“Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.” – Ruth 3:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 31, 2015): Ruth 3

And so it ends. It seems like 2015 has just barely started and now it is already over. Tonight we close the book on the year that was. New Year’s Eve has always been a bittersweet moment for me. It stands on the doorstep of all of the possibilities of the New Year, and yet there is a note of finality in this day. After today, there will be no events that can be added to journal we have labelled 2015. All the people who have been born in the year, and all of the people that we have been forced to say goodbye to – tonight those lists get finalized. I am never satisfied with the things that I have been able to cram into a year, and 2015 is no different. And yet tomorrow begins a brand new year, and a brand new book that we get to fill with more events from our lives. And the new book will be filled with things, both good and bad, just like last year was.

Ruth is looking for a new beginning. The past has been hard, the current moment is filled with questions about the future, poverty and worry about how she and Naomi are going to survive. Naomi is not oblivious to the problem. And so Naomi encourages Ruth to make a bold move with Boaz. She sends her to the winnowing floor where she knows that Boaz will be spending the night guarding the grain.

We miss it because we do not understand the culture, but this moment is charged with sexual innuendo. This is definitely, at the very least, a Parental Guidance moment in the story. The idea of Ruth lying at the feet of Boaz and inviting him to throw the corner of his garment over her is a sexually charged moment. But ultimately, it is an invitation for Boaz to approach her with the intention of marriage. The moment is scandalous, but it also is filled with a deep purpose. Ruth needs a new start, both for herself as well as for Naomi; this mother-in-law who Ruth has grown to love. And so she very literally throws herself at the feet of Boaz – and does so in a way that would have energized the gossip lines of the day if anyone had known. In this moment, Ruth is vulnerable. She has no idea what it is that Boaz will do, she only knows that Boaz is the only hope that she can see for a future for herself and Naomi.

I have no idea what the New Year will bring. But my prayer is that this new book that we are beginning together will be filled with promise and hope. May God give you the things that you deserve in the New Year – and a few of the things that you don’t deserve as he measures out his grace on you. May 2016 be a year that God has shaped as we throw ourselves at his feet - and may we be oblivious to the scandal that that may cause.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ruth 4

 

Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before.” – Ruth 2:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 30, 2015): Ruth 2

Introducing the new worst enemy of the United States – Canada. Well, at least according to Ben Carson and a few other American visionaries (and yes, I am using that word loosely.) One security expert began to question the role of Canada as a threat to the United States when he noticed the growing number of “hijabs” on his visit to the Northern nation. Carson has stated in his “Seven Steps to a Safer America” that placing American troops on the Canadian border would be one of his essential steps. Carson’s comment came as the GOP candidate tried to prove that he had a handle on international affairs. Unfortunately, his plan to make the United States safe by defending the Super Power from Canada sounds more like a movie plot than it does a serious suggestion on security – maybe because it is. The movie is the 1995 comedy “Canadian Bacon” in which the United States decides to declare war on Canada in order to save the Americans from Hockey, Polar Bears and Canadian Beer – or something like that. Carson may want to suffer through the movie before he goes too far with his plans in real life – the President in the movie, played by Alan Alda, is soundly defeated in his bid for re-election eight months after the American-Canadian War.

But the comments lead to some introductory conclusions. One being that it is easier to vilify people and nations and believe the worst about them than it is to make friends. In our world it is way too easy to be xenophobic (the fear of that which is not like us), and that is as true of the United States as it is of Canada – and probably almost every other nation in the world. Maybe that is one reason why I like the idea of the United Nation and even the British Commonwealth – the ideas behind these organizations is to find common ground for the nations of the world to gather around rather than intensify their fear and the xenophobia. And it is the path to peace.

In the story of Ruth, Boaz’s reaction to Ruth is amazing. It is not xenophobic in nature, vilifying Ruth because she comes from somewhere else and probably dresses differently and believes something different. Boaz instead accepts her because he has heard of what she has done for Naomi – and because of that she is welcome, even though she is different.

Our reaction seems to be almost the reverse. According to the current GOP candidates, even though 9,999 refugees out of 10,000 would be a benefit to the countries that they want to adopt as their home, the 1 who is probably a terrorist is enough reason to keep them out of our countries. The problem with that stance is that it increases the hate against the xenophobic nations of the Cultural West, and it becomes a recruiting slogan for organizations like the Islamic State. The solution to our security has never been about increasing xenophobia (which seems to be all that candidates like Carson and Donald Trump know how to do); it is by increasing the understanding we have of each other – and coming to love even those who are different – like the Ruth’s in our lives. (And let’s admit it – if the United States and Canada find that they cannot be friends, then we are truly doomed, because they have more shared experiences to base their friendship on than most of the nations of the world.)

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ruth 3

I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.” – Ruth 1:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 29, 2015): Ruth 1

In the closing moments of the Frank Capra Christmas Classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” (a movie that Capra never considered to be a Christmas movie until it was revived for television in the 1970’s), the angel Clarence Odbody leaves a copy of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” for George Bailey to find. Inside the book George finds this inscription –

"Dear George: Remember no man is a failure who has friends.

P.S. Thanks for the wings!

Love, Clarence."

The inscription is central to the movie’s theme. While George Bailey had begun to see the world in terms of profit and loss, Clarence needed to switch the focus from material wealth to the difference that George had made among the people with whom he had relationship. George Bailey had somehow lost the human connection, he had forgotten what was really important in life – human relationships. (Interestingly, this theme of the importance of people and the secondary nature of material wealth in the years soon after the release of the movie was thought by some to be anti-banker and part of a communist plot to infiltrate North America – proving the movies assumption that in a world where we are defined by material wealth, friendship is an overlooked commodity.) But it turns out the George’s friends would gladly give to George Bailey whatever it was that they held in their possession. Friendship is essential to life – and that was the lesson that George Bailey had to learn.

