Moses' Open Letter to God

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." – Numbers 20:12

Dear God,

You ain’t right!

Ok… I guess by definition that can’t be true… but I don’t know. I’m pretty upset. You asked me to face Pharaoh and be the instrument of your miracles so that the Israelites could be free.

I did it.

You asked me to hold up my staff so that the waters would stay parted and the people could cross.

I did it.

You asked me to dictate the laws, administer the laws, and oversee the building of your fancy Tent. You asked me to lead your people, these people who constantly whined about wanting to be back in slavery rather than walk the path to their promise. And when you lost patience with them I stepped in, and asked you to forgive them.

I have been patient for all of these years. I didn't even bat an eyelash when you said that the entire doubting generation wouldn't see the Promised Land. I was cool with that. I could wait forty years for you.

But I struck the rock and now I can’t go into the Promised Land?

That’s foul.

I don’t understand it.

Ok… it is true that when I needed help you provided it. You did work the miracles that brought us out of Egypt. You were the one who brought the manna. You brought the quail. You put your spirit on the elders so that I didn’t have to bear the burden alone. And even when I struck the rock, you still made water flow out.

Ok yes… you’re pretty gangsta.

I should have trusted in the power of your word. I should have trusted that words alone would bring water from the rock just like your words created the universe.

So I guess I was wrong. Sigh…

I just have one request. Can I at least see the Promised Land? Miriam and Aaron are already gone so I know I am not far behind them.

But if I can just see it… that would be enough for me.

Thanks.

Your Humble Servant,

Moses

Today’s Reading: Numbers: 20-22; Mark 7: 1-13

Self or Others

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. – Mark 6: 45-50

Here’s the story of Jesus walking on water again.

What a show off.

But this telling of it is interesting. Or perhaps I just didn’t notice it the other times I read it.

The reading today starts off with Jesus trying to get some quiet time for himself and his disciples. The twelve disciples have come back from the mission Jesus sent them on to preach throughout Israel. As they are trading war stories they are bombarded by all kinds of folks.

So Jesus says ok, let’s bounce to a remote place so we can get some peace and get a bite to eat.

As they are in a boat making their exit five thousand men (as well as untold numbers of women and children) run to their destination and get there first.

Drats. Ok… I guess now Jesus has to preach to them and feed them all with a miracle.

Done.

So then finally when the people are physically and spiritually fed Jesus gets to pray alone. But then when he’s done he sees his disciples on the water trying to row against the wind.

Sigh…

So Jesus catches up to them on foot, (walking on water of course) gets in the boat, and then the wind dies down. Finally they can be on their merry way.

What a day!

I like how Jesus managed to take care of everything. He started the day wanting to find some peace and quiet and he ended up finding it. Along the way thousands were fed.

Most of us have a hard time striking that balance. Either we take care of others to the detriment of self, or we look after self to the detriment of others.

This day in the life of

Jesus shows us that this balance is possible. One should not be done at the expense of the other.

Rather, if we are on the right path, there will be ample room in our lives to take care of others and ourselves.

Today’s Reading: Numbers 17-19; Mark 6: 30-56

Keep it Pushin

"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph,^a]"> Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” – Mark 6: 2-6

Have you ever worked hard at making a positive change in our life only to find that those closest to you are your harshest critics?

Well you’re not alone.

Jesus went home, brought his message, and folks weren’t feeling it. The response to him was pretty interesting. They were like… “man we know Lil Jesus from round the way. Now he wants to talk like he’s God? Who does he think he is?”

Given the historical and spiritual context it may be easy to come down hard on these folk. But here’s another way to look at it.

It is hard for people to change the way they think.

This manifests itself in many ways. It is hard for many of us to break habits or take risks. But it is also hard for us to change our perspective about ourselves and those around us.

So, say you used to go out and drink and party every night of the week with your old buddies. Then for some reason you decided that this wasn’t for you. You decided to focus that time on building a business, writing a book, pursuing a dream…

This new “you” that you are becoming may be hard for those old friends to accept.

But when it comes down to it… sadly, it doesn’t really matter. You still have to do what you have to do to become the best you can be. Hopefully those that we have grown up with and love will be proud of who we become. But for the ones who aren’t… that’s their problem.

Jesus was amazed at their lack of faith in him too. But what did he do?

He kept it pushin’.

There was more work to be done elsewhere.

