A meditative homily from Act 16: 16-40
A few preliminary introductory words about this book…
The Books of Acts is actually a sequel…to the Gospel of Luke…
The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are a two volume set written by a Greek Speaking Christian living outside Palestine probably somewhere around 80-95 CE
Secondly the Book of Acts looks like a historical document, but it is not- not in the modern sense of the word-historical. This is a creative text and I say that for two reasons: one, the author himself alludes to the fact that he used oral sources and this is not an eyewitness account. And secondly, it is a creative text because the author puts it together- tells the story and Luke is a good story teller. In telling the story the way he does- he is putting it all together with a purpose in mind- he has an axe to grind…and I do not say that to belittle the book- I do not- just to point out that the author is writing this account not as a chronological historical document but as a story with a theme- an emphasis- a point to make.

Now we come to Acts 16- and here comes a good story- a common genre of a miracle story….but it is much more than that…
The story goes that Paul was going up to pray and they encounter a slave-woman….Now here we have to discuss two items that need to be examined…women and slavery….and in a sense these two are combined here in our story. First let’s examine the place of women in the Roman Empire. The story takes place—-in the city of Philippi…a Roman colony subject to Roman law…
And here they encounter a woman who is a slave…two oppressed classes of people in the Roman system. Let us begin with women….mothers and daughters. Important to remember the Roman culture- the Roman family and government – system of authority was patriarchy…which is an anthropological term meaning …families and societies ruled by fathers. It sets up a hierarchy- a rule of priests-in which the priest-the hieros- is the father- the pater. As an order of living, it elevates some men over other men and all men over women. Within the family, it separates fathers from sons and places both women and children under a father’s authority. The father’s authority was legally called patria potesta– which gave him unlimited power over his children irrespective of whether or not they were married to not…and of their children as well…giving him the right to beat them, imprison them, sell them and even in extremis- to kill them …A woman in this Roman society was subject to her husband. If found unchaste- she could be killed. She had no rights to divorce and if her husband divorced she was an outcast.

Well this woman was not only oppressed as a woman but she also was a slave…Roman slavery was very much different than the slavery found in this country prior to the Civil War. American’s slavery was based on race. Roman slavery was not. Most slaves in Rome were prisoners of war. The two other kinds of slaves were children sold by their fathers who were in desperate financial condition and off springs of slaves. The text does not say how she became a slave- just that she was a slave. And really- it really did not matter- no matter what brought you to become a slave- it did not matter- you were a slave!

Luke tells us that this woman had a gift….and the original Greek text – uses two words which indicate several things about this gift. One Greek word is – python…which we have in taken over in English for a large snake…The interesting thing about this python- this symbol of the snake…it was used as a symbol for the Oracle of Delphi….This was a famous temple where a Priestess sat and gave predictions about the future…The snake came about because of the myth that a giant snake guarded the temple and was slain by Apollo. So this word python (snake) is translated by the KJV…- divination…as possessed by a spirit of divination. The second Greek word is the word- soothsaying (KJV uses divining simply means she was able to give some predictions to future events.
And apparently there was lots of money being made- very lucrative business for the owners of this slave diviner…literally- she brought much gain for her masters….