Maybe it is just the Christmas Season, but it is this lesson that begins to shine through in the opening words of the story of Ruth. There is absolutely no doubt that Naomi has lost much – and there is absolutely nothing that can replace the loss of her husband and both of her sons. But while she complains that she left Israel full and now is returning empty; that also is not quite true. It is obvious that she has made an incredible impact on her daughters-in-law. And while Orpah reluctantly agrees to return to her home, Ruth refuses. Wherever it is that Naomi goes, Ruth is bound to go. And (spoiler alert) Ruth is determined to do whatever she can to restore the sense of family that Naomi has lost – to once again fill the emptiness that Naomi feels as the story opens.

But none of this will be accomplished outside of the hand of God. It is interesting that while Naomi has no problem laying the blame for all that has happened at the feet of her God (The Lord has afflicted me), her solution is not to run away from God, but rather to return to him and to draw closer to him. And because of the woman that she is, she bring young Ruth with her and introduces her to the God that has afflicted her – revealing that Naomi believed strongly that a return to God was the only real solution to the emptiness that she has experienced in her life.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ruth 2

But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.” – Judges 8:23

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 28, 2015): Judges 8

Ben Carson insists that the American political system was never intended for “career politicians” but rather for “citizen statesmen.” Many have disagreed with the Republican candidate’s words insisting that historically it is just not true. Of all of the previous Presidents of the United States, all but three were career politicians; and the three that were not career politicians were all military officers who attracted attention through their own military prowess. If the United States elects a President Carson, Trump or Fiorina next November, it will truly be a first – for the first time a citizen statesman without previous political experience will be elected to the highest office in the land.

But the real problem might be the process. While it might be good that someone desires the highest office (and I am not always convinced that that is true), it definitely cannot be the most important factor. Too much desire can easily be a negative element in allowing the politician to do the best job possible. Yet the process seems to honor extreme desire, often placing that desire at the top of the list in deciding who it is that will be the next to lead the nation. What I think that Carson might be getting at is just that. Extreme desire and the need for power can become an end in itself – and when that happens the President fails and the need for power becomes focused in other areas of the President’s life. I sometimes wish that it were possible to find the reluctant Leader of the nation or the organization – the one that takes on the leadership not because he can or he desires the position, but accepts the office because he must, and who all too willingly relinquishes control when that control is no longer a necessity.

That pretty accurately describes Gideon. He takes on the leadership of the nation because it is thrust on to him. He is successful in his campaign against the Midianites, but when the necessity ends, so does his time of leadership. Gideon recognizes that he is a farmer, and desires to be nothing else. He does not wish to be king, that position he will leave in the hands of God. He served because he found himself in a position where that service was required. And now that his service had ended, Gideon humbly gives the reigns back to God who continues to be the King of the land.

There are many ways that I hope my own leadership echoes that of Gideon. That I humbly am able to serve in leadership because I must, not just because I can. And that when the time of my service comes to an end, I am able to humbly and without bitterness hand the reigns back to God – and the next servant who replaces me and leads only because he or she must.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ruth 1

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. – Judges 7:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 27, 2015): Judges 7

The earliest use of the word “Christian” was probably as a term of derision for the early church, or the “followers of the way” as they would have most likely described themselves. To be a Christian was almost the same as being a criminal. The name Christian itself simply means “follower of Christ,” which to the early observers was simply a ludicrous statement. Why would you follow an executed criminal rather than someone of power and influence – like Caesar? But more than that, Christians were often accused of being guilty of disturbing the peace. They tended to enter into an area and disrupt the common practices – especially if those practices involved worshipping other gods. The common practice at the time was to add gods to the Roman Pantheon of Gods because there was no limit to the number of Gods that Rome could serve. But the Christians and their Jewish predecessors had this silly idea that their God was the only god and they resisted the idea of their God becoming just one of the many. Once a person became a Christians, it was common practice to devalue and throw away the gods they had served previously – and that disrupted the commerce and the social institutions of the day. So the term “Christian” was a term of dishonor.

But it didn’t take long for the Christians to adapt the name as a term of honor. The name “Christian” fit – it described exactly who they were as “followers of Christ.” What was meant originally to be a put down, became a term that the group of believers used to describe themselves.

In the story of Gideon, we see the same process happen with this God-called Judge. After he destroyed the altar dedicated to Baal, his enemies and servants of Baal began to refer to Gideon as “Jerub-baal” – the name literally means “let Baal contend” with him. But by the time we reach this part of the story, Gideon has accepted the name as a badge of honor. He most likely interpreted the name as “the enemy of Baal,” which was the perfect describer of exactly who Gideon was. He was the enemy of Baal and he meant for this false god to have to contend with him. And so Gideon begins to call himself “Jerub-baal.”

I admit that I have had a struggle with the term Christian. I have often joked that if the name just wasn’t so biblical I might choose another. But the truth is that more than 2000 years after the time of Christ, the name remains a good describer of who I am – a follower of Christ. My prayer is that I can live up to the name, even if in some areas the name is still used as one of derision.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 8

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” – Judges 6:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 26, 2015): Judges 6

Maybe it is the real Christmas question – if God has come then why is the world the way that it is? If the incarnation is a real thing, and not just the product of someone’s imagination, then why is it that evil seems to reign? Why does something like the Islamic State exist to spread their own special breed of hate in the world where the Christ of love has come? Why do people do evil when it is the goodness of God that is supposed to be making a difference in this world? Just why?