Of course loving relationships are extremely important, but it is also important to recognize which ones truly support your continued growth and which ones do not.

Very tricky… but hey, not everything in life is easy right?

Today’s Reading: Numbers 15-16; Mark 6: 1-29

Clear Vision

"Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.

But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.

With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?" – Numbers 12: 6-8

This story starts off with Moses’ brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, talking smack about Moses because he married a Cushite (Ethiopian) woman. God hears it and then calls the three of them to him and says what is quoted above.

Then ZAP! He put that leprosy on Miriam.

Rough game.

Then Aaron begs Moses to pray to God so that God would forgive her. He does, and after seven days outside the camp she is healed. During that time Israel could not move forward. That is some serious public shame.

There are several interesting things about this story to me.

First of all… score one for interracial marriage! God wasn’t having any smack talking about Moses and his choice of wife. I think this says a lot about how important marriage is to God. It’s a permanent spiritual bond. When it is attacked, God is not pleased.

The next thing is the mention of how special Moses was. He wasn’t merely a prophet. He was the most humble man on earth! And as a result of his humility and faithfulness God spoke directly to Moses and revealed his form to him.

When we look back at all of the preparations that the high priest must perform before going into the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement, this says a lot.

The priest had to be ritually cleansed so that he could be in the presence of God and live to tell about it.

That’s just a Tuesday afternoon for Moses.

Here again are the recurring themes of faith and humility. The more faithful and humbly we live our lives, the more God reveals himself to us.

But also there is a flip side to this. God is always with us. But when we are blinded by selfishness and arrogance we cannot see outside the prism of our own interests.

Faith and humility allow us to see life much more clearly. The longer one walks that path, the clearer the image of God becomes.

Today’s Reading: Numbers 12-14; Mark 5: 21-43

Following Directions

Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. - Numbers 9: 17-19


Have you ever worked with someone who doesn’t follow directions? I never understood why God seems so frustrated throughout the text until I saw this first hand.

There was a woman who used to work near me. She had the job of running some very specific reports and analysis for our VP of Marketing. When she first got the position she did as she was told. He gave clear instructions, she followed them. All was good in her cubicle world.

Then she started thinking…

Now… thinking is good. I like thinking. In fact, as evidenced by this blog, I love to think. But she did something interesting…

First she started by suggesting different ways to do the work. She had some good experience so the VP looked into her approach. However, after looking into it, there were some critical things missing. These were things that she couldn’t see because she didn’t have the proper perspective.

The VP is the VP for good reason.

So instead of taking this as a learning opportunity, she seemed to decide that she knew how to do his job better than he did. Over the next several months I watched him nicely try to get her to follow basic instructions to no avail.

One day her cube was empty. I was not surprised.

I know that I look at a lot of the things in the Bible this way too. There is so much that I agree with and understand. But there is also so much that I don’t understand. In the past I used to fight against it. I figured that if I didn’t agree with something then it was wrong.

I was right. That’s all there is to it.

But something amazing happened. As I continued to live life, I started to see how some of the disagreements that I had were misunderstandings on my part. I lacked the proper perspective to understand these things simply because I had not lived them.

So what does one do with this? Do we accept the things in the Bible or the ideas of our leaders as fact to be followed thoughtlessly?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

But it may be helpful to realize a few things… Maybe we don’t have all of the answers. Maybe there are some things that we don’t understand. Maybe there are some things that are beyond our understanding.

So if you have faith in where the instruction is coming from give it a chance. Often times the reason why we don’t like a particular instruction is because it is something that challenges us to grow.

Not all the time… but often times.


Today’s Reading: Numbers 11: Mark 5: 1-20

Are Your Dreams Big Enough?

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"Mark 4: 39-41

The back story here is that Jesus and his boys are on a boat and they are hit by a sudden storm. The waters were rough and the wind was blowing like crazy.

What was Jesus doing? Sleeping like a baby.

Who is this guy!?

So his disciples woke him up and were like yo… we need you to get up and do one of them miracles that you do. We’re about to drown out there.

One of the things that I really love about this story is the tone that Jesus took with the disciples. It is as if he was annoyed that they woke him up for such a trivial matter.

Even though the matter at hand was a force of nature!

He did come to the rescue, but not without saying that they should have been able to handle it themselves.

“Why are you so afraid, Do you still have no faith?”

No faith? Does not being able to stop the wind and waves mean that his boys had no faith?

