weak can be good

I overslept so we will plan to do chapter 3, "Stringing Pearls" in Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg, next Wednesday. Read the chapter work through the questions following it. Like the book the chapter is most helpful for us to better understand what Scripture says.

When we feel weakness this can be a precursor to God's blessing. When we are weak we can identify better, and more closely with other fellow human beings, just as Hebrews points out about the priests in the old covenant, but even our Great High Priest in the new covenant, Jesus.

Feeling weakness in whatever way can also help us be more dependent on God and rightly interdependent on each other in Jesus. We know that we can't make it without him, so we cry out to him in faith, and look to him for the help that he alone can give to us. And we also look to others to pray for us, or offer any words of encouragement and insight they might have from God.

I have seen God's blessing come through either into my life, or through what I had to do into the lives of others, in the midst of my weakness. In answer to prayer the Lord makes his power known in our weaknesses.

This is part of our walk by faith and by the Spirit here. I find that I distrust myself more and more as I get older. Because I know God's blessing comes from God, not from me. And even when we not only are weak but look weak, God's power through Jesus by the Spirit can, and often will come forth.

What have you found about this in your own life?

back to a quiet time

Not long ago I posted on "meeting with God." From that exchange, specifically through Every Square Inch's comment which got me to thinking, and from whatever else along the way moved me to do so, I went back to having my quiet time first thing in the morning after I grab my coffee. It has been good, and I see that as in a sense my favorite time of the day when I seek to draw near to God.

I had reasoned that I am with God all day, in Jesus we live in God's Presence. So that I did not see any special need of a special time daily to draw near to God, since I was more or less trying to do that all day. But there is wisdom, I believe, in setting aside a time and not letting anything interfere with it, a sacred, quiet and cherished time when I seek to come near to God. Of course when we do we have God's promise that he will come near to us.

This move was verified by a retired professor who visited our church last Sunday during his excellent presentation in which he noted quiet time as one essential in the life of a follower of Jesus. Also contributing to my thoughts and reflection on this was a poem by Marcus Goodyear entitled "Stumbling out of Heresy."

This goes to show the impact blogging does have on us, surely in ways we don't realize, but also in ways at times when we do. And how we can impact each other for good.

Do you have anything you'd like to share on any of this?

being present for each other

I was impressed in listening to Krista Tippett interviewing Parker Palmer (you can listen or read the transcript here yourself, or podcast) about the economic downturn and how we as Christians need to look at it. Palmer himself is a Quaker, and the hour was filled with wisdom.

What stood out for me is how this economic downturn may be an occasion for change in the church. I have found the church generous up to a point in helping the poor (I speak in generalities; there are some outstanding examples). Of course there is needed accountability, handouts by themselves aren't the answer. But as Palmer stated, we live in a rugged individualistic society where it's up to each one of us to make it ourselves. There is some help within the system for those who don't, and this varies depending on where people live. But by and large there is not much for us to fall back on, should any of us fall.

I am Anabaptist to a significant extent. The Amish are one group from the Anabaptists (I was raised Mennonite) who do find help and security in falling back on each other. They are committed to seeing each other through. Of course this is a joint venture, and while there are surely those who are wealthier and those who are poorer among them, they work at making it more of a common sharing, helping those in need, one obvious basic example from them being their barn raisings.

The question comes back, what about those who are not so deserving of help because of the continued misuse of their finances? Of course none of us (very rare, certainly not myself!) can claim to have always made wise financial decisions. And there may be some who have this and that expense which they don't really need or maybe would do better in life, without. This calls for a personal, prayerful self-inventory for all of us.

We need to offer help to those in need, and part of that help will be encouragement and indeed, a call toward responsibility. Those whose spending is out of control can't expect to be supported in that kind of lifestyle. They may need special help, but there will always be some who refuse such, and therefore can't be a part of this needed dynamic. After all each needs to be there for the others, as well as having the others be there for themselves. In such cases help comes sadly to them from a bottom rung such as in shelters and soup kitchens. With hopefully the kind of help that can get them back up on their feet.

Should this be a part of our Christian witness in the world? Why is it so lacking among us (or so it seems to me)?

What might you add to these beginning thoughts on this subject?