Why are we here?

Why are we here?

I ask this not to be intentionally vague, though I understand that it is vague. I also don’t mean to “sound wise” without actually saying anything, though that question doesn’t mean very much beyond what you yourself put there. So, knowing that the question “Why are we here” means many different things, I want you to think about that for a moment.

“Why are you here?”

In the Gospel this morning, Jesus is going around Israel, living his life. His ministry is just beginning. Immediately prior to this morning’s Gospel reading, Jesus was baptized by John , and then he goes out to the wilderness in order to be tempted by Satan.

He returns, and after an unspecified amount of time, finds out that John has been arrested for preaching that the kingdom of God was approaching. We find more details later in the Gospels, but basically Herod Antipas was upset that John was declaring that a new kingdom was approaching; this would mean that a new non-roman king was going to appear.

It also didn’t help matters that Herod had a second wife, and John went around calling both of them harlots.

Anyway, John is arrested for preaching about the coming kingdom, and Jesus withdraws into Galilee. This seems prudent. Someone is arrested for doing something, and if you want to continue or begin doing that same thing, far better to move than stay put.

So Jesus wasn’t in Galilee at the time. He was in Nazareth. But the key thing is: he wasn’t in great danger in Nazareth. John wasn't preaching in Nazareth, he was preaching in Galilee. So when Jesus withdrew to Galilee, Jesus went right to where John was preaching. Jesus went right to where John got arrested; Jesus stepped right into the lion’s den.

Jesus hears that John was arrested for proclaiming “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And you know what he did next; “From that time Jesus began to proclaim ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

God had a plan for Jesus’s life and for Jesus's ministry. The fact that we are still here, almost two thousand years after this all took place is a testament to that amazing, incredible, frankly unbelievable idea. God has a plan. Even more amazing, is that God has a plan for each of us.

Still, moving into a territory where someone got thrown in prison for speaking God’s word seem reckless. It seems especially reckless when you plan to begin doing that exact same thing, in that exact same place.

Why are you here?

God does not necessarily call us to be safe. God calls us to do good, wherever that might take us. In the case of Jesus, he was called to move right to where his cousin was arrested. This can't have been easy for him.

God calling us to go somewhere is not always easy. Jesus did not always find God's call easy. When Jesus cries out to the Father, “Please let this cup pass from my lips” he is begging God, saying that it is too hard. God sometimes asks us to do really, really hard things, and Jesus totally gets that. He completely understands, because he has BEEN there.

Now, God probably hasn't asked us to die for him, so its not a perfect metaphor, but Jesus gets it. He truly and completely understands it how hard it can be when God asks us to do things.

So Why are you here? Why do you go to church where you do, live in the city or state that you do? 

Jesus was called to to Galilee, not to twiddle his thumbs, but to continue both his and John's ministry. He was called for a purpose, for a reason, to do something that mattered.

Why are you here?

So Jesus began preaching the coming Kingdom of God. And he found himself walking by the water. Maybe he is kicking the waves as they move by, maybe he is watching some kids play in the surf. Anyway, he looks up and sees these two guys throwing nets into the sea-for they were fishermen, as the gospel so eloquently puts it.

All Jesus says is, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” AND THEY FOLLOW HIM.

So they walk along, and he sees two other brothers, and their father, fixing their nets in the boat. So Jesus calls to them, and they immediately left the boat and their father and follow him too. IT WORKS AGAIN!

What? They immediately left their nets. Immediately. I don't do anything immediately. I set my alarm earlier than I have to so I don't have to get out of bed immediately, and these brothers immediately follow Jesus when he says some weird thing about fishing for people.

Now that is faith. Now that is a call.

Why are you here?

What are you called to do so strongly, that you would leave your boat and your father and go and follow Jesus in order to do it?

One of the things that is amazing about Resurrection House is that it gives you the vocabulary to talk about your vocation. I was talking to a priest about why I feel called to ordained ministry, and as I described my call, I said something that I truly believed.

I believed in my call so strongly that I said, with a bit of pride, “God has called me to this; how could I say no?”

That got stomped on immediately. He jumped all over that.

This is what he told me. “You can always tell God no. We have a relationship with God. There are many different things that we are called to, and we can tell God no to any of them. If we can't say no to God, it doesn't mean anything when we finally say yes.”

