Prayer Is An Answer Not A Question

REFLECTIONS
September 27, 2009

I was taught a very common children’s prayer as a child, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. I pray the Lord my soul to take.” The prayer would continue with a series of God bless mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, cat and any other elements a young mind could think of to add. While modern spiritual formation tells us this probably is not the best prayer to teach a youngster it was easily memorized and frequently taught. My favorite prayer was the grace before meals. “God is good, God is great, we thank thee for this daily food by your hands we all are fed, we thank you for this daily bread, Amen.” The point for me was to say the prayer in one sentence with one breath in less than ten seconds if possible. At first these prayers seem formulaic, pedantic, over simplistic, or any number of critical thoughts which one may care to lift. However, at least someone took the time to teach them.

In my late teens as I was struggling with a call to ministry, (which I eventually answered in my mid-twenties) my mother asked me about my prayer life. I shared that it was much the same as she had taught me as a child. She shared that there was much more to prayer as an adult. More important still, she talked to me about her own prayer life and then helped me begin to form a more mature approach to prayer. When my mother prayed, she spoke directly to God as if she had immediate access. She prayed as one seeking advise and council. She was confident and trusting as if speaking to a friend. These were concepts I had not considered before. She made clear what she was asking for in prayer. Guidance from God for her and her family, and for a sense of protection, calm and council not things or possessions, but divine care for family, community and country. She later told me of a time when we were moving from Dearborn, Michigan to Connecticut about praying for the sale of the family home and promising more than a tithe to the Church. I asked if it worked. She said before I prayed we had no offers, and afterward we had two. I asked if she gave the money to the Church and she said you know I did, I gave my word to God. When I suggested that this was a bit like asking for money, she was quick to say to the contrary. I wasn’t seeking material gain except for the purpose of caring for my family. When I asked about the donation she smiled and said “I gave the money to the pastor, in cash.” I said how do you know the money went to the Church? My mom laughed out loud and said, “Silly, my prayer was to give the money to God not a minister. In my heart that is what was done.”

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Is A Cauliflower A Cabbage With A PHD?

Reflections

September 20, 2009

What does it mean to be wise? Is it like art or pornography, individual in that we know it when we see it? Perhaps it is like good food, we know it when we experience it. According to the dictionary, wisdom (that is to be wise) is "characterized by marked deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgment." At some level though experiencing wisdom involves perspective.

The author, Mark Twain, allegedly said of his father, "At seventeen I couldn't believe how stupid he was; then at twenty one I was amazed at how much the old man had learned." Whether true or not, Twain had different experiences of his father over time. One might say he experienced wisdom. At the very least, he wised up.

The Book of Proverbs is from the part of the Bible known as Wisdom Literature. This part of the Scripture contains poetry, aphorisms, and religious sayings. All intended to enlighten and inform people of faith. The sayings on love and service which Jesus used, along with his teachings in parables, reflect his understanding of wisdom literature.

It is true one can grow through wise sayings and learning, Biblical and otherwise. In Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar Mr. Twain writes, "Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." Later in the text he writes, "Put all your eggs in the one basket and - WATCH THAT BASKET." Wise and thought provoking sayings.

Modern Biblical scholars have taken time to explain that throughout Proverbs wisdom is referred to in the feminine gender. Specifically, wisdom is a woman. Once author has taken the time to explain the sense of this thinking, by extolling the virtues of women's intuition and nurturing qualities. Another simply suggests that God was merely using a first person pronoun in the Proverbs reference. In a moment of enlightenment, I believe it sound judgment to end this reflection now. This wisdom stuff is grand!

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Banner Over Us Is Love

REFLECTIONS
September 13, 2009

Psalm 19 is a hymn to God as creator of the universe and the origin of the Law. Much powerful music has been penned to illustrate this concept. Three which illustrate these ideas are found in our United Methodist Hymnal. The first stanza of How Great Thou Art, (written by Stuart Kine in 1953) reads “O Lord my God: when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.” There needs to be in the heart of every believer a sense of wonder, a willingness to appreciate the power of creation.

Another popular hymn which illustrates this understanding of the creative spirit is the hymn, Morning Has Broken, (written by Eleanor Farjeon and arranged by Carlton Young). The middle verse finds the words: “Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dew fall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where his feet pass.” Here the import of the message seems to be that in God, creation is whole, full and right. The law of life is found not in judgment, but in the creative and enduring movement of God.