I guess so compared to the man that feeds thousands with a fish and some bread.

This makes me think though. What is our true potential? What are we capable of doing if we allow ourselves to believe?

The remarkable thing about the disciples is that they were not remarkable at all. They were regular folk. And it was these regular folk that Jesus believed could control the wind.

They are no different than us.

This is one of those passages that gives me the audacity to question my dreams. Am I thinking big enough? How are my fears limiting the scope of my imagination? Am I truly striving to be all that I can be, or rather just what I think I can be.

Because hey, if Jesus was disappointed that his boys couldn’t stop the wind and waves, maybe he’s telling us through that message that we can do so much more…

Much more than we even dare to dream.

Today’s Reading: Numbers 7-8; Mark 4: 21-41

Shine

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

" ' "The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

"So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them." – Numbers 6: 22-27

When I first read this I kind of glanced over it. But something told me to go back. I asked myself… what exactly does this mean?

This is the priestly blessing that was passed down to Moses, and through Moses to the people. Obviously there is something very deliberate about each word.

So I read it a second time and this sense of overwhelming peace came over me. The power of this blessing it still sinking in, but this is what I have so far.

“The Lord bless you and keep you…”

This gives me a sense of comfort and security. I love the idea of God keeping me. It makes me thing of that saying “I am not my brother’s keeper”. How cold is that?

But this is the exact opposite times infinity. If my brother does not want to be my keeper, that’s cool…

Big Homie has that covered.

“The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious toward you.”

Think about the last time you were outside on a cool, overcast day. Do you remember experiencing a break in the clouds? The sun suddenly breaks through and hits you. You feel a subtle chill as the warmth penetrates your skin all the way down to your bones. In a moment your whole body is filled with a radiant warmth. You look up towards this brilliant miracle and smile because suddenly you feel much happier than just a few moments before.

This is how I imagine this line… but the light that God shines goes through the skin, through the bones and penetrates into the heart and spirit. It makes the soul smile, and helps it remember that it is loved.

“The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

And just when you are in that moment, basking in the rays of God’s grace, you feel deep within a sense of peace that melts away the pressures of life and circumstance. And it becomes clear that all that truly matters is love.

Yeah… kinda dramatic but that’s what I see in these lines. Imagine being able to feel this way every second of every day of your life.

Wouldn’t that be amazing…

That’s what I imagine heaven is like.

Today’s Reading: Numbers 4-6; Mark 4: 1-20

A Letter to Big Brother Jesus

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."

"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." Mark 3: 31-35

Dear Big Bro,

I have always looked up to you. Like that one time when I was eight when I almost fell in the lake… you were there to turn it solid, yet soft enough for me to fall and not hurt myself. You even let me walk back on the water to the shore.

That was really nice of you.

And when we were at the wedding and you turned all of that water into wine. Folks wanted to act crazy, but I always had your back. You are my brother. I’d do anything for you.

That’s why I was so hurt at first when we came to visit you. When they told you we were there you acted like we weren’t your family. That’s not cool.

It hurt.

But, I get it now. I know that you have this purpose. You’ve been talking about it since I can remember. You are going to save everyone, make it so that they can connect to your real Dad in heaven. And all the while when you used to say this I was ok with it. Because no matter what you were still my brother. And we had something special.

But now I don’t know what to say. Am I the same to you as the strangers you heal? What about the tax collectors and prostitutes you run with?

You always said that you’re not a respecter of persons… that you love everyone the same… from the bottom of your heart. But how did you always make me feel like I was the only one who mattered?

I guess that’s what’s so special about you. If you can love everyone the way that you love me, I guess that says a lot about you. I hope they feel the love like I have felt it. I know that I always will.

Either way, I’ll keep looking up to you like I always have. You’ll always be my big brother.

With love,

Your Little Bro

Today’s Reading: Numbers 1-3: Mark 1

Do Your Part

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven…

…He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home " He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. – Mark 2: 1-12

I have heard many people criticize Christianity for many reasons. But one of the more interesting criticisms is about “faith”. They see folks praying to God for things and look at them like they are fools. The criticism tends to go something like this:

“God isn’t Santa Claus. You can’t just ask for what you want and expect to get it.”

“You have to work for what you want. You can’t just sit back and expect things to fall into your lap.”

“God isn’t concerned with you. He has bigger issues to deal with.”