Well, the story goes that Paul and Silas encountered this woman slave…and she apparently followed Paul for many days and would cry out- “these men are servants of the most High God who announce to us the way of salvation…”
And finally, the text I believe kind of inserts a kind of humor and states and Paul being annoyed….no- it is a little stronger “being very annoyed”….I mean can you imagine heading to a prayer meeting and this happening to you- Being very annoyed…Paul turns and through the prayer of authority- the spirit of divination leaves her.
Well, the story shifts gears here- and the attention turns to the owners of this woman slave diviner who has lost her divining power….she in essence has been liberated….but the owners do not see it that way…
The owners have only one focus- money—-their hope of future earnings from this gifted woman has now been taken away…They see it has financial ruin….They see it as Paul and Silas destroying their business, These owners grab Paul Silas and haul them before the authorities
Here I want to talk about what should be evident from this story…
Luke’s focus :
One the transformative power of the Gospel…..Paul has mentioned in his Letter to the Roamsn that the “gospel is the power of God unto salvation” That is unto transformation! The Gospel is the power of God unto transformation and liberation. Not only transforming for an individual but also society…
This is quite evident from the story here- a woman slave who is oppressed by her owners- the owners have only one focus in mind- the idol of money….using this to make a material profit…
Paul is annoyed…Let’s talk about this annoyance…Was Paul annoyed by being interrupted by this woman calling out about who they were-? Maybe- Or was he annoyed by the constant reminder of the mindset of the Roman Culture that used people- slaves to make a profit- who’s God – who’s ultimate concern was mammon! I am betting on the latter. But even if it was the former- sometimes- the Church has to be moved by inconvenience and annoyance to be moved by the Spirit.
And Paul through prayer liberates this woman slave…And at that moment- the Church is being the Church. This is the true mission of the Church- liberating the oppressed and speaking out against injustice. That’s the mission of the Church! And sad to say-the Church for the most part- for the last 1800 years has been quite active not in the mission of liberation but has been in the forefront of keeping women oppressed and enslaved to a patriarchal system. This patriarchal theology has dominated the Church and continues to do so –barring women from ministry and keeping them in the medieval kitchen, so to speak.
Allow me to close this short meditation with a quote from Rosemary Radford Ruether:
“The Church as Liberation Community…Feminist liberation theology starts with the understanding of Church as liberation community as the context for understanding questions of ministry, creed, worship or mission. Without a community committed to liberation from sexism, all questions such as the form of ministry or mission are meaningless. Conversion from sexism means freeing oneself from the ideologies and roles of patriarchy and also struggling to liberate social structures from these patterns. A feminist liberation Church must see itself as engaged in both of these struggles as the center of its identity as Church. Joining the Church means entrance into a community of people who share this commitment and support one another in it.” (from Sexism and God-Talk 1983)

To which I shout- AMEN! (To be continued…)

I have been drawing some spiritual principles or insights from the 11th Step of the 12 steps of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).
The Eleven step reads: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God…as we understand him.
The last time I wrote on how we are to be God seekers and there are two principle methods in which we can improve our conscious contact with God: prayer and meditation. Last week I wrote on prayer- this time I will discuss meditation. Before I do- I would like to draw out the point that we are seeking conscious contact with God. I do like that phrase- conscious contact. As I understand that term, it is a reference to my action to intentionally opening myself up to a higher power- to God. And in opening myself up to God – I then become aware of God’s presence- that is a conscious- perception or awareness of God.
Meditation- another path to conscious contact with God- another way to encounter God. The term meditation can be divided into three widely practiced habits. One- the western discursive readings and secondly, the Eastern form of silence and thirdly, a combination of the two.

Western Discursive reading. This is probably the most widely practiced form of meditation in today’s Christian world. It is simply reading a prescribed medication or as my wife calls it- devotion. There are many devotional reading books available. I am particularly fond of the Upper Room monthly devotional guide which one can subscribe to http://www.upperroom.org/ These devotionals usually have a daily reading and a daily prayer.

Eastern Silence. This form of meditation is catching on even among Christian here in America. It originated in the Oriental culture. It is about breathing and quieting your thoughts- to begin to move deeper into one self- to discover not only your true self but also encounter God.

Combination. In the past ten years I have been practicing the best of both worlds- that is the western form of reading devotion and then using one thought to dwell on in silence during different periods of the day.