The words to Be Thou My Vision, (translated from ancient Irish by Mary E. Byrne in 1905 and arranged by Carlton Young in 1963) have in them the implicit sense of law found in Psalm 19. The opening verse is so powerful and forthright: “Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart, naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

We so often see the work of law as a literal event as in the black and white of the printed page. However, Biblically law is bound in relationship. This is the nature of Covenant; at base, a simple form of contract. God says, “I will be your God, if you agree to be my people.” While there are commandments set forth in writing, even in stone, the bonding agent, the signature and seal in the hymns we sing cannot be legalistic tones set in concrete. Rather they must be rooted in love and bound for heaven, for the glory of God must be told indeed.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

It's Not Just The Way It Is

REFLECTIONS
September 6, 2009

Mark 7:24-37 contains two stories of healing. Jesus is in the region of Tyre. He enters a home seeking some quiet and rest, having just argued with the Pharisees over tradition and cultural practice. He tells them plainly in verse eight “You leave plainly the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.” The text records that immediately (a word Mark used more than any other Gospel writer) a woman appears at the door begging that Jesus heal her young daughter who is demon possessed. The story tells us she is a Syrophoenician and a woman. For these reasons alone Jesus would normally have nothing to do with her. In fact he refers to the possibility of attending to her needs as an act of throwing the food for the children of Israel to the dogs. The woman persists arguing that even dogs deserve crumbs which have fallen from the table. In verse twenty-nine Jesus says, “For saying that, you may go- the demon has left your daughter.” When the woman went home she found her daughter healed. Vs30

The other story in this passage finds Jesus in the region of the Decapolis. (a federation of ten cities in eastern Palestine) Here people bring to Jesus a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. They beg him to heal the man. Jesus takes the man aside and heals him in private. Jesus then commands those witnessing the healing to remain quiet about it. They of course do not.

These healing stories appear in a slightly different form in Matthew 14:21-28. In Mark they appear between very public feeding miracles found in chapter six and eight. The significance seems to be that in the face of cultural norms and practices, the love of God pushes us to move in mercy. In both the healing stories in Mark it appears at first glance that Jesus is reluctant to heal. However, when pressed his emphasis in always loving kindness. In a liturgy from the 1964 Methodist Hymnal there is a Communion prayer which parallels the woman’s response in Mark. “We do not presume to come to this thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of this Sacrament of thy Son, Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life, may grow into his likeness, and may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen” (p832)

What is so powerful in the words from Mark is the simple fact they show Jesus changing his mind. When given the option of judging the woman as unclean and unworthy because she is female and a foreigner, Jesus will not do so. When given the opportunity to make a spectacle of healing Jesus chooses to keep it quiet. Each of us with more than ten minutes service in the Church have some very concrete ideas as to the what and how of church organization in general and spiritual practice in specifics. What we see in the model of Jesus is a fluidity of faith and practice which confuses and frightens us if we are honest.

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601

The Art Of Seeing And Saying Goodness

Reflections
August 30, 2009

When growing up I remember my parents saying often, "If you don't have anything good to say about someone, remain silent." Though they didn't always practice this to perfection, neither did they go out of their way to disparage others with mean spirited evaluations.

We live in a time and space where everyone is a critic. All that is needed is a computer and an opinion. Instead of the old forum of writing letters to persons who have offended or to the editor of a local paper, people can now post their comments in an ongoing online format. This means of communication is powerful, and at times effective in terms of negative impact. This is true in part because people are in general more inclined to share negative thoughts and attitudes, especially if they can remain anonymous which is possible from a computer. This literary action is known as blogging, and while possible in the affirmative, for the most part seems to be action reserved for those who live by the power of negative thinking.

While the author of Psalm 45 writes in an open and unrestrained manner, the method and means of the writing is to lift high the positive aspects of human existence. The verses are filled with superlatives extolling God's blessings upon the subject of this Psalm.

What we say and sometimes what we may fail to say, speaks volumes about what we believe. Though we carry with us every wound and slight which has come our way, we need not be bound to, or burdened by such baggage. The love of God calls us to look beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary promise carried in God's love for us. We have a choice each day our feet hit the floor. Will we choose to be harbingers of superficial criticism, or ambassadors of superlative care and love?

Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church
4832 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601