True…

But the funny thing about this is that the Bible doesn’t support this notion of “Santa Claus on High”. Whenever you see Jesus do something to help others, he always does it as a response to faith by that person or another individual.

The story above is a great example. When you break it down, there were a series of actions taken.

First, the four friends carried their paralyzed homie to where Jesus was because they BELIEVED that Jesus could heal them.

Carried.

When they get there they see that it is super crowded.

Drats…

But then they come up with a plan. They lift their friend to the roof, dig a hole in the roof, and then lower homie down in front of Jesus.

Good gracious!

They made the journey, arrived at the destination, found a roadblock in their way, climbed over it, and devised a way to get to Jesus.

How many of us do this with our dreams? Have we done all that we can? Have we tried to maneuver around obstacles or just given up when we see them?

Do we have the audacity to break down doors, dig through roofs, all in the pursuit of our passion?

Faith is displayed by action.

When we go after the dreams we have in our hearts we usually need some sort of big break. We need the key to unlock the door that will open up the blessing.

God provides that key.

However… what is required of us is to do what we can to get ourselves in front of that door.

We do the possible. God does the rest.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 26-27; Mark 2

Jubilee

" 'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

" 'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. – Leviticus 25: 8-13

This is one of my favorite concepts in the Bible.

When I was in college I was a part of a student organization called the Pan-African Student Association. During the second semester of my sophomore year we decided that we wanted to do something that hadn’t been done before.

We were going to organize a festival.

After discussing some of the things that we would like at the festival: food, art, performances, etc… the question of the name came up.

What would we call it?

One of my good friends at the time suggested that we call it Jubilee.

Huh?

We nearly laughed him out of the room. All I could think about was the X-Men character by the same name.

But he was serious. So we put it to a vote and of course Jubilee eventually lost.

But now I get it. Jubilee is a proclamation of freedom.

From the Biblical perspective it is the time where everything is restored.

The context here is that when the Jewish people reached the Promised Land, the land was given out in lots to each tribe and to each family in each tribe. This was mandated by God.

Of course some people become poor and others become rich. Some may have to sell their land or their labor in order to make ends meet. And the rich are there of course to scoop it up.

Not much has changed in several thousand years.

But God instituted this brilliant fix. Every fifty years the servants were set free and the land was restored. Each generation had a new, fresh chance at life.

I wonder what the world would be like if we lived with this principle today… How would it affect the way we view “property”… would there be such a thing as ownership of land? Would there be less poverty? More or less innovation?

There are so many interesting what ifs here.

But one thing is clear to me. God built into the original law a time where the major inequalities were set in balance. Each generation had a fighting chance at prosperity.

That’s all we can ask for.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 25: Mark 1: 23-45

The Homeless Question

" 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' " Leviticus 23: 22

A few days ago a friend and I posted a question on Facebook. The question went something like this:

"LADIES- You’re on a date with a guy. He's very respectful and nice. A homeless man asks for change. He ignores them. Turn off?"

It started off as a kind of silly question to see what kind of importance people place on outward displays of generosity, but it quickly evolved into something bigger. Here are a few things that I learned.

Hardly anyone likes seeing people in poverty.

There is entirely too much poverty all around us.

Many of us have no idea what to do about it.

It was nice to see the responses of most of the men and women who commented. Most people found the notion of ignoring the person to be quite unsavory. But many disagreed on what should be done.

A few folks didn’t believe that they had any responsibility to give at all. On the other hand, some of the women expected to see some generosity from their man, and would dig into their own pockets to match it.

Pretty cool.

Many talked about giving their leftover meals or whatever change they had. But everyone agreed that they personally couldn’t give to everyone with a hand out. Otherwise they would be left with nothing.

That’s why I find this scripture to be so interesting. The laws that we are reading through are like the constitution of Israel at the time. For better or worse they provide systematic rules of conduct designed to supply for everyone’s needs.

It is telling that this type of generosity was built into the structure for how the nation was to be governed.

Generosity wasn’t a matter of choice; it was a rule of law.

Perhaps it is right to take a hint from this scripture. We may not be able to afford to give monetary aid to every struggling person that crosses our path.

The problem of poverty is greater than any one person.

But what do we do with the resources we have? Do we think about what we can do with the edges of our fields? Do we really need to reap 100% of our harvest just for ourselves?