It is the question that is on Gideon’s lips. And it is one that we ask continually ourselves. If God is really with us, why has all this happened to us? Gideon had heard the stories of a God who had released Israel from their lives as slaves in Egypt. He knew the stories of the crossing of the Red Sea and all of the tales of a man named Moses. But none of that was doing him any good in the place where he lived. They were just stories of the past. What Gideon needed was a God who wanted to do something to him now.

And sometimes that is exactly the way that the Christmas Story seems to us. It is a story, nothing more. The baby in the manger ranks up there with the Story of Santa and his reindeer, or the Elf on the Shelf. It makes no difference in the world in which we live.

What Gideon – and we – miss is that we have a role to play in the process. God has come to us in a way that Santa never will, and God was with Gideon. But what Gideon failed to understand is that while God had chosen and was with Israel, Israel had never really chosen to be with God. And that was the question that the angel had for Gideon. God is with you might warrior, will you choose to be with him and be the agent of change that your world needs.

We live in a world where Christians seem to believe that the world is in a downward spiral – and it when it reaches the bottom Christ will return. But the biblical story does not seem to support that idea – at least not as long as we choose to be with God. The reality is that we are the Gideons of our generation. The core message of the season is that Christ has come – he has chosen us. And if we are willing to choose him, then we will be the agents of change for better in this world. But just as was true with Gideon, first we have to choose the one who has chosen and come to us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 7

Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in song. – Judges 5:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 25, 2015): Judges 5

Welcome to Christmas Day 2015. A day of trees, lights and presents. But sometimes we miss that it is also a day when the walls are being torn between people. The birth of Jesus was the great equalizer. The king who was born in a barn. Angels sang to lowly shepherds. Foreign representatives, Magi who worshipped a different god, on this day were welcomed into the presence of the God that they did not know come to earth. I am not sure how any of this could have been expected. The song that the angels sang was not aimed at just one race of people. And the audience was not just the shepherds – it was the world and every person in it. On this day, the universal message is proclaimed, and the universal song is sung.

Song is a common way of celebrating something. We sing often to express our emotion and our desire. We sing because we are happy and we sing because we are sad. We sing because we worship. We sing to express ourselves. In the church that I pastor, a Kirundi speaking congregation also meets. They have quickly become my friends, which is a lot to say because there is a difference in the language we speak. And, when I can, I love to just sneak into the back of the church and listen to them sing. I don’t understand the words that they are singing, but the truth is that I don’t have to understand. The song they sing is universal. I can hear the joy in the melody and see their joy in the worship of our God in their dancing.

Deborah’s song is a universal song. It is a song that belongs to everyone. And we know this partially because of the way she addresses the song. It is sung to Kings and Rulers, as well as to the Princes of Israel. And while it might be tempting to imagine the Kings and Rulers as being the poetical imaginings of Israel leadership, we still need to be aware that at this point Israel had no King on the throne. Israel was designed to be a theocracy where only God could rule as King. And at this point in their history there seems to be no desire to put an earthly King on the throne that belonged to God. (That desire would surface later)  The object of Deborah’s song is the King of Israel - and all praise belongs only to him. She wants the earthly kings to realize that God is on the throne, and she in victory worships him – a behavior that the kings of the earth might want to adopt – because the one who had proved her power also bowed her knee in worship of this God.

Today we sing our own universal song. And the object of the song is the King born in a manger. He is the one who rules the earth. And heaven and nature sings his song.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 6

Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” – Judges 4:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 24, 2015): Judges 4

Tonight our waiting ends. Tonight we remember the prophecy that has come true. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Advent, that period of waiting and expectation ends tonight. Tonight is a night of faith and belief in what a child might do – especially one sent from God. Tonight the one that we have been waiting for comes, not as a warrior, but as a defenseless child in a manger – which increases the demand on our faith.

Barak in the story of Deborah has often been an example of a lack of faith, despite the fact that he is listed as one of the great examples of the faith in Hebrews 11 between Gideon and Sampson. But his reputation for lacking faith may be undeserved. Yes, he refused to go into battle without Deborah which many have taken as a reliance on Deborah’s faith rather than his own. But a lack of faith is not the only possible reason that Barak may have wanted Deborah’s presence at the scene of the battle. It was common practice in Oriental cultures to take what was most valuable to the battlefield. The idea was that the army fought harder when those of value were close by. And the Prophetess Deborah was of great value to all of Israel. If anyone could unify the forces and cause them to fight hard, that person was Deborah. With this mind, Barak becomes a great military strategian rather than simply a man who lacked faith. The presence of Deborah at the battlefield would stimulate the valor of the troops as well as give the official sanction to the battle itself – both things that Barak needed.

So maybe this night is the appropriate place for the story of Jesus to begin – with a baby born in a manger. Even as a child he became a unifying force bringing together shepherds with wise men, priests and priestess with those who did not even hold a belief in the God of Israel. Here the battle for our souls begins, with a baby lying inside a manger – a child of great value to the world protected by nothing more than barnyard animals.  