A Sufi poet that I particularly enjoy reading and using as a meditative device is Rumi. His full name is Jelaluddin Rumi and he was a 13th century Persian Poet. He uses the images of a lover seeking the beloved in talking about God. Here are a couple of examples from Rumi

This is love: to fly to heaven, every moment to rend a hundred veils;
At first instance, to break away from breath — first step, to renounce feet;
To disregard this world, to see only that which you yourself have seen6 to see only that which you yourself have seen” — Nicholson’s version is “(not to see your own eye) whence all objects derive their unreal existence..
I said, “Heart, congratulations on entering the circle of lovers,
“On gazing beyond the range of the eye, on running into the alley of the breasts.”
Whence came this breath, O heart? Whence came this throbbing, O heart?
Bird, speak the tongue of birds: I can heed your cipher!
The heart said, “I was in the factory whilst the home of water and clay was abaking.
“I was flying from the workshop whilst the workshop was being created.
“When I could no more resist, they dragged me; how shall I
tell the manner of that dragging?”

Be Lost in the Call
Lord, said David, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two worlds?
Reality replied: O prisoner of time,
I was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and I wished this treasure to be known,
so I created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
The back would please you if you’ve never seen the face.
Has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
Yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.
Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn’t wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.
My King addressed the soul of my flesh:
You return just as you left.
Where are the traces of my gifts?
We know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
This Sun doesn’t want a crown or robe from God’s grace.
He is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.
Jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
How could a zephyr ride an ass?
Spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.
Remember God so much that you are forgotten.
Let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the Call.

Are you seeking conscious contact with God through meditation?

This morning I have chosen to write on one of the paths that AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) recommends to improve our conscious contact with God: prayer.
Prayer is one of the mysterious paths to a conscious encounter with a Higher Power or God.
It is mysterious because we are talking about an encounter between a finite being and an infinite being- and there is a kind of paradox here. If you do not like the word mystery- use the word- paradox. Because there is a kind of contradiction here for how can a mere human communicate- make conscious contact with an infinite being- a God.
Prayer is one path to a conscious encounter with God. (Note I do not describe or define your God or higher power- that is your business.)
Some reflections to keep in mind-
1. Beware of the teacher/preacher-individual who talks about an “authentic religious or spiritual experience.” The word they emphasize is “authentic” which means usually that the teacher-preacher is telling you that your encounter to be authentic must follow the same pattern as his/her encounter. That means their experience is made the criteria to judge all other experiences.
As I see it- in order for your experience to be genuine or authentic is first of all needs to be your experience and not dictated by a someone else no matter how much they claim to be speak for God.
2.There are two extremes that we could fall into regarding prayer: one is the overly formal mechanistic and secondly the overly free spontaneous.
Formal Prayer can become mechanistic and prevent someone from being open and honest. Do not misunderstand, I am not degrading formal prayer- the Lord’s Prayer is a well known and often used formal prayer and I would in no way be critical of it being used. But, it can become mechanical and superstitious.
Free spontaneous prayer-is becoming quite popular but the danger with free spontaneous prayer is the possibility of profaning prayer; that is, treating prayer as if we were talking with old Joe across the street. Paul Tillich, a theologian from Germany wrote about his concerns in that overly free spontaneous prayer removes the mystery out of prayer.
3.Through the scriptures, both the Hebrew and the Christian Bible, prayer is most often described as “crying to the Lord.” Turn anywhere in the book of Psalms and you will see the phrase…”I cried unto the Lord…”
In the 5th Psalm- these are the words:
“Heed the sound of my cry, my King and God,
For I pray to you…”

And in the 6th Psalm we discover the connection of tears to this kind of prayer…
I am weary with groaning, every night I drench my bed,
I melt my couch in tears….

And then the Psalmist switches the image to hope:
“The Lord heeds the sound of my weeping,
The Lord heeds my plea. The Lord accepts my prayer.”

Now do not misunderstand me, I am not advocating an emotionally dominated prayer experience but I am advocating an honest sincere appeal to God and if tears are involved- that’s okay.
I might add, Note that word groaning…interesting word. I am remembering a verse found in Romans 8…where Paul uses this word in reference to prayer: He is talking about how we do not know how to pray. How true that is! (So I pray, “Lord, help me to pray as I should.”) And then Paul says- the Spirit helps us! (God helps us in prayer!)
How?
“The Spirit intercedes with groaning to deep for words” (8:26)

Have you ever been in the situation that you knew you wanted to pray but just did not have the words. It is a common experience. Paul says- those are the times that Spirit (God) comes to assist us. I remember the times when my Mother was praying and all I remember her doing was literally groaning…”Oh God, help my son.” And of course I remember my mother crying.

