives me some credibility, without the right heart and mind I've missed the most important aspect of being a priest.

The psalmist prayed that the priests would be clothed with righteousness.  This of course has nothing to do with things to cover the body, but with how they go about living their lives and interacting with others.  The righteousness needed to be seen.  Of course what needs to be avoided in the clergy ranks is self-righteousness.  A few too many have clothed themselves with that. If I am to be truly clothed with righteousness it will be seen in compassion and a loving demeanor to all who I encounter. It will be seen in a humble servant leadership.

But perhaps the truest mark of getting it right is our the faithful shouting for joy after being with me.

Blessings,
Ed

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Reflection for August 13, 2014

"Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?  Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another."(Mark 9:50)

I couldn't agree more wit those first three words!  I probably have an addiction to salt at a certain level.  Love potato chips!  I also know as someone who enjoys cooking that salt is a key ingredient in moderation.

Of course Jesus isn't telling me to enjoy chips and all food.  It is much more a statement of who we are.  If we have lost our purpose, don't really know who we are or what we want out of life, that can be hard to restore.  We all need a reason to be, and when we lose that definition of self, trouble comes.

Having salt in one's self to me is to believe in yourself.  To realize that you have a purpose, that your life has the right seasoning to bring out the fullness of you.  And when we know who we are, and what we are supposed to be doing, it becomes a lot easier to be at peace with others, when you are at peace with yourself.

Blessings,
Ed

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Reflection for August 12, 2014

"Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear? And do you not remember?"(Mark 8:18)

When I was a student, I rarely failed.  That's not to say that I didn't fail a test every now and then.  Most of the time it came from not remembering. It may also be that I didn't pay as full attention to what was being taught as I could have.

There are times when we fail to see, either because we are not looking in the right place, or we have shut our eyes literally or figuratively to what is going on around us.  Therefore failing to see what is going on and knowing how to respond.

There are times when we fail to hear.  Perhaps we are distracted by other things.  Or perhaps we just don't want to hear what is being said, too painful.

And there are times that we don't remember.  We have either blocked out the memory for obvious reasons, or it is so distant or was so fleeting a thought that it just didn't stick.

I have seen many wonderful things in my life.  I have heard many wonderful songs and stories.  And I remember a lot of stuff.  I'm sometimes surprised when those memories come to the surface.

There are still things I hope to see either for the first time or again. There are things I long to hear either again or for the first time.  And I hope that with each encounter I remember, cherish and learn from it.

Blessings,
Ed

Monday, August 11, 2014

Reflection for August 11, 2014

"Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it."(Mark 7:38)

Have you ever done something nice for someone, but asked them not to tell anyone?  I wonder why we do that?  I suppose part of it is fear that if word gets out that we do things for others or are generous the flood gates will open and everyone will want our help.  Of course another part may be that we just want our good deed to be what it is and not a way of promoting ourselves.

Whenever Jesus heals someone he seems to always say don't tell anyone.  And what is really funny is how nobody ever listens to him when he asks that.  I suppose if I had been healed of something I'd have a hard time containing myself as well.  Even if I'd been asked not to.

We talk all the time about obeying God, and yet from time to time the Bible shows humanity not listening.  Perhaps there are times when to not listen has negative consequences.  And then there are times when not following orders, may be exactly what we are supposed to do.

Blessings,
Ed

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Reflection for August 9, 2014

"And he said to them, how many loaves do you have? Go and see. When they had found out, they said Five , and two fish."(Mark 6:38)

One of my favorite books growing up was "Stone Soup."  It tells the story of 3 hungry soldiers for who at first were told there was no food for them, and eventually created a soup, but started with just water and stones.

I think of that story because when I hear the feeding of the crowds by Jesus, I am reminded of the way we can sometimes convince ourselves that we don't have enough or that what little we have can never make a difference.

In Stone Soup the soldiers just kept talking and drawing out the very things they needed to actually make a great meal.  The resources where there, they were just being hidden.

In the Gospel, we find that disciples believe they have very little to offer.  Luckily Jesus takes it blesses it and then sends it back out, and they find they have more than enough.

I try to remind myself that even if I don't think I have much to offer, when I give what I have to God, ask it to be blessed, amazing things occur.

I will probably never be well ahead of the game materially.  But I might find that I'm blessed with what I need and then some.

Blessings,
Ed

Friday, August 8, 2014

Reflection for August 8, 2014

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil, for he gives sleep to his beloved."(Psalm 127:2)

About a year ago I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. Since that time I have had the benefit of a CPAP machine.  I can honestly say that I sleep better.  Not longer and not straight through but better and deeper for sure.

I've always been a morning person but for awhile now my inner alarm clock keeps getting me up sometime between 5 and 6 am.  I suppose that's early.  And my usual routine after getting up is to head to the gym. Another thing I've noticed is that I don't stay up as late as I used to.

An inability to fall asleep was often tied into feelings of stress and worry, anxious toil if you will.  And often I would have to try to shut that down by just practicing a breathing technique that I learned from Richard Rohr.  As you breath in you say Yah, as you exhale you say weh.  I suppose it is like counting sheep, but I prefer to invite God to give me that gift of sleep since I am one of God's beloved.

Sleep is a gift.  Lord knows our bodies need it.  We function better with it.  I'm not much of a napper, but I do know when to hit the hay.

Blessings,
Ed

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Reflection for August 7, 2014

"But he was in the stern asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'"(Mark 43:38)

You ever have that feeling of being swamped.  When you are involved in a normal activity and yet things beyond your control are starting to overwhelm you, so that even the thing you are doing seems to be destined to fail.