It is a great story – one that needs to be told with every chance that we have to tell it. And we continue to speak the words of Barak in great faith to this valuable child of the manger - “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 5

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. – Judges 3:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 23, 2015): Judges 3

Christmas 2015 will most likely be remembered for giving us what I understand is “the greatest Star Wars since the original.” Or maybe the sequels, or more importantly the prequels, were so bad that it just makes this movie look as good as the original (To be honest, I have enjoyed all of the previous six Star Wars Chapters, but there was something special about the first one – or is that the fourth one – it is so confusing.) In four days I will find out for myself – the tickets are purchased and the family is ready to go and see “The Force Awakens.” But in recent days the internet has been alive with nostalgic pieces about the science fiction franchise – from things you didn’t know about the franchise to how much money the various participants in the franchise have made off of Star Wars (and an interesting piece on Disney’s refusal to be involved in the original movie project for a pittance of what they had to pay to get the rights to make episode seven.) But maybe one of my favorites was a countdown of the best villains of the franchise. If you missed the list you can find it here along with their descriptions of the villains – but basically this is what they came up with –

#10 Greedo

#9 General Grievous 

#8 Jango Fett

#7 Count Dooku 

#6 Jabba the Hutt

 

#5 Darth Maul 

#4 Boba Fett 

#3 Grand Moff Tarkin

 

#2 Emperor Palpatine

#1 Darth Vader

Villains are always a lot of fun – well, at least they are in our entertainment. A good movie, or television show, or a good book all depend on a good bad guy. They set of the tension for all that will happen next.

But in real life, the villain is never good – and never needed. But the reality is that the top villain in life is also very controllable – because he is me. I don’t need to look any further than myself to find the bad guy in my life. Oh, there have been others that have been pebbles in my shoes, but when it comes right down to it the bad guy, the one in control of what is good and bad in my life has always been me. I might want to blame others, but I was the one who set up the conditions for the negative moments in my life. It has always been that way.

The book of Judges is all about the cycle of bad and good in the lives of Israel during this point in history. Bad things happened, and God sent a judge to free the people, and for a while things went good, but then they fell apart and went back to bad again until the next time that God would send his judge. But the reason for the bad had nothing to do with a lack of a leader or the designs of the enemies of Israel against the fledgling nation – and everything to do with the bad guy inside the people of Israel herself. They were the ones who did evil in the sight of God. They were the ones who chose the idols of the land over the living God. They did it. We like to pretend that Satan is the number one villain, but even he falls short of that spot – because Geraldine Jones was wrong – the devil can’t make me do anything.

It is Christmas. And we need to remember the words of the angel – “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). It is the promise that we all need to hear. The child of the manger has come to save me – from me.

And that is the truth of Christmas.

The Real Number One Villain in my life – He is Me 

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 4

But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. – Judges 2:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 22, 2015): Judges 2

Adolf Hitler was present at a point in time that was really simply a perfect storm for Germany. Germany had lost World War I. In defeat they were belittled. Economic penalties made them poor and hungry. They no longer possessed then ability to govern for themselves. And then Adolf Hitler arrives on the scene. Hitler was shy, he had dropped out of school in order to paint and then promptly failed at that. He had very poor debating skills, but he had an idea – and that idea was that the Aryan race, of which he believed the Germans were apart, was special. IN Hitler’s mind, history had proven it. And it would be proved again.

And so Hitler started talking. And crowds of people who had been put down in life showed up to hear him speak, to be told that they were special. That God had a special plan for them. He began to point at the other races among them, blaming them for the problems that Germany was currently experiencing. He also pointed at political systems, assuring Germans that both Democracy and Communism were flawed – and that they would never survive. But Germany would. In fact, Germany would one day rule all of Europe. This was destined to be true.

And the Germans believed. They fell in line and followed this charismatic leader, seldom even seeming to question whether or not these things could be possibly true. These were the things that they needed to hear. And their allegiance to Adolf Hitler was, for the most part, unshakable until the tide began to change and German forces began to rapidly lose ground near the end of World War II. Adolf Hitler had believed his own agenda, and had over reached like so many charismatic leaders before him. When it became obvious that Germany had once again been on the losing side of a World War, their charismatic leader committed suicide leaving his followers both confused and afraid. The charismatic leader had instilled hope, but in the end the hope proved to be false. And the people were left without a strong leader to follow.

The judges of Israel were unofficial leaders that God had raised up, usually to deal with a single issue. They had no power beyond their charisma. There was no election, no symbol of office and no national proclamation. They simply were the ones that God had placed in the perfect storm of the struggles of the people. The nation itself was unconnected. There was no king, and often even tribal leadership was weak. But God would raise up a judge, often a person with great charisma, that could change the situation in Israel. Sometimes these judges were a local phenomenon. The reigns of some judges overlapped with other judges. But all of them were raised to be the leaders of the moment that God had given the task of solving a significant problem in Israel – and all of them entered into history at the moment of a perfect storm when something had to be done. While Hitler used his perfect storm moment and charisma to lead Germany into great evil, the judges, at least most of the time, used their charisma to lead Israel into good. And as long as they were present, Israel did well and devoted themselves to their God.

The problem was that while the nation was good under the influence of the judge, once the influence of the judge was removed, the people fell back under the influence of other charismatic leaders and religions that led the people away from God. The cycle of - struggle, relief under God’s judge, success under the influence of a judge, and then sin after the judge’s influence was no longer present and a return to the struggle - seemed to be perpetual within the nation. And that was the problem

Maybe in ancient times it can also be understood. But the birth of Jesus was supposed to change all that. Jesus came into the world to be Emmanuel – “God with Us.” The influence that we crave now resides inside of us. God has become our judge in a way that Israel could not know him. And that is a game changer – for us and those around us as we are never far from the one who influences our lives.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 3

Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. – Judges 1:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 21, 2015): Judges 1

Christmas is just around the corner. In popular culture, it is, of course, the night that Santa takes the idea of an eye for eye to a new level – judging between those children who are naughty and those who are nice. There is a scene in the Christmas movie “Arthur Christmas” where the elves use their nice-o-meter to judge what it is that the child should receive. In one house, the meter tips to the mostly naughty side, and the elf shines the meter on himself to get it to shift to the nice and side and give the child presents that he really doesn’t deserve. And that is a pretty good illustration of what we believe that Jesus has done on our behalf.