Food for thought…

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 23-24: Mark 1: 1-22

Ash Wednesday

Everyday I take the bus to work. It is about a third of a mile walk from my apartment to the bus stop. This daily morning and evening walk is one of the highlights of my day.

There are many wonderful things along this glorious route; the beautiful trees, the smell of fresh coffee brewing from a café, and the regular acquaintances that I have met along the way as our daily rituals intersect.

One of the more impressive things that I encounter on my journey is the beautiful St. Augustine Catholic Church. When I pass it, it always grabs my attention. It seems to be a concrete brick building with a touch of gothic architecture. It reaches at least five stories into the sky betraying a delicate power that almost demands reverence.

I’m not Catholic but I must admit… they’ve got style.

So I was walking home today and soon after I got off the bus I saw many more pedestrians than usual. They all had gray crosses on their foreheads.

It is Ash Wednesday; the first day of Lent.

The closer I came to the church, the more people I saw. I saw people of all races and ages. There were mothers and fathers with their young children holding hands and smiling. There were elderly men and women walking in a peaceful yet stoic meditation. Some were dressed fresh from their office jobs. Others had shorts and t-shirts. But they all had a special glow to them. It was as if you could see a light shining from within their eyes and smiles.

It was beautiful to see.

I have seen this before but this is the first time that it struck me like this. There is something powerful about a group of people coming together to dedicate a season of their lives to God.

Some may do it by giving up alcohol or another such vice. Others may have behavior that they wish to change, thoughts that they would like to erase, pain that they would like to forgive.

The thing that they all have in common though is that they will all attempt to use these next forty days as a time to improve themselves and their relationship with God.

I’m down with that.

So I’m going to join them. I’ve decided to give up fast food (the bane of my existence!) and to set aside ten minutes every morning to pray and meditate.

Perhaps you’d like to try it too.

You never know what miraculous things may happen.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 21-22; Matthew 28

Thriller!

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. – Matthew 27: 51-53

Whoaaaaa!

When I was a cub scout we had the assignment of looking up our birthday to see what happened in the world that day. So, my Dad and I went to the Simi Valley Public Library to check it out.

When we got there we went straight for the microfiche machine. (I’m really starting to think that I’m getting old.)

For those of you who never had a cassette tape, microfiche was this sort of slide that had miniature versions of information on them (clearly before the digital age). The one I was looking at had old newspaper clippings.

So I got to my birthday and what do I see. There was an earthquake that morning.

*pops collar*

And here I thought I was fresh. Look at what happened when Jesus died!? It was like the thriller video! Except I imagine that they came out of their tombs extra fresh, pop locking with fancy robes on like Joseph’s Technicolor Dream Coat. The tatters can be reserved for ghouls and goblins.

The curtain was special because it enclosed the area where the Ark of the Covenant was kept:

The Holy of Holies

Only the HPIC (head priest in charge) could go in that space once a year. Before entering he had to do all kind of sacrifices for his sins. Yep, the ones we have been reading about in Leviticus. If he had any unaccounted for sin when he passed through the curtain then he would drop dead immediately.

They even tied a rope to his leg to drag him out in case this happened.

So what does this all mean? The symbolism is that when Jesus died, he became the sacrifice to end all sacrifices; the innocent sacrifice that would atone for all of the sin in the world: past, present or future.

And through this he removed the barrier that separated God from humanity: imperfection. After this event, it became possible for each human being to connect to God

Pretty powerful

Belief in this is one of those very specific things that make a person “Christian”. It's an explanation for how the imperfect can connect to perfection.

Pretty crazy I know… but the more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes…

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 19-20: Matthew 27: 51-66

Miss Lewinsky

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky." - Bill Clinton

Hahahaha sure buddy.

The Bible is hilarious sometimes. Why does Leviticus devote a whole chapter to sexual relations?!?

Cause folks have been wildin’ out since the beginning of time…

This is also the chapter where we find the infamous scripture about homosexuality. It seems like everyone knows that the Bible frowns upon it. Well, in case you wanted to know what it actually says… here goes:

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” – Leviticus 18: 22

Rough.

Quite honestly I am not too proud of how some Christians have handled this. As we have already seen, Jesus said that the two most important things are to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. He also goes on to say that all of the other commandments are summed up by these two.

So whether or not one believes that it is a sin really isn’t the most important thing to me. Christian folk have to remember the task they have been charged with.

Love.