If we are unable to say No, it means nothing if we say yes.

Selfishly, I want my call to mean something. I want to serve God, but for there to be any meaning you have to be able to say no. And that was something that I just did not get.

Simon Peter, Andrew, John, and James all said yes. This is so remarkable because they did not have to. They could have said that they had responsibilities; that they enjoyed life as a fisherman. They could have said no for any multitude of reasons. They Chose to follow Jesus. And because they had a real choice, it meant something when they said yes.

So why are you here? What is God calling you to do? What ministry is God calling you to? And man, wouldn't it be nice if it was as blatant and obvious as someone literally calling out to you from the shore?

Peter, and Andrew, and John, and James had it easy in that regard. They were called. Literally, by a voice that said, “follow me.” We are not as lucky. When God calls us, it can be far more subtle.

Why are we here?

Vocation is the word that sums up our call. It is our calling, our ministry, our passion and hopefully, our job. According to Matthew, Jesus went through Galilee teaching and healing and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. If Jesus's vocation was to be summed up, the last sentence of this morning's Gospel hits the nail on the head.

Frederick Buechner, a theologian, wrote that, “Vocation is where our greatest passion meets the world's greatest need.”

Our greatest passion meets the world's greatest need. Jesus lived his life serving others, fulfilling the greatest need.

You will notice that that definition is not restricted to church work. Teaching can be a vocation; so can construction work. Any way you merge your strongest passion with the deepest need of the world, you have found your vocation.

Why are we here?

We are here to do two things. We are here to listen. And when we hear God's call for us, we are here to choose to say yes.

Camels: $500?

Camels: $500. Gold: $150. Frankincense: $100. Myrrh $200. Finding the Son of God, priceless. There are some things money can’t buy, but for everything else, well you know the rest of the commercial. For the wise men in the Gospel, I don’t know what their true expenses were, but I bet they guessed that following a star to find the Son of God was not going to be inexpensive.

It definitely sounds a little bizarre, follow a star to find the son of God. And what made God choose those wise men to follow a star to find Jesus? Would God ask anybody to follow a star to find Jesus? Was it all a coincidence?

So what made those wise men so special? When reading a commentary about this particular passage, I learned that wise men, were also referred to as Magi, and the word Magi stood for several things. It stood for a Persian priestly caste, it was also short for the word magicians, and finally Magi referred to individuals who were astrologers. And as astrologers they understood the science of reading the stars. This understanding of science was what made them wise. As a part of the science, we can infer that they had the skills to map out a journey simply using the night sky, they could follow a star to find the new born king. This was their God given gift.

Back to the story, now prepared to begin their journey, the wise men were summoned by King Herod. They were summoned because the king was frightened because this was his understanding of the birth of Jesus, “a child has been born king of the Jews”, a king to rule over all kings. This could only mean one thing, he wasn’t going to be King much longer. To prevent this new King from taking his throne, he called together all the scribes and all the chief priests to understand exactly what he was up against.

And from the gospel reading it says that they explained what the prophet had written, “‘[from Bethlehem] shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” This meant King Herod needed to find that child and do all in his power to prevent him from becoming King. And since those wise men from the East were on a journey to find this new born king, he would use them to find the child and stop him from becoming King. Thus he ordered the wise men to send back the location of the child, and then Herod himself would stop the child from becoming King. Brilliant plan, but what King Herod didn’t realize was that the wise men weren’t going to follow his orders. They were warned by God in a dream not to.

So to answer the initial question, was it simply a coincidence? I don’t think so. The ability to understand the stars was a God given gift. God reached out to the wise men, to use skills particular to them, and to find the son of God. Yes, it was a challenge to use the stars as a map, but the wise men could rely on those skills because God gave those skills. Most importantly, the wise men weren’t following the word of King Herod, they were following God’s word.

What does this look like for us today? How do we listen to God to learn what our gifts are? And most importantly, who are we following? We, like the wise men, are on a journey. A journey to serve God by loving each other using the gifts God gave us to serve others. To understand what are gifts are, I think we must understand how we best serve others. For the wise men it was being able to read the stars, for those that are teachers it’s teaching, for those that are consolers it’s consoling, and for those that are doctors it’s treating illnesses.