So prayer can be with words or with groaning, with tears or silence. What matters is the intent of the heart and being open and honest with oneself and God.

From the dawn of time, humanity has sought the Ultimate Reality. Humans are “God seekers.” It is a profound and unique characteristic of the human species. I am a “god seeker!” This past week, I was reminded of the 11th step in the AA program. It is a wonderful prescription for life and I might add, not just for the alcoholic. I would like to just make a few meditative comments about the first part of that 11th step:
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him…
What is the verb in that step? The verb is sought. It is the past tense of the verb- to seek.
What are we seeking? To improve our conscious contact with God.
Note for a few general principles of AA before I draw some meditative thoughts from this step. The previous steps – establish the idea that the alcoholic has a power problem…powerless over alcohol (or MJ or cocaine) and because of that his or her life has become unmanageable. The first step in the AA program is to recognize that problem. The second step is to begin to look outside yourself for a Power (notice the capital letter) and to believe in that Power (trust in the Power) –there is hope here- and believe that – that Power could restore you to sanity. (The implication is that yes- the alcoholic was living an insanity- the insanity of using a drug that not only was destroying yourself but destroying every other relationship in your life. The third step is to turn your life and will over to the care of God (the first time the word appears in the 12 steps). Here is the paradox (mysterious contradiction) – with the self-awareness of powerlessness- and with believing in a Higher Power (or God as you understand him or her) – you find a power!
That brings us back to Step 11- which assumes that you have already made contact with the Higher Power- (you have worked through step 1-3). Let me put it to you this way. Alcoholics are encouraged to improve their conscious contact with God because that is the key to obtaining power over their treaded allergy to alcohol. Continual sobriety is only promised through continual contact with the Higher Power.
Now with that in mind, here are some meditative thoughts for this week:
One, It is an exciting possibility- a hope is generated when you and I realize that contact with God is possible. Whether you call it- contact, encounter, or realizing the presence of God, the point is- there is the possibility of contact or encountering God. God is not just out there- in the heavens; God is here among us. (In the Catholic and Protestant Christian tradition, this God among us principle is called the incarnation…God in-fleshed).
Question: Are you seeking God?
There is a pluralistic dimension to the Twelve Steps which I appreciate. What I mean, AA does not tell you who your Higher Power has to be! It continually uses the phrase “God as you understand him” (or her).
Second thought- AA suggests two paths or ways to improve our conscious contact with this God.
Sought through prayer and meditation…Now realize these are two broad paths because AA does not suggest what prayers or what forms of meditation to use. (Although, in most AA meetings, the Lord’s Prayer and the Serenity prayer dominate).
Question: Are you using these two paths for the express purpose of a making or improving conscious contact with God?
This Wednesday- I will continue to discuss these two paths- go deeper…
By the way one final thought: The Hebrew and Christian God desires humanity to seek him/her and even promises to reward them who seek!

Until then- SEEK GOD– fellow God seekers!

I thought today I would write on faith… and use for a basis of my theme a text taken from the New Testament- from the Letter or Epistle to the Hebrews 11:6

“And without faith it is impossible to please God for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Theologians especially of the Christian religion have complicated and distorted this faith issue. Faith is not a system. Let me first talk about what faith is not. Thirty years ago when I started preaching, I preached a distorted view of faith. How was it distorted? I defined faith as a mental assent and a submission of the will to a system of beliefs. If you wanted to be saved, that is, accepted by God- then a person had to believe and submit to specific idea (construct) of Jesus. “You need to believe and commitment yourself to Jesus as God who became man, died on the cross for your sins and resurrected on the third day.” That was it! Faith was mere mental assent and submission to a series of dogmas.
It has taken twenty five years for me to awaken to the idea that faith is itself a gift. It is not a work to perform in order to get something. Much of the distortion of the concept of faith has come about by disconnecting a particular phrase – preachers speak of be “justified by faith alone” but the literal rendering the text found in Ephesians 2:8 “for by grace are you saved by faith”…
Salvation or justification- being accepted by God is a matter first of all- of GRACE…
Faith is the receiving act and is itself a gift of grace!