Also, when we start pointing fingers at folks, we have even more pointing back at us. Just ask Ted Haggard.

Now to move on to the fun stuff… I’m going to run through the rest of them quickly and provide my commentary. These can all be found in Leviticus chapter 18 for your reading pleasure.

No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. –v.6

Ewwww… if that wasn’t enough… it gets deeper…

Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her. – v.7

Damn… A law was necessary for this?

Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father. –v.8

“The older the berry the sweeter the juice…” – Smokey from Friday

'Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. – v.9

It’s funny how He covered all of the sisters. Yes, your half and step-sisters count too.

Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you. –v.10

Pops… That is NOT how you teach your son a lesson.

Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister. –v.11

Just in case verse 9 wasn’t thorough enough…

Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative. – v.12

She’s your auntie…

Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative. – v.13

She’s your auntie too…

Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. – v.14

This is getting silly…skipping ahead…

Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. –v.17

Whew… I bet you know someone who thinks this would be “player”. Shameful.

Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living. –v.18

See comment above.

(Additional note: while your wife is living??? Say what?!? Horrible caveat… boy how times have changed…)

Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period. –v.19

*hearing crickets from some readers…*

Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her. –v.20

Interesting that this is included in addition to the adultery rule…

Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. –v.23

…. No comment.

You may wonder why all of these things are included here… I wondered the same thing until I thought about it very simply one day. It is because this is what folks were doing! They were doing animals, moms, dads, aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters etc.

Yuck…

Imagine being part of a group of people who were doing the above on the regular?

Things clearly weren’t all hunky dory in Israel.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 17-18; Matthew 27: 27-50

Valentine's Day

Ironically today’s reading covers bodily discharges and STDs…

Yuck.

But I wanted to take this opportunity to give you my take on Valentine's Day.

I have always had two very opposing views. One was the super rational side of me. I always thought that it was a very manipulative holiday. It seemed like a day designed to hustle money out of dude’s pockets or a day to make single women feel sad about their lack of companionship. Why put people through this stress? Folks in relationships should treat everyday like Valentines Day right?

Stop being a hater Clarence.

The other side of me is the super romantic side. I like the idea of having a day dedicated to expressing love to the one who is most important to you. Sure we should do this everyday but why not have a day specifically set aside for this purpose? Plus it gives all of the lame dudes a chance to make up for the other 364 days.

That’s not a winning strategy but hey, some of us need it.

But now my take on it is a bit different. I look at it now as a reminder that we should express the love that we feel toward all of our loved ones. It is not just a day for romance, flowers and diamonds. It is a day of joyful giving.

For me, the exercise of showing love to others is the surest path toward true joy and fulfillment in life.

If it takes a few De Beers commercials for me to be reminded of that then so be it.

This is Love.


Today’s Reading: Leviticus 15-17; Matthew 27: 1-26

Deserted

At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled. – Matthew 26: 55-56

Rough game.

The whole way that Jesus was arrested was pretty weak. The Pharisees pulled the good old divide and conquer move. They got Judas to sell his boy out, and then came for him like thieves in the night.

And then as Jesus let them seize him his homies deserted him and fled.

That must not have felt so good.

The first thing that came to mind when I read the part about Jesus being deserted is that each one of us are on our own path.

Some people will be with us for a day, some for a season, some for many years, and others for much of our lives.

But the only ones that will be with us everyday of our lives are ourselves and God. The next step in life may be one you will have to take on your own.

Maybe it will be studying abroad, or moving to a new city for a job. Or maybe it isn’t a physical move. It may be a decision of personal or spiritual growth. Perhaps you have decided to stop drinking, or to get closer to God, or to pursue higher education then, all of the sudden, you find yourself alone because the old friends cannot accept your new lifestyle.

We cannot be afraid to walk into tomorrow when we find that we cannot bring yesterday along with us.

As long as that next step is a step toward becoming the best person we can be, then there is nothing to fear. Just keep going.

Don’t stop.

And along that path towards the next destination we will find those other travelers, who like us, are taking leaps of faith to their promised land.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 14: Matthew: 26: 51-75

An Open Letter to Judas

While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for." Matthew 26: 47-50

Poor Judas.

That might strike some as strange but I just can’t figure this guy out. In an effort to better understand him I have decided to write him an open letter. I am waiting patiently by my computer for a response.