Ultimately, this shows us that God meets us where we are. God meets us, where we are. God gives each of us different gifts to serve others, and when we listen and follow God’s word we can perform wondrous ministries. It is the beginning of a new year, and for us, it is the beginning of another journey to live out God’s mission for us. If we listen and serve God through our own God given gifts we can begin to serve others better and love one another more.

It’s won’t always easy, and there will always be expenses along the way, but how bad can they really be? Reading the bible: $0, praying: $0, listening and loving others: $0. And serving God through our gifts: priceless.

Thoughts on Sunrises and Dishes.

As I was flying home from Omaha early on Christmas morning I was taken aback by the beauty of the sunrise. Below the horizon was a deep royal blue, which slowly transitioned into purples and pinks. Within a few minutes there were yellows and oranges, and as I was watching the new day begin from thousands of feet in the air I thought it might be one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. I could see the ground below, the endless sky above, and all the colors of creation being born for the new day right in the middle. Although what I seeing was pure elegance and grace, I realized I had seen it before. You see, I cannot say with certainty that the sunrise on Christmas was prettier than on any other day. I cannot say whether seeing the sun rise from an airplane is any more sacred than watching it rise over the snow-capped mountains, or watching it creep through the kitchen window while I make my breakfast. That’s the thing about sunrises, and all other magnificent things of creation: they cannot be judged fairly from day to day. Each is new. Each is being born again, and bringing with it new possibilities.

As I continued my journey home I thought back to the very first sunrise. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” I wondered if the word has been in the sunrises since the beginning, but we haven’t always seen. If the word has been in the vast sea, and the open landscapes, but we haven’t always paid attention. If the word has been in the singing of the birds, but we haven’t always listened.

Then there are all the little everyday things. The divine dish cloth. The psalms of dusting. The anthems of laundry. Is the word there too? Do you see it? We might praise the beauty of nature, as we should, but we should also bless the monotonous and drab.

We have been back in Nebraska for about two weeks. Back in community with each other at the house. Back in community with our parishes. Back in community with our non-profits.

Back to the routine of things.

Cooking.

Discernment.

Cleaning.

Morning Prayer.

Community Meetings.

Bulletins.

Grocery Shopping.

Spiritual Direction.

Here we are: seeing sunrises and chopping onions; praying compline and sweeping the kitchen floor; discussing liturgy and taking out the recycling. Who is to say what is holy? Who is to say what isn’t holy?

The three of us were called to Nebraska. The three of us were meant to be a part of this cornhusker-obsessed, freezing wind chilled, Midwest-friendly state. We are not the same people we were when we arrived last August, and we most assuredly won’t be the same people who leave in May. We followed God’s call to be here, and we have spent almost as much time laughing as working. Sometimes we joke about what the community would be like if just one of us was replaced with someone else. Would we still get along like we do? God is moving throughout our community all the time. I look forward to these next four months, where we have the time and space to explore even further what intentional community means, not just for resurrection house this year, but when we leave this place.

“Come unto me. Come unto me, you say. All right then, dear my Lord. I will try in my own absurd way. In my own absurd way I will try to come unto you, a project which is in itself by no means unabsurd. Because I do not know the time or place where you are. And if by some glad accident my feet should stumble on it, I do not know that I would know that I had stumbled on it. And even if I did know, I do not know for sure that I would find you there. … And if you are there, I do not know that I would recognize you. And if I recognized you, I do not know what that would mean or even what I would like it to mean. I do not even well know who it is you summon, myself. For who am I? I know only that heel and toe, memory and metatarsal, I am everything that turns, all of a piece, unthinking, at the sound of my name. … Come unto me, you say. I, … all of me, unknowing and finally unknowable even to myself, turn. O Lord and lover, I come if I can to you down through the litter of any day, through sleeping and waking and eating and saying goodbye and going away and coming back again. Laboring and laden with endless histories heavy on my back.” ― Frederick Buechner, The Alphabet of Grace

Christ the King Sunday

If anyone here doesn’t know, my degree is in microbiology. I find great joy in studying the biological sciences. I see it as a way to meet God, and a way for me to intimately study the creation story. One aspect of biology that I have always found deeply spiritual is evolutionary biology.

In Darwinian evolution a key principle, which I’m sure you have heard before is the term, “Survival of the fittest.” In this model organisms, creatures, and individuals who survive are not those that are physically stronger or more fit, but those who are most adaptable to change.