The story of Adoni-Bezek may seem like a strange and twisted Christmas story, but it actually highlights an aspect of Christmas that I think we forget. Adoni-Bezek was a Canaanite king who dealt with his conquered enemies in a very cruel way. The seventy in this passage should probably just be interpreted as “many,” but the actual number does not change what he did. Adoni-Bezek was known for cutting off the thumbs and the big toes off of the kings he defeated. They lived, at least for a time, but they would never be able to hold a sword or be able to run in battle ever again. All they were able to do was pick up the scraps under the kings table like unwelcome rodents.

Tradition holds, based on this verse, that Israel then did for Adoni-Bezek, what he had done to his many kings – they cut off his thumbs and big toes and sent him to the newly conquered Jerusalem as a slave. There he died, according to tradition, in the city within months of his arrival, most likely due to an infection from the mutilation that he had suffered. Essentially. Adoni-Bezek was judged to be naughty and he received his appropriate reward.

But while Judah and Simeon had fought and defeated Jerusalem, apparently they could not hold it. Later in Judges 1 we are told that the Jebusites were still living there (Judges 1:21). David would take the city and make it his capital, but only for a period of time. Eventually the Babylonians would level the city. The Maccabees would free the city and place it under Jewish rule once again, only to lose it to the Romans. Today the city exists in a state of tension between Palestine and Israel. Both lay claims to the city, yet neither possess the city. Historically it would seem that the status of Jerusalem has always been either temporary or in question.

So Jesus came, not as a military leader who would finally free Jerusalem and Israel from the hands of their oppressors, but rather as a child born in a manger in Bethlehem, not far from the City of Jerusalem, and who would die in Jerusalem for the sins of the many (insert Adoni-Bezek’s seventy here if you wish.) He gave to us his righteousness so that we would forever be known as his children. What Jerusalem could only know for periods of its history, we can know permanently – that we are in the possession of God and that we have become his city. And this is something that an eye for an eye has never been able to produce. It only happens because we have been given the righteousness of the child born in a manger and not what was due to us – as was given to Adoni-Bezek.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 2

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. – Judges 21:25

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 20, 2015): Judges 21

Donald Trump’s supporters seem to remain confused about why the world outside of Trumpville does not understand Trump’s common sense proposal that Muslims temporarily should be refused access to the United States. And, to be honest, those who live outside of Trumpville are amazed that the Trumpites can’t see that this is a really bad idea. First and foremost, it goes against who we are, not just as a nation, but as a continent. The words of the poem “The New Colossus” which is engraved on Lady Liberty keep on returning to my mind. The poem, written in the Nineteenth century, calls Lady Liberty herself “The Mother of Exiles.” But it is the end of the poem that is probably the best known. It is the well-worn refrain that guided the New World through its development.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

This is who we are – it is who I am. My ancestors started to come to North America in the middle of the 17^th century – starting to arrive as far as I have been able to discern around the 1650’s. My family has been here since almost the beginning of the European invasion of the New World. They came from Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Germany and France - among others of the ancient lands and the storied pomp. Most landed in New York, and almost all landed long before Lady Liberty began to stand guard over the city and the New World – but the belief was the same. In our diversity we will be made strong. Give us the garbage and the discarded peoples of the Old World, and we will make the New World a beauty to behold.

The problem would seem to be simply this. To discard the principles upon which we have built the nations of North America is to weaken and destroy her. We will finally become the ancient lands and storied pomp that drove our ancestors to go and live somewhere else. Or we can hold to our principles and allow all people “yearning to breathe free” to enter and, maybe, the extremists of a religion most of us still do not really understand will attempt to destroy us. The difference is that with the first, the leaving of our principles, we will definitely be destroyed. With the second, an incursion of the radicals that might come, we might be destroyed. I would rather chance the latter and live according to our principles than experience the certainty of our destruction at our hand that will come with the violation of our founding principles.       

The experience of Israel with the tribe of Benjamin was a dark moment in the history of ancient Israel. Historians have used the term “The Israeli Civil War” to describe this period. The children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, maybe for the first time, picked up their swords to battle each other, and to drive one of their tribes almost into extinction. On this day, Israel almost lost a part of its diversity.

And there are parts of the story that almost sound God-ordained. And yet the author of this account would seem to disagree. There is a repeated refrain throughout what we have as the latter part of the book of Judges. “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” The implication seems to be that, just maybe, God was the excuse and the justification for the action, but none of this was really according to his will. Everyone simply acted as they thought was right, really without much thought to what God might want. God just became the politically correct words that were used in the forming of the arguments. And in this period of time, it seems that the people from Trumpville won the day, fear and ignorance reigned and God was essentially forgotten.

It is most likely that these last few chapters have been placed at the end of Judges to connect with the events found in the Books of Samuel – and Israel’s search for a king. But for some the placement is wrong. It would seem that these events must have happened much earlier – for one thing, the first king of Israel would come from the now decimated tribe of Benjamin that is described in this passage – and a single generation does not seem to be long enough to provide for that transition to happen. Others have pointed out that the king was always God. And now was not the time for the human kings to take the throne, but for God as king to raise the Judges.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. In those days, the destructive ideal of segregation and alienation that are an integral part of Trumpville took precedence over every other concern. But that was about to change – God the king was about to send the judges on their way.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 1

The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire. – Judges 20:48

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 19, 2015): Judges 20

In April 2013 “Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead” from the Movie “The Wizard of Oz” made a surprising comeback to the British Music charts – and it also was added to a growing list of songs that have been banned from being played over certain radio stations. In the case of “The Wizard of Oz” ditty, the banning from British radio stations may have been a bit of a surprise for most of the world, but highly logical in Britain. On April 8, 2013, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died and the song, which was originally recorded in 1939, stopped being about the death of a fictional witch and the enemy of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” and started to become a message about the policies of The Iron Lady by people who did not appreciate how Thatcher had remolded Britain. The authorities decided that the song celebrated death and, at least in this moment in time, nothing could be more inappropriate. Of course, the problem with the banning – as is true with most episodes of attempted censorship – is that it simply made the song even more popular, eventually driving the song to hit number 2 on the British charts that April.