Dear Judas,

You sold out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver? Really?? This is the same dude that you saw walk on water, feed thousands of people with a fish sandwich and perform all kinds of superhero miracles. And you didn’t think that he would figure it out?

Come on buddy.

And for just thirty pieces of silver?? That’s all you could get out of the Pharisees? Man… you and I both know that they are more paid than that. You compounded doing the dumbest thing that has ever happened on earth by charging the discount rate for your services.

There must be more to this. Can you help me understand it? I was watching a History Channel special on your boy Jesus and one of the guys suggested that Jesus may have asked you to do it. If that’s the case then you have redefined what it means to “take one for the team”.

But naw man, I don’t buy it.

Also, you went on and did it anyway after Jesus fingered you as the sellout? And on top of that the signal that you arranged was that you would kiss him on the cheek.

Shameful.

I’m just curious man. Why? It couldn’t have been the money. Maybe you’re a hater. That’s the only thing that makes sense. So Jesus sonned you one too many times huh? Or maybe he stole the heart of your lady, and even worse, didn’t holler at her because he wasn’t about doing all of that? That would make anyone mad… it seems kinda wasteful.

Man… you should have just walked away. But no, now you go down in history as the worst hater to have ever lived…

And the dumbest.

Well perhaps my questions are rhetorical. An answer really isn’t necessary I guess. But man… why? I just don’t get it.

Patiently awaiting your response.

C

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 13: Matthew 26: 26-50

God's Diet

Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. – Leviticus 11: 43-44

Over the past few years I have become fascinated by the rules governing clean and unclean food.

Sure I may joke about enjoying some bacon every now and then, but I think it is important to be critically aware of what we put into our bodies.

But why have such detailed rules about what can and cannot be eaten? Were these rules designed to keep the Israelites healthy? Or perhaps they were created to set them apart from the people they would encounter in the Promised Land.

I have no idea.

But there is something special about having a spiritually ordained diet to follow. It transforms something as commonplace as eating into a way of connecting to God.

In the Autobiography of Gandhi he talks extensively about his dietary experiments. He thought that it was important for him to eat in a way that positively related to the earth. He even went to the extreme of setting the goal to not eat anything that would result in the loss of life of another being.

Wow! He must have eaten a whole lot of nuts and berries.

I am not nearly that disciplined, nor do I have the desire to be. But there is something intriguing about it. Every single meal became a prayer of sorts; a way to pay homage to the living things around him.

I like that idea.

If we can learn to connect to God in the simple things of everyday life then perhaps we will start to live our lives a bit better. With this perspective even our most basic actions become choices.

And these choices remind us that we all have the power to spread love and life in the world.

Today's Reading: Leviticus 11-12; Matthew 26: 1-25

A Sunday Afternoon

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25: 37-40

I was driving home Sunday afternoon and came to my freeway exit at La Cienega. I looked towards the light and saw a couple standing at the bottom of the off ramp.

The first thing I did was roll up my windows.

Shameful. But hey… I gotta keep it real… that was my first thought.

The light was red so I had to wait several cars away from the couple. They were standing there in mildly tattered clothing holding a cardboard sign with hopelessness smeared across their faces. Then that little voice spoke to me and said…

Give them some money.

I looked in my wallet and had a couple bucks in cash and thought to myself… I need quarters for laundry. Then, again, I heard that whisper from within and it said…

Give them some money.

Suddenly my mind was overwhelmed with all kinds of scenarios. What if these folk aren’t really hungry? What if they are those people you hear about on the news begging for money during the day and living real good by night? What if these folk have a drug habit? What if, what if what if.

The light turned green and in the midst of the “what ifs” my hand started toward my wallet again, and pulled out the money and sat it in my lap. Somehow my hand decided to do this on its own. It wasn’t exactly against my will, however I had not given it the proper instructions to generate that specific set of actions.

I had a choice to make. The money was in my lap, the cars before me began to move and the couple was standing there about twenty meters ahead listlessly watching the cars pass by.

That little voice was silent.

So I looked at the woman and something inside me jumped. I was moved. She didn’t see me looking at her but I felt something from her nonetheless. I knew in my heart that helping them in the small way that I could was the right thing to do.

So I released the break, applied the gas and rolled down the window. When she finally looked at my car and saw that my window was coming down her eyes lit up. She met my moving car, I reached out, she received, we both smiled.

“God bless you” she said.

“God bless you too” I said back with a smile.

