On the Way to Wonder

         I was shocked to learn that the musical version of the Lord’s Prayer sang in this clip by Andrea Bocelli, one of my favorite singers, was actually written in 1976 according to the Internet.  It was sung at my wedding in 1976!  Albert Hay Malotte set the prayer to music even though that had been done many times before.  His version is the one most of us identify today.  Mr. Malotte was born in Philadelphia in a musical family as his father was a choirmaster.  He loved the organ.  I was also surprised to learn that Mr. Malotte wrote the ballet music for Little Red Riding Hood which brought him to the attention of Walt Disney.  As a youth he was a prizefighter and boasted he had actually fought Jack Dempsey.  But music was his talent.  He wrote the music for “The Big Fisherman” and “Lady and the Tramp.”  Listening to Bocelli sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a treat.  Listen to the words.  What jumps out to you?  Meditate on it.  Blessings.

Matthew 6: 9-15

“⁹ ‘Pray then in this way:

Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name.
¹⁰     Your kingdom come.
    Your will be done,
        on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹     Give us this day our daily bread.
¹²     And forgive us our debts,
        as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³     And do not bring us to the time of trial,
        but rescue us from the evil one.

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

         The Lord’s Prayer is one of those famous prayers that we are taught when we are young.  I started with my kids right after they had mastered “Now I lay me down to sleep.”  I would drop a word here and there and gradually drop phrases and pretty soon they too could say it with me.  Liturgical churches say it every Sunday.  It is no more special than our spontaneous prayers but it is the model Jesus gave us and sometimes when our souls are despair, those things that we learned that are deep in our soul, rise up to give words to feelings too complicated to express.

         Many find great comfort in being invited to address the God of the universe as Father.  Those with painful memories of their father may find it difficult and go to another word like Mother or Lord.  More important than the title is the invitation into an intimate relationship of family.  God’s kingdom is not like our world and we need to remind ourselves that we desire to live God’s way and not the world’s.  Daily bread pulls our hearts into the present and encourages us to shove those fears about tomorrow into God’s hands. 

         Forgiveness is a tricky one.  Jesus reiterates it at the end of the prayer.  Just saying, “I forgive you,” does not resolve deep pain and betrayal.  But then as we have seen, vengeance does not either.  Sometimes we need to put things that irritate us into God’s hands and do it many times.  Forgiveness is hard work.  But we do want God to forgive us.  So if there is some grudge or point of anger still brewing in your heart today, take it to the Lord.  He understands betrayal, fair weather friends, and hypocrisy.  One of the meanings of the incarnation of Jesus is that God understands those things that hurt us so much and he knows far better than we how to deal with it.  That give me comfort and I hope it helps you too.  Blessings as you work on forgiveness!

Yesterday we pondered our motivations for making donations.  We may donate to thrift shops to help the poor.  But missionaries have stories of receiving donations of used tea bags!  In Kenya we shopped at “the bend down market.”  Bags of used clothes that could not be sold in the USA were sent abroad and laid out along the road with flip-flops scavenged from the beach.  Sharing with the poor is not wrong but the motive behind sharing becomes the problem.  God knows our hearts and so doing deeds from selfish motives while impressing others, does not impress God.  God sees our hearts and secret motives and desires.

         Today Jesus continues in the same vain of speaking to the secrets of our hearts. He addresses prayer.

^“5 ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.^[b]

⁷ ‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6: 5-8)”

Again Jesus confronts us with the motives of our hearts that only God can see.  Prayer is an outward symptom of an inner relationship.  Are we hypocrites?  Are our motives selfish because we want relief for ourselves for a given concern or do we genuinely care about the issue we are discussing with God.  Tomorrow we will look at what is known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Today let us ask God to help us be honest with ourselves and that he would reveal any hypocrisy in our hearts.  Lord, we want our prayers to be genuine and pleasing to you!  Blessings.

         This paragraph near the end of Jesus’ State of the Union address is a bit tricky.  Fund raising is a very real part of our culture.  Radio programs seem to have a week twice a year when they ask people to pledge and offer incentives and rewards.  The rich offer to match donations to a certain limit.  Mugs with logos might be given for gifts of a certain amount.  Likewise we have plagues on walls in hospitals and colleges acknowledging the big donors.  Politics offer tax breaks if we give money for campaigns or parties.  We want to be seen as kind and sharing of our wealth.  Helping those less fortunate than our self is a deep value for many.  So understanding the next section is challenging.