Margaret Thatcher might be a hard person for history to judge. Her reputation will most likely experience some ups and downs. Thatcher needs to be remembered for all of the good that she has done. She is repeatedly included on lists of the most competent Prime Ministers in the history of the United Kingdom. But she also ruled with an Iron Will, and that will likely cause some problems with the way history remembers her. But the reality is that the good and the competence might have been wasted if she was also easily swayed and lacked the will to put what she thought was right into British Policy. She was divisive and may have unintentionally devalued Scotland, but whatever the verdict, one thing that remains certain is that Margaret Thatcher must be remembered.

As we near the end of the story of the unlucky Levite and his concubine, there can be no doubt that what was being attempted was not just the erasing of the Tribe of Benjamin as a people, it was the erasing of the Tribe of Benjamin from the collective memory of Israel. The sin committed in murdering the Levites concubine was unthinkable within Israel – and the kind of action that Israel often seemed to accuse her enemies of committing. But the goal does not seem to be just the erasing of a people, but rather the erasing of even the memory of the people within the society. Everything that belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin was burned and nothing was redeemed. All that was of Benjamin needed to be lost.

But in the end, Benjamin would not only be redeemed, but would once again prove her value among the Tribes. And even this town of Gibeah, where the incident between the town and the Levite and his concubine started would prove to be important, because Gibeah would also be the birthplace of Israel’s first King, Saul; and Benjamin would be the tribe of origin of the Apostle Paul, the first and foremost theologian of the Christian faith. Benjamin’s memory and presence within in Israel proved to be important for the future, not just of Israel, but the world. But that didn’t seem to be even remotely possible in this moment of time as her memory was burned by those who simply wanted to rid Israel of what the terrorists in Gibeah had done.  

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 21

Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, “Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!” – Judges 19:30

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 18, 2015): Judges 19

“Terrorists like ISIL are trying to divide us along lines of religion and background. That’s how they stoke fear. That’s how they recruit.” The words belong to President Barak Obama in his weekly Saturday address made last weekend. And he is right. It has always been that way. Terrorists of all kinds seek to divide us. Some of them, like the Islamic State do it in hopes of inflicting physical damage. Some, like many Christian groups, want to divide in order to inflict emotional, mental and often spiritual damage. But all seek to divide us along some sort of line of their choosing. And they are all terrorists. The appropriate reaction is to refuse to allow them to do that. What that means in our current situation is that we cannot allow the Islamic state or the far political right to be allowed to divide us on racial and religious grounds. We must refuse the pressure to lump all Muslims together in one basket – just as we need to be careful not to lump all Christians into one group. The time has come, in fact it is long overdue, for the Christian and the Muslim to stand in solidarity against terrorism that is being perpetrated by the Islamic State on one side, and Christians who want to restrict religious freedom, especially when it comes to Islam, on the other. Both are terrorists.

Yet, it is also almost human nature to make the division. Maybe that is one reason that we need to be so careful. If someone from another race hurts you, the natural reaction is to fear others from that race. But the dividing line does not have to be race. It could be anything that sets the person inflicting the pain apart from you.

This is one of the sad stories of the Bible. The main character in the saga is a Levite living in a remote area within the tribal lands of Ephraim. And the man is making a journey. He specifically avoids the city of Jebus (Jerusalem) because at the time it was home to a group of foreigners. In his mind, he had already drawn a line. Instead, he pushes on and stops in a town within the tribal lands of Benjamin. His belief is that because the people of Benjamin share a familial relationship with him that extends back to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that here he will be safe.

But that is not the truth. He might have been actually safer within the walls of Jebus with foreigners than he was in this town in Benjamin. And during his one night stay, his concubine is killed. The Levite mourns her murder at the hands of the townsmen and sends out her body parts to the twelve tribes of Israel. The people are incensed. Something must be done. And a new dividing line is developed – this time between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the tribes of Israel. The offense is not restricted to just one town within Benjamin, or even to its more likely cause of one group of people who have terrorized the town. It is all the people of Benjamin that are judged to be evil and must be destroyed.    

The result will be the almost genocide of the tribe of Benjamin as the terrorists living outside of Benjamin react to the terrorists living in this one small town within the tribal lands. And the genocide almost happens because one man was terrorized, drew a line, and the people decided that something must be done to reduce the risk of further terror in Israel.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 20

There the Danites set up for themselves the idol, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. – Judges 18:30

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 17, 2015): Judges 18

We live in a culture that features choice – sometimes too much choice. It seems invariably that whenever someone sends me on an errand to get something for them, the purchase is never simply an easy pick up. No matter what it is, I always seem to be confronted with choices that were never delineated in the request. Food comes with a long list of choices in the way it is prepared. Most of us shop at big stores that feature long shelves of very similar items. Sometimes they are simply items of a different color, or a slightly different shape, or maybe just the same item from a different manufacturer. And we are forced to make a choice on which one we want to purchase.

During the last few decades we have started to design church with the same opportunities for choice that we have in other areas of our lives. Christian worship services are now available that feature different musical styles, or services that are available at different times, or even with different translations of the scripture being used in the worship of God. The Christian Church has started to make its worship convenient. But the nagging question inside of me is simply this – what if the church was never intended to be convenient? What if church is supposed to be inconvenient, forcing us into its mold – instead of us fitting worship into our mold?