In this model there is no need for creatures to look out for each other, in fact, looking out for other another member of your species may compromise your own chances of surviving a situation.

So the question to ask is why we, as humans love one another? From a biological standpoint, why should we show compassion at all?

The answer lies in our upbringing. In terms of a brain-to-body mass ratio, we as humans have the biggest brains in the animal kingdom. As such our babies are some of the slowest to mature. In order for us to ensure the growth of our feeble infants there had to be a shift in thinking.

Because our mothers had more dependent children, they had to think of someone other than themselves. In order for them to pass on their genes, they had to ensure their children grew up. A shift was made from just birthing children, to raising them.

Our ancestrial mothers learned that to be the most adaptive, they had to care for not just themselves, but someone else.

This bond between a mother and her infant is one of the reasons we have compassion, and if you were to lay out a biological time line you would roughly be able to point out where love was born.

Now you may be wondering where I’m going with all of this.

Well, a long time ago in small quiet town, a baby was born. A baby that would change everything.

Angels sang of his birth, shepherds gathered to be a part of the celebration, and later wise men would visit this child, bearing gifts worthy of a king.

But on the night he was born, his mother looked down into his sweet face and loved him, not for what he would do, or for who he would become, but simply because he was her baby.

God did not have to come to us in the form of an infant. He could have rode in on a white horse, or with great riches, or a gallant army. But he didn’t. God chose to come among us at one of humanity’s finest occasions: the birth of a child.

A love Mary had never felt before swelled up inside her, and although she might have been scared at the thought of new motherhood, she was going to be fine. Not because she would never make mistakes, but because four billion years’ worth of mothers had come before her, and prepared her for that moment.

Now that baby grew to be a man. A man that was fully human, and fully divine. As our Colossians reading for the day states, he was a man whom all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

During his time Jesus made many remarkable statements, one of which was “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is known as the golden rule. We often think of Jesus as revolutionary, but history tells us that he was probably not the first to make this petition.

This rule, or a variation of it can be found in many religions and cultures, some well before Jesus’ time. God chose to reach down to us with outstretched arms of love in the form of Jesus and save us. But while he was here, why would he tell us things we already knew? Specifically the golden rule, which we had already heard?

Perhaps he wasn’t trying to tell us something new. Perhaps he was simply trying to remind us of who we really are. That deep down, we were made to love and be loved.

Jesus came into this world experiencing the beauty of humanity, but in the Gospel for today we learn that Jesus died seeing the worst of us.

Betrayal.

Mockery.

Destructive arrogance.

Just as he could have come into this world in glory, we might wonder why he didn’t leave in glory. “"If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"

But Jesus was loyal to the human race to the very end. Even defending us in our failure to see what we were doing.

At his death a criminal is promised paradise. Not because he has earned it, but simply because he asks. Through the interaction with this man we witness Jesus’ compassion. A compassion towards humanity that is profound, and certainly not well deserved. Even at his death Jesus does not stop demonstrating how to love.

This week we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. A feast day where we remember the coming of Christ, and recall his claim to return in glory.

Today also marks the end of our church calendar, next week begins Advent, our church new year.

The Christ that arrived, and died to save us, is still arriving.

Between this Sunday and next Sunday we have a beginning that’s like an ending and an ending that’s like a beginning.

As we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ, today we reflect on the promise of his second coming. As Fr. John mentioned last week, we can only speculate the date and time of this second coming.

So what do we do with ourselves in the mean time?

We strive to remember his words of hope.

We strive to remember his acts of compassion.

We strive to listen to the whisper of God which tells us we are made of love.

The whisper that is intertwined with grace that is boundless and love that is never withheld.

A whisper that is deep within us, waiting to be awakened, and which is our human responsibility to listen to.

The quiet whisper that speaks of such wonderful things that often seem too good to be true.

Patience.

Acceptance.

Forgiveness.

The Scottish theologian George Macleod puts it this way, in a reflection titled On Where Jesus Died:

“I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the marketplace, as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a high cross between two thieves: on the town garbage heap; at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew, in Latin and in Greek…. At the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse and soldiers gamble. Because that’s where He died. And that is what He died about. That is where we ought to be and what we should be about.”

We can strive for the kingdom on earth by reaching out to everyone we come into contact with. Not just in places we are comfortable, but in places we are uncomfortable.

God calls us to love radically.