You might ask for help if you're not alone and are willing to do so.  You might if you are a person of faith cry out to God.  And if you believe in God's imminence then it doesn't feel to foolish.

The disciples seem to be in such a pickle. Rowing should not be a hard thing for fishermen to do.  One would think they've been in a storm or two in their day.  And yet the only thing they can do is wake Jesus up.  What do you think they expected him to do?  Pick up a bucket and start bailing?  Grab an extra oar?  Certainly not what he did.

And maybe that's part of the message, when we cry out to God for help, we may be surprised what that help looks like.  And maybe the surprise comes because we ourselves didn't know what that help should be.

Blessings,
Ed

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Reflection for August 6, 2014

"Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."(Mark 3:35)

A few years ago at our Diocesan Convention a friend and fellow priest was leading the hearing on Clergy Compensation.  I was waiting my turn to speak against the formula, for reasons I won't get into here. The Bishop asked me if I wished to speak.  My friend said "I believe my brother wishes to speak on the next topic."  I relied  "My sister is correct."

A little later another priest got up to speak on the same topic and said I don't what Christmas' were like at the Zelley house.....  He had assumed that my friend and I were biologically brother and sister, which we are not.

I have a sister, and I have a mother and a father.  To the best of my knowledge they follow God's will for their lives.  But that isn't what makes us brother, sister and parents.

In the body of Christ I have brothers and sisters who I am not related to.  Our shared faith in Jesus and doing the will of God as we perceive it creates that relationship.

Jesus wasn't casting aside his actual family, he was just expanding the definition beyond shared DNA.

I'm glad to have an extensive group of friends who I have brotherly and sisterly affection for.  And I also love dearly my nuclear family.

Blessings,
Ed

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Reflection for August 5, 2014

"Then he said to them 'The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath;'"(Mark 2:27)

Do you have a "Sabbath?"  I do it is Friday.  I know that within religious communities the Sabbath can be Saturday or Sunday.  Or at least that's when we choose to worship.

Of course Sabbath does not necessarily have to be about going to church or synagogue.  It has to do with taking an intentional break.  Can quality time communing with God be a part of that? Absolutely. As a matter of fact it probably should.

When Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for humankind, he reminds us that it is a gift from God to us.  Make it into a commandment so that we actually might do it.  Seems God knows us to well. If we didn't have to we'd never stop doing!  We'd work as many waking hours as possible.  Yes we'd complain about it, but still we are a driven culture.

By being intentional about taking a Sabbath, we not only create the space for God, but we also give our selves a chance to catch our breath, renew our bodies and minds.  And if you think about it, by doing so, we probably would be more productive anyway.

Blessings,
Ed

Monday, August 4, 2014

Reflection for August 4, 2014

"And immediately they left their nets and followed him."(Mark 1:18)

We know that we live in a fast paced world.  We can get immediate answers to questions thanks to the internet.  Immediately is such an interesting adverb.  Behind it you get a sense of speed and even perhaps lack of thought.  It is a very impulsive kind of word.

I've tried to think of things that get an immediate response from me.  The first thing that comes to mind is hearing a request from my wife or my children.  Certainly a crash or a scream in the house would get me moving.

Outside of those moments I'm hard pressed to think of instances where I have reacted immediately.  I'm much more of slow and steady kind of guy.  I can wait and often do.  Even living in a fast paced high tech world, I manage somehow to maintain my pace.

When I think of that word in the context of Mark's Gospel, I'm actually astounded.  Hard to picture just dropping everything and immediately following Jesus.  Perhaps they were looking for a reason to leave.  Maybe there was something in the way Jesus called them that made them not think it out or at least pack up the nets and let the boss know where they were going.

The whole thing feels rushed to me, and yet so right.  Could I do that? Would I do that?  Perhaps if something was so clear to me I just might.

Blessings,
Ed

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Reflection for August 2, 2014

"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God."(Micah 6:8)

In our lives there are always requirements.  To advance in school their are certain academic requirements that must be met.  As an Boy Scout there were requirements I had to meet in order to attain the rank of Eagle, which I did.  On our jobs there are things we are required to do.

We also like to hear "good job."  But what exactly makes something good.  I think the passage points out that if something is just, kind and humble it probably is good. And we all want to do good.

But how?  Again the passage helps us by telling us what is required; three things to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.

So what does doing justice look like?  For me it is taking a stand with or for folks whom the world is treating poorly.  What does loving kindness look like?  For me it is approving in others actions that extend compassion to others, it is also enjoying doing the same.  What does it mean to walk humbly with my God?  For me it is to acknowledge that God is with me on this earthly pilgrimage.  And to not talk about how holy I am or how righteous.  But to acknowledge that I fall short but can still walk thanks to the mercy and grace of God.

Blessings,
Ed

Friday, August 1, 2014

Reflection for August 1, 2014

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills from where is my help to come?"(Psalm 121:1)

One of the hardest  things for many people to admit is that they need help.  We've been conditioned to believe that we should be able to help ourselves, that nothing is beyond our capabilities.  That to ask for help is a sign of weakness or failure.  Of course that is actually bunk.

The truth is that in one's life there are always moments where we need help.  And we'll look beyond ourselves for it.  And perhaps that is what is meant by lifting up eyes to the hills.  A belief that help comes from beyond the obvious.

As a person of faith, I do believe that my help will come from the Lord. That does not mean divine intervention, but the help can come because I see God involved in all aspects of life.  There exist people who have knowledge in areas that I don't and if I should need help in that area, thankfully there are people blessed with that talent.

Blessings,
Ed