The Danites steal an idol and a priest, and then set up a new priesthood so that they could worship somewhere other than Shiloh. Again, there is no indication that they are rejecting the God of Israel, just the way that God was being worshipped by the other tribes of Israel. The edit of the text indicates that this practice was continued from this point, likely early in the period of the judges until the Captivity of the Northern Tribes by Assyria which began in the latter half of the 8^th Century B.C.E. And their justification for their action was that the Tabernacle in Shiloh, and later the Temple in Jerusalem, was simply too far away. It wasn’t convenient and worship in their own territory was. Convenience won out over the law and it became the deciding choice for the tribe.

But worship of the God of Israel was not supposed to be convenient, Israel was supposed to be inconvenienced by their worship. The decision to worship the God of Israel was supposed to surpass all obstacles.  And maybe that is the real definition of worship – not doing what is convenient, but pursuing God even though he is inconvenient.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 19

Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household gods and installed one of his sons as his priest. – Judges 17:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 16, 2015): Judges 17

I struggle with the concept of the Atheist Church. Or maybe that isn’t quite right. Maybe I understand it more than I am willing to admit. As far as I have been able to tell, the Atheist church combines the basic human need for community, the idea of unconditional acceptance and a place for the struggle for meaning in life, all unencumbered by an inconvenient belief in the existence of God. And I get that. I understand that as much as God has chosen his church as the method of bringing these very elements into this world of ours, the Church (and for the purposes of this discussion I will limit it to the Christian Church, because it is the organization with which I am most familiar) has failed completely at reflecting God and these important human elements to the world. Every time I hear about a new scandal inside the Christian Church, there is something inside of me that shrinks and shrivels. This is not who we are supposed to be. The Christian Church was never intended to be an institution of hate. God is not the God of hate and judgment, but we (the Church) seem to have the passion to reveal him as just that.

So knowing that we have revealed a god that does not reflect the one who has called us, I get that there is a temptation to want to erase God from the equation – to be able to struggle with the meaning of life without having to struggle with the character of God. My problem is that I really believe that these things are only available, at least in their highest form, from God. Community is only available in its highest form from the God who exists in essential Community as Father, Son and Spirit. Unconditional acceptance, in its highest form, is only available from the God who is willing to separate us from our sin as far as the East is from the West. And a safe place to struggle for the meaning of life only exists within the confines of the one who gave us life. The problem, which our atheist brothers and sisters have rightly noted, is that the Christian Church still struggles with these concepts – we haven’t arrived yet. And while some of us are quite aware of that fact, others seem blissfully ignorant of our own shortcomings.

So Micah begins to set up his own religion. It is important to note that he has no intentions of serving Ba’al or Moloch or any of the other Canaanite gods. His intention is to build a religion with a God that he can proclaim is the God of Israel, but who in actuality is just a god that he can control – or no god at all. He is attempting to build a church without the inconvenience that the real God of Israel introduces. His religion features all of the trappings and ornamental features of true Judaism, but its heart, the God who has removed Israel from its slavery and guided them into the Promised Land, has been removed. And that is a problem.

I started off by saying that I don’t understand the Atheist Church, and yet I do. The reality that I know is this – many Christian Churches are really already Atheist Churches. We have done the same things that Micah tried to do. We have retained all the external trappings of the Christian Church, but we have removed its heart, because God no longer resides there. In his place is either a god that we can control – or no god at all.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 18

Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. – Joshua 24:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 15, 2015): Joshua 24

I seem to be haunted by Donald Trump’s words that he has never done anything for which he needed to ask God for forgiveness. I struggle to understand the words. We all need forgiveness because on some level we all mess up. And forgiveness is often elusive. There have been moments in my life where forgiveness for my missteps has not been granted. And those moments still weigh heavy on me. So Trump’s words are a source of confusion for me. And his words seem to force me to choose between two possible outcomes. Either Donald Trump is much more perfect than many of us give him credit for, and maybe his name should be written Donald (Jesus) Trump because to my knowledge the only person besides Donald who never had to ask for forgiveness was Jesus, or he has a very low understanding of the demands of God. My guess is the latter, because even in his current campaign, there seems to be many moments for which Mr. Trump needs to ask forgiveness. I think God may hold Donald Trump to a higher standard than the Donald seems to think he will be held.

And that is the essential meaning behind Joshua’s words. The words seem strange, almost an oxymoron – God will not forgive. I mean, isn’t forgiveness part of the essential nature of God. I get experientially that there are people in this life who will not forgive our missteps (in my life I have a list that shapes who I am of those who have refused to forgive me), but surely we can depend on God to be willing to forgive.

But Joshua does not want his followers to take God lightly. His demands on those who choose to follow him are high (which sends us back for forgiveness often). And it is precisely the Donald Trumps of this world that need to hear Joshua’ message – you are not able to follow him, especially if you refuse to take him seriously.

A number of years ago I was helping a gentlemen return some borrowed tables back into the church. The man was just doing a favor for the one who had actually borrowed the tables, so the two of us grunted and lifted the heavy tables off of his truck and then down a set of stairs into the basement where the tables were stored. But much to the consternation of his wife, my new friend seemed to be unable to do the job without spreading some four letter words over the task. Finally his exasperated wife exclaimed – Honey, he’s a pastor! - to which the man replied – Good! Then it’s his job to forgive.