We begin with Christ, and we end with Christ.

When we love ourselves and each other for God’s sake, we can be Christ in the world, every day of the year.

Amen

Wooden Airplanes

While working last week, I ventured out of the office and on to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore floor. As I wondered the aisles, there was an older gentleman in the home improvement section looking through some storm drains. I noticed a slight look of concern on his face. His name is Mr. Mitchell and the following is the conversation we had,

Me: Do you need any help or have any questions?
Mr. Mitchell: How much is this piece of piping?
Me: I'm not sure, but I can check with the register and tell you how much it is.
Mr. Mitchell: Great, I LOVE THIS STORE!
Me: Well, BRILLIANT! When did you first come here?
Mr. Mitchell: Today, it's my first time I have ever been here.
Me: Wow, love at first sight.
Mr. Mitchell: Let me explain, let me show you something.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a photo-book. Before he opened the book, I assumed he was going to show me pictures of his grandchildren. Nope, he opened the photo-book to show me pictures of wooden rocking airplanes, like the ones little kids can ride. They were identical to the ones someone could purchase out of a catalog.
He flipped the pages and showed me the differences between each plane. Each one was individualized with different paint combinations for the strips and body of the plane, along with a finishing coat of shellac to make it shine. He explained that his doctor told him to get a hobby when he retired, so he started making these planes for children. By the looks of the planes, it was as if he had been making them for years, but in reality he had only been making them for ten months. We chatted a little longer, and then I took him to the register to find out the price of the storm drains.
Mr. Mitchell's passion for those wooden rocking planes was a glimpse into his love and attention to detail for others. Like the photo-book, I hope that all individuals somehow carry around what they love in their back pocket. Whether it be a tattoo or a necklace, these things invite people to have conversations. It gives us the opportunity to share what we love with them, which is a vulnerable position to be in. Is that such a bad thing? Perhaps the more willing we are to share with others, the more others will be able to share with us. Whatever it is we share, whether it be wooden airplanes or pictures of the baked goods we just made, it can positively impact others. If we are willing to share in the first place, think of how many conversations will begin to take off.

God Works in Miraculously Silly Ways

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

For many years I worked in a Godly Play classroom, in the preschool room. You never know for sure how your morning will go when telling stories to three and four year olds. On many occasions we would get to a place where we were all engaged, and attending to the task at hand, while keeping our hands to ourselves, and not distracting our neighbors. On other occasions it would be obvious early on that listening quietly to a story would not be the primary objective of the morning, instead we would learn what it meant to be together. I would have to follow the flow of the children, trusting that although not much attention was being paid to my prepared story, that we were doing the worthwhile work of learning to be in community with one another. After working in these classrooms I've come to learn that in either situation the spirit is present and flowing between us, sustaining us in that circle of love and giggles. But there is one morning that has stuck with me, and that I continue to learn from. The story for the day was the parable of the deep well. This is not a parable you will find in scripture. This is an enrichment parable through godly play. A parable which is used to explain what a parable is.

During this story a person, who has been wandering through the desert comes to a great well. Unlike others who have passed by quickly, this person doesn't hurry, despite the dangers of the desert, the heat, and the lack of water and shelter. Eventually this person finds a bucket, and various pieces of rope, which he ties together in order to draw up the water. The story says, “The person drank the cool, refreshing water and was changed.” During our wondering time open ended questions are asked, I wonder what your favorite part was, I wonder which part was most important, I wonder where you are in the story, etc. When I asked the children what part they like best, a three year old girl raised her hand. She had been quite enthralled with the story, and I was curious what her responses would be. She answered, “My favorite part was when the person drank the water and was changed.” Then she got a magnificent smile on her face, and she added, “I wonder if he changed into something silly!” We finished our godly play session, and as anyone who has worked with children in a spiritual setting knows, I left full of joy, and with the impression that maybe I was the one who was being mentored and spiritually directed.