But what is faith- without which one cannot please God. Well, allow me to digress in a short teaching. Man – you and I live in two dimensions. There is the horizontal dimension of man relating to man- the finite with the finite. Then there is the vertical dimension- the finite with the infinite; that is man interacting with a higher power, God. In 1975, I experienced something beyond space and time. I experienced the presence of the holy in my life. I experienced the Eternal in my temporal existence. Using the words of Paul Tillich, I had a religious experience- “I was grasped by the ultimate concern.” Why did it happen? Well, to use the words the text above: I was seeking God. I knew God existed and I desired a relationship.
Faith is not about beliefs- opinions or doctrines. It is about relating to the ultimate! And it begins with being open and staying open to the possibility of relating to the infinite.
Final thought for today: Realize and be open to the idea that in all of our experiences there is the possibility of an ultimate experience; that is- experiencing the ultimate.
Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the question of the meaning of our life. Paul Tillich

I have a cat. This cat is what in philosophy would be called sui generis, which means he is in a class all by himself, unique! He is a “ragdoll.” That is his breeding designation but it really does him no justice at all. His name is “wicket.” Note the spelling, it is not spelled wicked but wicket. He is named after the Star War figure – remember the ewoks those hairy bipeds native to the forest moon of Endor who helped fight the evil empire. Yes that’s what we name our cat after- wicket the ewok. (By the way, Wicket weighs 30 lbs…he continues to deny that he is obese. He tells me that “Ragdolls” are the largest cats in North American and I believe it. But I keep telling him there is a limit to the size of a litter box. His current litter box is a 4o gal plastic storage bin modified- 38”X24”X18”)

There are a number of lessons I should have learned early in my life- which I recently realized and encountered through my cat. Yes, I learned some things from my cat. I am not ashamed to admit it.
Lesson # 1. I learned to forgive and let go – to forgive and forget. Wicket is so longsuffering! If you need a dictionary just turn the word around- he knows how to suffer for a long time. It is an old English word which has this definition: long and patient endurance of offense. This is what I have observed in my cat- no matter how many times the 1 year old grandson pulls his tail, wicket keeps coming back. The joke about this kind of behavior is that wicket is “brain dead” or cats have pea sized brains or short term memory deficit. But I don’t buy that! I honestly sense that my cat forgives and consciously forgets. I know what you are thinking- it is hard to believe but I told you my cat is sui generis. Now I have to brush my cat at least twice a week and you can tell he doesn’t like it. I mean he whines, meows and tries to run away. But when we are done with the chore-he still rubs up against me, hops on my lap and licks my hand. I learned that it is not that difficult to forgive and forget- it requires that I make a choice to do so.
Lesson #2- I learned to clean the mess up before you mess up again. Now this also started as a humorous little observation. It is quite a disgusting habit. My cat is intelligent! He waits to use his pooper (what in the trade is referred to as a litter box) until I clean it. Let me put it to you this way- he has got me trained- as soon as I clean the pooper- he is ion there again messing it up. Lesson learned and applied: Don’t let the messes pile up. I mean, that is wise! Clean up the mess before you mess again. And this can be applied to spiritual as well as physical things. Don’t let the spiritual-character defects pile up! Deal with them one at a time. Don’t let them accumulate- they will suffocate you! In the case of my cat- the smell will nauseate you.
Final lesson: Don’t stress out- take your time and frequently rest. I have never seen my cat stress out…oh, wait a minute. I take that back. Whenever I vacuum my office- actually as soon as he see me bring the vacuum into the room, don’t even have to turn it on- he runs; and I mean he runs and hides underneath the bed. But other than that- I have never seen him stress out. And I believe it is due to two key factors:
One, He takes frequent naps. Have you ever seen a cat not nap? I believe he spends more time napping than anything else with the exception of spending time in his pooper which is a close second to napping. I should have learned this long ago that I need to take frequent rest periods. What I mean here is not literally napping but quiet times when I just close my eyes and shut down the brain that wants to keep on going and going just like the energizer bunny. Yes, the type A personality- that’s what I am describing. Well, my cat is definitely not a type A!
Secondly, he moves very slowly! The only time I have seen him move like lightening is when the vacuum comes out or a bird perches on the window sill. I have learned to slow down- and that is probably the hardest lesson that I am still working on! Slowing down! I have learned from my cat the importance of just enjoying the whole damn process we call life.