Maybe too many of us have this attitude when it comes to God. It is God’s job to forgive so I don’t have to even try to do what is right. And it is to that attitude that Joshua exclaims – Don’t even bother trying. God is holy and jealous. And forgiveness is unavailable for those who will not even bother to try and serve him.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Judges 17

So be very careful to love the LORD your God. – Joshua 23:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 14, 2015): Joshua 23

We are a people easily misled and tricked into believing what is false. News headlines do it all the time in an effort to attract our attention. A recent headline that caught my attention heralded that the woman who perpetrated the San Bernardino killings had a Canadian connection. But when the article was read, the Canadian connection proved to be that the school she attended in Pakistan also had classes in both Canada and the United States, and that the head of the school currently resides in Canada. Not really much of a Canadian connection, but the headline worked – I read the article. Or maybe it is the headline that proclaims “Obama’s New Plan to Attack Terrorism” which is really “Obama’s Same Old Plan to Attack Terrorism with Different Titles” depending on which side of the political aisle you have decided to declare your attachment. There is nothing objective about the news, because there is nothing objective about us – we are nothing more than the sum of our beliefs.

And so we are easily made to believe things that are false. Our parents used to be concerned about who it is that we hung around with as children. The question was whether or not they were a good influence on us – because the truth is that our worldviews can often be molded by the environment in which we live and work. We cannot believe that the workplace gossip has no effect on us. It is often shaping us in a very real way. Our workplaces often decide for us our economic outlook, our political stance, our spiritual beliefs and our physical health. And it is all there in the things we learn as we talk around the water cooler.  

Even the news we seek out shapes us. It is no wonder that Fox News and CNN share the news differently – they are separated by a very real ideological difference and both see the world in which we live very differently. I have friends that find news stories that I rarely see, and the difference is in the way that we see our world. If you see the world as a dangerous place, then you will find the evidence of that belief wherever you look. If you believe that the devil is hiding under every rock, you will find him there. If you believe that the world and the people in it are basically good, then get ready for people to call you a Pollyanna, but you really will see the world as a more positive place.

As Joshua begins to exit public life in Israel, he has one last piece of advice for his followers – see God and love him in the lives that you will live. No matter what happens, see the hand of God in your life. Recognize in the good that God’s presence has enriched you. Recognize in the bad that his strength has carried you. See God everywhere that you go and love his presence around you. If you see God then he will be there. This is his promise to each and every one of us. Live with a world view that allows him to be the one who shapes your every single moment.

And be careful to love him for everything that he does in your life. If you will do this, then the world really will be a better place – at least for you.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Joshua 24

And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them. – Joshua 22:11-12

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 13, 2015): Joshua 22

In the early moments after the San Bernardino shooting, the big question that was being asked was why it had happened. The earliest reports indicated that someone had had a fight inside of a Christmas Party that was taking place in the building and had left and then returned with two others and started shooting. The theory was later debunked. There had been no fight that morning. Then reports of the massive number of weapons and ammunition that they assailants were carrying began to emerge, along with the existence of explosives. We wondered if there was a terrorist connection, but we still had questions. Backgrounds on the subjects began to surface, an internet guided meeting, the woman was labelled as an Islamic extremist who may have been trolling the internet in search of a gullible American husband who she could hold control over. There were messages made in favor of the Islamic State, but questions about whether the Islamic State even knew of the couple’s existence before the blast, thinking that that might also be an important piece to the puzzle. President Obama lagged behind even his own advisers in labelling the attack a terrorist event, trying to keep his options open as the search for truth continued. But finally even he had to agree that the San Bernardino attacks were at the very least “terrorist inspired.” But the questions continued to rage. We may have more answers to our questions but there are still others that are buzzing around us. And they all seem to start with “why.” Why the timing? Why the target? Why a mild mannered employee who rarely spoke turned into a murderer involved with terrorising his own friends – and incidentally terrorised and killed even some who shared his own Islamic faith. Why?

The problem that I think the West has been slow to understand is the why of the Islamic State? We can watch programs on the subject and still not scratch the surface of the problem. The why is not necessarily what we might want to believe it should be. It is ideological, but not totally. It is based in the need for political power, but that isn’t the total answer. It is a desire to be known, but that is only part of it. It is a desire to prove that they are different from the West and that the West should simply leave them be, but that isn’t the total answer either. It is a culture that has been born out of violence and guns, often supplied by superpowers, trying to show the world that they know what to do with the weapons, yet still nagging questions remain. What is becoming clear is that full scale war against the United States is exactly what the Islamic State desires, and therefore it might be the last thing that we should give to them. This problem might have been started by weapons, but it just might be that weapons will not be able to finish it. We must find another way.

The Transjordan tribes finally return home to start to build their lives. This portion of Israel existed on the East side of the Jordan River and would be separated from the rest of the nation by that river. But on their way home they paused and built a huge altar. And the tribes on the West side of the Jordan gathered their troops ready to declare war on their brothers. And the important question is why.

The reality is that both sides saw something different in the act of building the altar. The altar itself was a replica of the one that had existed in the tabernacle at Shiloh. This was why the Western tribes chose Shiloh as their rallying place. For the Western tribes, the presence of the altar just across the River Jordan was a declaration of Independence made by the Transjordan Tribes. And the presence of the altar was in violation of Israel’s belief that all the religious functions should be completed at the Shiloh. It was obvious that from now on they planned to only sacrifice at the abomination of an altar by the river – and to declare their independence from the Western tribes. And that meant it was now time for war.

But that wasn’t really the “why” behind the altar. The Transjordan tribes had built it as a reminder that a united Israel existed on both sides of the Jordan River. And both sides wanted the exact same thing, a unity between the tribes. But that was only revealed when they were willing to stop and examine the why.    

Today’s Scripture Reading: Joshua 23