“6 ‘Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

² ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.(Matthew 6:1-4)”

         I would suggest that the problem is not the publicity of our gifts but the motives of our hearts.  If we give to get…praise, prizes, popularity or whatever then we are living in that “tit for tat” world Jesus has been talking about.  Giving money to get praise and love is the flip side of the coin of giving revenge to get even for wrongs suffered.  That coin is temporary satisfaction whether it is money or hate.  Good deeds done in secret are seen by God who sees our secrets.

         So perhaps we have secrets in our heart that we think no one sees.  Our public persona, our face the world sees, may be covering secret scars, secret desires, and secret generosity.  We may think no one notices us but God sees, the good and the ugly.  And God rewards.  That is a promise that is worth remembering as we enter 2023!  Blessings on your secret life!

During preChristmas evenings, I took a break from watching the love stories that seem so romantic during the season and happened upon three movies based on true-life stories.  Big name actors played key roles and I was fascinated.  The stories all came out of World War II.  A subtle theme was dealing with people thought to be spies because either they helped the Russians who were Allies at the time or helped to defeat the Germans who were the known enemy.  The movies challenged my definition of who the bad-guys were.  So often we define the enemy as that person who disagrees with us or who is on the opposite team than us.  I bet many of us can still chant our high school cheer from football games!

         Jesus challenges our concept that bad guys are to be defeated, beaten.  He calls on us to love our enemy, love those who persecute us.  Really????

^“43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)”

         Jesus gives two reasons.  First God blesses the good and the bad.  The “laws” of nature and life do not just work for the Christians, the people who believe like us, the smart, the talented or the healthy.  Good people die young and nasty people may die old.  Disease attacks all of us.  Interest rates impact all of us.  Refugees come from all econommic classes and ethnicities.  Secondly, people of all religions and ethnicities are nice to people who are their friends.  The difference is when we are counter-cultural and when we return good for evil.  Jesus takes our emotional responses to others out of our own feelings and lhas us ook to God as our model.  I heard that explained this weekend as not mimicing Jesus.  Our goal is not be be copy-cats of Jesus but to allow his Spirit to work in us so that we become our best selves, the selves God created us to be, where his image shines in us.

         This year when we are challenged, may we stop and ponder how we can return good for evil.  May we not be so quick to label the other “the enemy.”  May we remember to stop and pray.  May we desire to be called “children of our heavenly Father.”  Blessings as you face this challenge.

         We are now in the season of Epiphany.  Epiphany means a new revelation or idea.  We might say, “The light dawns.”  When our first son put on a suit to take a young lady in a fancy dress to the Senior Banquet, we suddenly realized in a new way that he had grown up.  He went to boarding school in Africa and so we did not have the everyday experience of watching him grow.  When he put on a real suit and she in a fancy dress, we gasped.  Of course, we might look at Newton, discovering the law of gravity when the apple fell.  During the season of Epiphany we look at this babe of Christmas who grew up and was baptized by John the Baptist.  A voice from heaven said, “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.”  What?  Son of God?  Something new has happened within Judaism.

         True, the Romans believed in gods that had children with humans but not Judaism.  During Epiphany our Sunday sermons will look at the Sermon on the Mount, that has been dubbed Jesus’ “State of the Union Address” where he lays out his beliefs about how life in “the kingdom of God” works.  The sermon texts will go from Matthew 4 to Matthew 6.  Our daily devotions will continue from where they leave off to check out this “new guy on the block.”  Is he God Incarnate?

^“38 ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” ³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; ⁴⁰ and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; ⁴¹ and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. ⁴² Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

 (Matthew 5:38-42)”

Our world works with an underlying “tit for tat” principle.  If I commit a crime, I can expect to be fined or jailed.  If I am caught cheating on an exam, I can expect to fail.  Was the “election stolen” is a new mantra right now.  We are struggling also because the mass shootings especially at schools, robbing us of the lives of others, has no punishment that can bring back life.  We struggle with appeasing our desire for revenge.

         We also say “quid pro quo” or “trade-off” and “you don’t get something for nothing.”  Jesus presents a revolutionary new worldview where there is no tit-for-tat, no revenge for wrongs, but where evil is met with good.  He seems to be saying that “love” is stronger than “hate.”  Good will conquer evil!  Generosity and putting the others needs before your own is the best way of life to make life work.  Truly? We ask.  Mostly we do not take these verses seriously but we do know that forgiveness may be the only way to end the hatred and revenge cycle. 

         Perhaps there is an old grievance you have been carrying around in your memory.  Forgiveness is hard.  Sometimes writing it down and then burning it helps.  Sometimes writing it down and putting it in a box for Jesus to take care of helps.  Other times we do what we know is right even when we don’t feel like it and discover we feel better despite our feelings. 