Today is Easter Sunday. What does it mean? Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and more chocolate?

Flipping on the news this morning, I heard two things:
1. The lottery numbers from last night, by the way, I did not win.
2. The Pope’s message of hope.

Hope has always been the focal point and banner of Easter. Ah, someone noticed- I did mention the lottery, which for many epitomizes the message of hope, the hope of a better life. Please do not ruin the analogy by quoting studies that have shown that lottery winners squander their winnings. Whether it is true or not the popular idea or dream is that the lottery will bring about a better life.

Now, the hope of Easter is the very same dream of a better life wither in the immediate present (Jesus now living in and thru me) or in the future (me with Jesus in heaven). And of course the majority of Christians spend their time banking on the latter- buying a ticket to heaven through acceptance of and submission to Jesus.

Do not misunderstand me; I am not mocking this, only using the analogy of the lottery.

Now, here I am sure-many Christians will object arguing “But Jesus Christ rose from the dead and in doing so, guaranteed us believers a future resurrection to glory. There is no comparison to the lottery. The lottery is a game of chance.”
As with all analogies especially dealing with the infinite and the finite, there are no perfect analogies. But allow me to continue, for I wonder if sometimes (if not a majority of the time) we Christians treat the gospel message- the Easter message like a lottery- a future promise of hope in heaven with streets of gold and plenty of food (the glorious banquet) to the expense of the here and now?

What about the here and now? The present moment of bringing to someone in need- the hope of the present.

If Jesus is living in us, as we claim as Christians, then many of us are squandering the wealth we already possess by not even thinking of the present moment needs of other human beings- by not reaching out with our hope hands and giving to others what they are hoping for.

Something to think about this morning- on Easter Hope Sunday in the year 2013.
Ed

I was reflecting this past week on the 60’s – when I was a kid of a mature age of 16 –I had a band- didn’t everyone? This kind of reflection came up after someone reminded me of the cliché “if you can remember the 60’s you were not there!” Well, I do not know about that. I am sure many of our perceptions of the 60’s were just that – our perceptions which are rather colored by the time and situation. Another reason I believe this reflection came up was because- I realize I am getting older. Old men, I hear- tend to reflect more on their youth- their mistakes etc. Another reason this reflection popped up was because this week it came to my knowledge that my favorite bass player from the 60’s died. His name was Lee Dorman and he played for Iron Butterfly. Iron Butterfly was my favorite group and one of the highlights of my life was jamming with them back in 68. Lee died in Dec 2012. How could anyone forget their long version of In-a gadda da vida…. which by the way was the closest I got back then- to a religious theme- it stands for In the garden of Eden. By the way – if you want to hear a great concert by Iron Butterfly- amazon.com has a DVD or download of the 1997 European tour which I believe is an excellent concert – a good introduction to their music style.
http://www.amazon.com/Concert-Documentary-Europe-Iron-Butterfly/dp/B001GQXSA6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1364578269&sr=1-1&keywords=iron+butterfly+concert