I don’t share this to make myself sound like a saint. After all I did roll up my window when I first saw them.

But I’m sharing this because sometimes we let our minds get in the way of what our hearts know to be true.

Perhaps you won’t feel touched by the next homeless person you see. But when you do see a person in need and you feel that feeling inside that you should do something to help; do it.

You never know. God might be using you to bless them. And in turn God will bless you; even if it is the simple fact that the experience will make your heart smile.

I know that mine did.

Leviticus 8-10; Matthew 25: 31-46

We Be Grubbin'

The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron and his sons: 'These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the LORD in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. – Leviticus 6:24-26

Man… Aaron and his peeps were eating WELL.

So far in Leviticus Moses has been talking about various rules and regulations. Now we are at the section governing how various sacrifices are to be made.

One of the common threads between these various offerings is that they are supposed to be eaten by Aaron and his sons.

Being of the priestly line had its perks.

Aaron was the first chief priest and God decided that all of the men in his line would have the role of being the chief priests of Israel. As a result they had to essentially dedicate their lives to directly serving God.

They had to handle the Ark, pitch the holy tent, and perform all of the sacrifices for thousands of people.

That is a lot of work.

When the people sinned or did something otherwise unsavory they had to give an offering.

God required the offerings to be without blemish and of proper value so one couldn’t slide in the crippled or old sheep as their offering.

When I think about myself and all of the times in my life that I have fallen short it’s surprising to me that folk didn’t go broke giving these offerings.

But this does make me thing about the church today. We actually have something similar.

Tithes and offerings.

This has become a controversial subject for many reasons of course. Many of us have seen ridiculously ornate churches, pastors with fancy Italian suits who live in mansions, and congregations who give them fancy cars.

But when we get back to the origins of this it becomes really basic. How is someone who dedicates their life to serving others going to provide for themselves?

The can’t, so we provide for them.

Non-profits work this way. We hope that the majority of the money that we donate goes toward whatever cause they are promoting ,but we also know that some of it must go to running the organization. Every organization needs employees and resources.

The church is no different.

It is funny to me though to think of the random Israelite who brings a dove because he can’t afford a sheep. I wonder what he was thinking when he saw Aaron’s progeny smackin’ their gums on some succulent lamb chops.

Can a brotha get some of that laaaaaamb?

Nope, sure can’t… cause with that benefit comes a WHOLE LOT of responsibility.

At the end of the day the priests have to answer directly to God. And God don’t take too kindly to folk who mess over his people

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 6-7; Matthew 25: 1-30

Pop Quiz!

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. Matthew 24: 45-47

Jesus is still talking about the end times. He starts off by making the point that no one knows when it will come; even he didn’t know.

Only God knows.

Then he goes back to the idea of the faithful servant and says that the ones who consistently do the work they were told to do when the master is gone (love God and love your neighbor as yourself) are the ones who are going to be ok.

I grew up being a last minute crammer. I don’t think I consistently started doing homework until maybe my senior year of high school or college.

Good thing I’m a great test taker.

But one thing that I’ve noticed is that when I live like that, sometimes life hits me with a pop quiz.

I hate it when that happens.

A good friend of mine is an actress who is on the verge of making it. She is going through pilot season right now. Pilot season is the time when the studios make the decisions on who they will cast in the pilots for next year.

It’s a pretty nerve racking process.

You basically live your life on call for the studios. At four in the afternoon you may get three new scenes that you have to perform the next morning in front of studio execs, producers and writers.

Pressure…

I remember talking to her about this season a couple months ago. She had totally revamped her diet to be super healthy, solidified her workout regimen, and was consistently on her spiritual game; going to church, reading her bible, and meditating.

When I asked her about what she was doing her reaction was simple. “If you stay ready you don’t have to get ready.”

And here Jesus is saying the same thing.

It is impossible to fully prepare for a pop quiz or surprise audition the next morning.

But what we can do is do all that is in our power to give ourselves the best chance of success.

For her it was grinding hard at her acting classes, solidifying her good relationships, and making sure that her health and fitness were on point to deal with the demands of the many sleepless nights to come.

And just as with acting… we do not become our best selves in a day. Putting God first and loving our neighbors and enemies as ourselves is really really hard to do.

But with consistent work we will learn and be prepared when those pop quizzes come our way.

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 4-5, Matthew 24: 29 - 51