In today's gospel we are told a similar story, of two men, who are or will be changed. At first we are introduced to characters we are already familiar with. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.” It only takes a few glances at the New Testament to get an idea of what kind of person a Pharisee was. We know them to be strict keepers of the law, and often used as an example by Jesus of what not to be. If the saying went “What would Jesus not do?” Then perhaps the answer would be, “Ask a Pharisee.” Likewise, we know the tax collector, maybe not this specific individual, but we know his type. We know that he and his cohort were often the chosen company of Jesus, while being despised by others. So perhaps this story is not as shocking or astonishing to us, as it would have been to first century listeners, who would have viewed the Pharisee as a well-respected member of the community, and the tax collector as foe, someone who took advantage of others, and was loyal to the dominant power of Rome. We can try to relate more to the story by identifying today's Pharisees and tax collectors, which in our diverse world, would be varied and would change depending on who you ask. Pharisees might be described as a respected parishioner, someone who fills out their pledge card in a timely fashion, or any other respected member of our community. And the tax collectors of our day, would be anyone on the outskirts of not only our society, but of our specific social groups. The aggravating boss or co-worker, the ex-husband or wife, the homeless individual that we don't feel we have time to deal with in our hectic schedule. Any individual with characteristics that might cause us to utter the words, “Thank God I'm not like that”

After Jesus introduces these characters he tells a story which reiterates his way of turning everything upside down and inside out. We have a pharisee which we can all relate to: A man who takes his job seriously, goes above and beyond the call of duty, and who truly believes that by doing so he has been raised above his peers. In our American culture we understand that, we feel for him. We study for exams, create impressive resumes, and work hard to stand out from our peers, all of which are good things when trying to secure a college acceptance letter, a job interview, and other temporal recognitions. However, sometimes when we are preparing ourselves to come before God, we forget that it is not about us, and that far more is at hand than we can take credit for.

Likewise, we can relate to the tax collector, both of Jesus' time, and of our own time, as the disdained individual that God openly advocates for. He is assessed not on his own merits or blunders, but because he had the courage to pray, “Here I am Lord, what a mess.” He had found the great well in the desert, abandoned himself to the life giving water, and was changed. Through the trans-formative power of God, rejected tax collectors are exalted, and self-righteous Pharisees are humbled. God works in miraculously silly ways.

On some days we might be the Pharisee, and on others the tax collector, but what we have to remember when we are getting ready to come close to the sacred, is that if we hold on to our own concepts and perceptions how of God works we can miss the point. When we walk up this aisle and kneel at the altar rail together, it is not because we have earned our right to be here, nor will we be turned away because of our faults. God loves us enough that he is not amazed by our successes, or frustrated by our failures.

There is a text from the 14th century titled The Cloud of Unknowing which states, “It is not who you are or what you've been that God sees with His merciful eyes, but what you want to be.” I hope for all of us that when we leave this place, whether from worship, a bible study, or fellowship activity, our goal is not simply to be able to say “There is another church attendance to mark in the record book.” But rather, “I have been refreshed, and renewed, and I am now more prepared than I was before to go out, and do the work which God has given me to do.”

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Faith

You are one smart cookie. If you haven’t heard that before, I am telling you now, you are one smart cookie. To the untrained eye, a chocolate chip cookie is a chocolate chip cookie, but that is completely false.

Let’s examine the humble chocolate chip cookie. In every basic chocolate chip cookie recipe there is flour, baking soda, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, butter, and of course chocolate chips. Each ingredient has its own unique properties. Flour; it provides structure, sugar; it adds sweetness, baking soda; leavens, etc. These single ingredients are mixed together in one bowl and come together to form a dough. The dough is portioned out and baked, sometimes. I say sometimes only because sometimes a batch of dough never reaches the oven, its eaten straight from the bowl, no judgment there.

Regardless, the ingredients have been thrown into a single bowl and transformed from single ingredients into delicious chocolate chip cookies. The ingredients alone are nothing spectacular, but when they come together they turn into something quite delicious. The whole cookie tastes better than its individual parts.

The sum is greater than the whole. Last week during Morning Prayer, the reading for the day reflected this simple idea. The reading was a letter from Paul to the Corinthians, and stated, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body so it is with Christ.” Each individual has their own gift. It may be something as simple, like drawing a funny cartoon or calling a friend, but it is a gift to embrace and share. That gift is important to everyone. These different gifts, support all individuals in their daily life and work whether we recognize it or not. We are connected by these gifts through the Holy Spirit, God.

Come back to the simple chocolate chip cookie. Yes, the ingredients are different, and perhaps they can stand alone, but it is when they come together that spectacular things happen. Remember we are all smart cookies, we all come from one bowl, and through faith in God; we will never crumble.