         Let’s not head into 2023 with old grievances that weigh us down and that cast shadows on the present.  May we be more generous and willing to share with those in need.  Lord, help us be kinder in 2023!

Cecil Frances Alexander, author of this hymn, was born in 1818 in Dublin, Ireland.  Even as a young child she wrote poetry and would hide it under the carpet for her father to find.  Rather than punishing her as the family expected, he bought her a beautiful box in which she collected her poems and then would read them to the family on Saturday evenings.  Her poetry can be found in “Once in Royal David’s City” and “All Things Bright and Beautiful.”  She married William Alexander, an Anglican priest, and would write hymns for the end of his sermons.  This hymn was written for Matthew 4 that we started looking at this week.

         Jesus was baptized and then led into the wilderness and tested.  Evil led him to doubt God’s word (“IF you are who they say you are…), God’s will (surely God does not want you to get hurt….) and God’s way (skip the cross and worship me.)  Jesus responds with Scripture.  So many things in life, “the tumult of life’s tempestuous seas”, rock our faith boat but Jesus calls to us even as he called Andrew and Peter to follow him a few verses later in Matthew 4.

         Let us spend a moment listening to Jesus right now calling us to follow him in the journey of our lives!

Have you ever been tempted to take a short cut only to discover that the short cut was the long way around a problem?  One of the “typical” mistakes my husband and I have frequently made through the years is for me to do half the task while he does the other half and then we spend the time we saved trying to find each other in the store or hospital or where ever.  I learned to drive on the Los Angeles freeway.  I quickly learned that switching lanes back and forth because one lane looked faster than the other, invariably led to frustration and I seldom traveled faster.  Short cuts can be deceptive.  “Easy” is seldom easy.

         Jesus has been tempted by his “hungers.”  If only we could turn that which appears like a rock into bread, surely his hunger would be satisfied.  The satisfaction is temporary though and he reminded us that true satisfaction comes from God.  Next Jesus was tempted by his physical or emotional needs.  Surely if God loved him, then God would not allow Jesus to be hurt.  Growth involves learning from our mistakes and adventuring into new areas that must be mastered.  Lastly the Evil One tempts Jesus with taking the easy way, the short cut.  If Jesus would worship Satan then he would not have to go to the cross.

         We know this temptation.  The little voice makes us think if we fudge on our income tax return and get more money back, then we would have an easier life.  Ads make us think if we use their product then we will look younger.  But in fact, our back still hurts.  Then again we have just been plagued trying to find the right gift so the other will know how much we love.  Next year we will try again.

^“8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; ⁹ and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

“Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.”’(Matthew 4: 8-10)”

         In this temptation we learn that the best way forward is to keep our priorities in order.  In the 60s there were books on “values clarification.”  I believe there is a saying, to thine own self be true and thou canst be false to none other.  It is only as we worship God and serve him that we find peace.  The short cut may look easier and faster but true joy comes when we live with integrity with our faith and our God.  As 2023 begins to unfold, it might be worth taking a few minutes to jot down five values that are important to you and stick the paper in your Bible so that during those dark days you can pull it out and remind yourself that worshipping God is the best way, not necessarily the easiest!  Blessings.

Have you ever doubted God’s love for you or your value to him?  “Fiddler on the Roof” has several delightful scenes where the father, Tevya engages God in conversation about how God cares for him, Tevya.  “If I Were a Rich Man” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc grabs something we understand in our hearts.  We don’t want everything, just a little of the good life.  Later Tevya invites God “while he is in the neighborhood” to care for his horse who is lame-again.  Delightful.  The Devil tempts Jesus to test God’s love “if he is the Son of God” by throwing himself from the Temple.

^“5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

“He will command his angels concerning you”,
    and “On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’ (Matthew 4:5-9)

Our faith in God is tempted when we are driven by our hungers as we pondered yesterday but also when we are overwhelmed by our problems.  We can hear that little voice on our shoulder saying that the God of the universe who has cows on a thousand hills and all power could certainly…  The “if you loved me, you would…” line are words most of us recognize.  I heard it on dates.  I’ve heard it from my kids when they are upset with me.  I have even entertained doubts about God when I am caught in circumstances that I am defeated to resolve.

         Jesus responds to the Devil, “⁷ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ Again, I find comfort in James 1.

^“12 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. ¹³ No one, when tempted, should say, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; ¹⁵ then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. ¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved.^”

2023 will include those moments when we are tempted to think God is testing us because he does not love us.  It is easys to think he is busy over in Ukraine or the Middle East and does not see that our horse is lame.  May we have the clarity and self honesty to realize that often those down days come from within us and our desires to be a “wealthy man.”  Blessings with your lame horse, again, today!