Iron Butterfly 1968

Now back to my reflection… Personally, I do not remember drugs and sex being as prevalent as is depicted in the media or people’s memories. I lived in Pittsburgh during my “rock” obsession. I do not believe I lived a sheltered life. Oh, drugs were out there but I was too obsessed with playing organ and perfecting my rock voice. I do not remember any one in our band using drugs- like I said- we were too focused on music. There were indications of problems especially with Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison- and maybe that’s what kept me from even experimenting in the available drug at the time- MJ.
Today- I still lament the death of these two musicians- Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison who I still consider to be legendary in their creative music genius.
Yet, Iron Butterfly for me, back then in the 60’s and even today- their music I still consider worthy of heaven. Matter of fact, I have argued- that some of their songs are so thought provoking as to be worthy of being performed in Church. (Oh, some would say- now he has gone too far!) Perish the thought.
Here I am thinking of the songs- “in the time of our lives, My Mirage, Unconscious power and of course soul experience.” I must add- when I was down in my basement playing my records- and practicing my singing- singing along with Doug Ingle- I felt like I was in a church. I remember something that Jim Morrison once said about his concerts- “that they were a kind of worship service.” I know that sounds bizarre but I am reflecting on that kind of thought this week. Back then- it was a kind of worship- – a worship of music- the words, the sounds and the experience. Today, when I listen to a concert- and hear the sounds- the words –I do not relive the experience but there is a good feeling- a kind of nostalgia that draws me back to the youthful endeavor of making that great rock sound.
Just some thoughts on Rock Music, Iron Butterfly and Lee Dorman. I believe the world is a better place because of their music.
.

I would like to write today about a radio program I overheard this past week while driving in the car. I was driving to Omaha- about 55 miles from Red Oak and I was skimming through the AM channels when I came across a program on KLNG- which is 1560 on the AM dial out of Council Bluffs, Iowa. The name of the program was Southwest Radio ministries and it was an interview with a Dr Paul Williams. Dr Williams claims to be an author, a journalist and a former FBI consultant. The interview was over his new book entitled “Crescent Moon Rising- the Islamic Transformation of America…” Well, I started listening and to tell you the truth- the more I listened- the angrier I became with this Dr Paul Williams. Why was I getting angry? Because what I heard was lie after lie, myth after myth- about Muslims. The bottom line of this program was- if you do not curtail the immigration of Muslims in this county- if we do not control the birth of Muslims in this country- if we do not start denying citizenship rights and first amendment rights to the Muslims- then by 2050- Muslims will be the dominant religion in this country- hence the title of the book- “…the Islamic Transformation of America.”
But what really tripped my trigger- was when Dr Williams stated that Muslims do not have any history in America prior to 1960….Wow- now when I heard that statement I knew he was – …I will nice….- I knew he was speaking out of ignorance! I immediately thought of all the black slaves who built the agricultural-economic base of the South…..surely some of them were Muslims. And yes, studies have shown that of the 20 million African slaves in the south- 6-8 million were Muslims.
I would like to recommend a book written by Dr Gerald Dirks (by the way he is from Kansas) and his book is entitled “Muslims in American History: a Forgotten Legacy.” Dr Dirk’s book will open your eyes to heritage that Muslims have in American history. For example:

Did you know?
1. Of the three ships that sailed with Columbus (1492) – two captains and one navigator were Muslims.
2. 40 years before Jamestown colony was settled- the Spanish Muslims established a colony in Santa Elena, South Carolina in 1566 (These Muslims were seeking freedom from the great Catholic Inquisition) What a history lesson! They were overrun by the British in 1587 and they fled, lived and thrived in the mountains of North Carolina.
3. Muslims fought in the Revolutionary War
4. Muslims fought in the War of 1812
5. Muslims fought in the Civil War….one story of Muhammad Ali ibn Said who became a teacher in Michigan and during the Civil War served in the 55th Regiment Colored Volunteers and worked his way up from Private to Sergeant…Later in 1865, the Atlantic Monthly published an autobiography of him …

These are just a few things to keep in mind when people start trying to erase the Muslim identity-heritage out of our American history.

Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

Well, when I first read this passage which is the text for tomorrow’s sermon…I immediately thought- I should by pass this text and the more I thought about it- the more I desired to focus on our faulty perceptions. One of those faulty perceptions which I held to as a fundamentalist preacher was that disasters were a sign of God’s judgment….and I urged my congregation to do just what Jesus said: “unless you repent, you will all perish as they did..
Yet the closer one pays to the context and the cultural situation- you will discover your perception is erroneous.

First the situation….contextually, Jesus had been talking about the signs of the coming of the kingdom and the importance of living of decision for right living focused on God and others. He was talking about interpreting the signs of times…And there were a few in crowd who started talking about some local DIASTERS…I am sure you have heard the type whenever someone mentions the “signs of the times” or the “signs of the great tribulation” or the signs of the coming of the end” and they inevitably mentions certain disasters- as a sure time of the coming apocalypse. (The hurricane that hit the east coast or the latest snow storm…)
Well, these Jews mentioned the latest catastrophe that had hit home- – a government plot…Pilate the Roman procurator- that is the governor and magistrate of this particular region- – all important matters came before their judgment seat and he had the power of life and death…And in this case the latest news from Jerusalem was not good…apparently he had had some Galileans killed while they were offering sacrifices at the Temple….There is a second disaster that the people are talking about and it is found in verse 4 – the 18 people who died when a tower fell on them…
Now the perception (the pop wisdom…the pop culture of most of the Jews who were listening to Jesus was that disasters are caused by the wrath of God – a punishment for sin. I am sure many of you are familiar with the story of Job found in the Old Testament…this faulty idea of God causing disasters in order to punish man for his sin is clearly quite popular. And I would point out that Job is believed to be one of the oldest stories in the Bible…So this faulty view — which is still be preached today is quite old. The old faulty message…well let me read it to you: from the Hebrew text: Job 4:7-9

“Think now…Job what innocent man ever perished? Where have the upright been destroyed? As I have seen, those who plow evil and sow mischief reap them. They perish by a blast of God, are gone at the breath of his nostrils…”
In the story they are Job’s friends who are telling Job that he cannot be without sin…he must have sinned somewhere- otherwise the physical ailments he had would not have come down upon him…

The old faulty message that good people prosper and the evil people suffer ….was running rampant at the time of Jesus and the sad thing is today- many preacher- Christian prosperity preachers still preach the faulty message of Job’s friends.
(Beware the faulty perceptions and faulty accusations of American Fundamentalist preachers who for example blame the 9/11 disaster on gays and abortion providers)
By the way, this faulty perception- this faulty view of God- is known as the doctrine of distributive justice – God rewards the righteous and punishes the unrighteous….

Jesus had earlier in his Sermon on the Mount addressed this kind of thinking when declared- “FOR God makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…”

And Jesus had to correct the faulty perceptions of his own disciples when they asked him “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind…”
So what is going on in this account…
Well, first Jesus is correcting faulty thinking….

Correction #1 – Do you think…(oh , I love that phrase! God help me to think reasonably) “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?”
1. People do not suffer bad things because they are sinners.
2. People who are not suffering are not morally better off than people who are suffering.

Good fortune and disaster are no indication of a person’s spiritual state.

Correction #2 UNLESS YOU REPENT, YOU WILL ALL PERISH AS THEY DID. This is not a warning of judgment but a statement of fact- death is coming and death may be unexpected…as in the case of these Galileans who died at the hands of Pilate and those who died when the tower fell.
The fact of the matter- death is always unexpected, …THINK ABOUT THAT…
The Parable that follows sets the context clearly establishing the idea that there is a need to be ready- to live a fruitful life.
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'”

So- this is a good Lenten passage- – it cause me to reflect on my life right at the moment. Am I living a fruitful spiritual life? Spiritual in the sense of being God-centered rather than self-centered? Other-centered rather than ego-centered? Am I living a life of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENES, AND SELF-CONTROL.