July 26, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, Thomas Merton

“The greatest need of our time is to clean out the enormous mass of mental and emotional rubbish that clutters our minds.”

“James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Appoint us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to appoint, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:35-40

Mental Rubbish

We all carry with us mental and emotional rubbish from years of being human. We all have experienced the good and the bad of parenting, of relationships, of friendships and the random encounters in this life. After enduring the pandemic of 2020 – 2022, many of our children and friends are still reeling from the mental and emotional toll that will continue to invade their thoughts and actions for years to come. There is so much existential anxiety that is haunting our society every day. So how do we clear out such mental rubbish as Thomas Merton asks us to do?

When James and John ask Jesus for positions of power in the kingdom, Jesus tells them that such decisions are not his to make. He tells them they will share in his ministry, in his successes and in his failures, but ultimately G-d makes the decisions in the kingdom. As such we should not think of the kingdom of G-d in terms of hierarchy, or a place where power, prestige, and position come into play. In other words, let’s clear out the rubbish of who is in and who is out of realm of G-d’s love right now – for we are all loved children of G-d – and nothing can take that away from us.

So, as I see it, one of the ways we can find some peace and harmony in our lives is to remind ourselves repeatedly that G-d loves us no matter what. When life gets to be overwhelming, stop and remember that G-d loves you. When you begin to worry repeatedly, take a moment and pause and repeat to yourself “G-d loves me.” When we can clear out the mental rubbish each and every morning and remind ourselves that we are beloved children of G-d, perhaps we will be able to meet the new day with refreshed vigor and less mental rubbish.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, too often we carry around the stuff that serves us no purpose – especially the ways the world tells us we are not worthy. Help me today to clear out the negative thoughts and to live into your promises that flow from my baptism and into new life. Amen.

Pastor Dave

July 25, 2022 — Words of Wisdom, Thomas Merton

“The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image.”

“Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s 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 itso 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.” John 12:3-8

Perfectly Themselves

Why? It is the question asked so often when someone we love does something we just do not understand. Why? It is a searching question. We want someone to explain to us the purpose for their decisions, their actions, their purchases, their motives. But why do we go right to the “Why? Question? Why can’t we go to the “How can I help?” question or trying to understand the context for their behaviors. 

In our text for today Judas goes right to the “why” as if Mary’s actions make no sense to him. But we know this cannot be true since she is not the only one in the life of Jesus who did something out of the ordinary. I can think of Nicodemus (John 3:1ff), for example, and James and John (Mark 10:35ff), the Sons of Thunder. Jesus loves them as they are and seeks to be in conversation with them – even though Nicodemus does not understand the workings of G-d’s kingdom, and James and John demand to be second and third in command in the kingdom. Even the rich young ruler (Mark 10:20-21), when he tells Jesus he has been a good Jew since his youth, Jesus simply looks upon him and loves him despite his cluelessness.

Jesus models for us a ministry of allowing people to be perfectly who they are but also challenging them to see the world through the lens of his love. Jesus will tell the woman caught in adultery (John 8:11ff) to go and change her life – as he will tell James and John to be prepared to drink the same cup of suffering that he will drink. Instead of simply asking these people “Why?”, Jesus either begins a conversation with them, seeking to understand the motives behind their actions, or we are told that he “loves them” and challenges them to take a different course of action in their lives.

When a loved one puzzles you with their behavior or you question their perspective, instead of stifling a conversation by asking a lot of “Why?” questions, why not try to allow them to be “perfectly themselves” — all the while loving them for who they are – instead of seeking to change them into something more comfortable to you.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you love each one of us for who we are – perfectly as ourselves. Help me to learn to love others with the same love. Amen.

Pastor Dave