Wednesday Interesting--so much good stuff!

Since the internet is down at church--yes, still--I'm going ahead and posting this now, in hopes that other people do in fact have the beautiful time-sucking internet that will enable you to enjoy all this great stuff.

First, a disclaimer: I am in serious news fatigue. So it's true that this week things that I find interesting are mostly not about Syria, Egypt, gun violence, the economy, generation-bashing, etc. I just need a break so I can continue to care passionately about all those things.

So here we go.

Where's the octopus? This is seriously awesome. I had no idea octopi could do this. Watch both the edited video and the raw footage and let nature blow your mind for a minute.

This is super cool and totally worth contemplating, O Church and Other Institutions That People Associate With Buildings....

Have you ever wondered how we got the bible we have today? this is,hands-down, the best explication of the church history surrounding all thattime of creating and closing the canon….

Is your church, club, non-profit, social organization, or other group wondering where the young people are? (answer: probably yes, because that's what we love to wring our hands about right now.) Well, here are some surefire ways to get rid of them forever.

I can often be heard talking about brain development, so I found this very interesting. I don’t have beautiful handwriting, though I envy those who do. But when it comes to things that enhance our ability to learn, I am all about that. One of my pet peeves about education as I see it playing out right now is that it is not about learning to learn, it is about learning to test. :-( so…save cursive!

This docu-mercial is scarily real. Though I wonder: what does it say about the world that this is coming from a chain of fast food restaurants???????? of course, would be even better if they then decided to be a vegetarian restaurant, to stop that poor cow from a horrible death…. 

Last week I attempted to fix my toilet. The floaty-arm thing had broken off. Everyone I know said it would be easy. I got the part, took the stuff in the tank apart, and when installing the new piece, discovered that it did not fit. Another late-night trip to the store (thank you, Lowe's, for being open until 10pm and for your employees being nice to me at 9:50pm) resulted in a whole new inside-the-tank assembly thing...the store guys and the box said it would take 15 minutes. 2 hours and many tears later, I had a functioning, though accidentally low-flow/water-saving, toilet, that only leaks a little bit. Part of the issue? Instructions that look basically like these.

oh yes. 1, FIVE!!!!!, 7, 12, 14…

And, last but not least for today:  

This is the best thing on the internet in a long long time…. 

the word of the lord?? -- a sermon for September 15 (Narrative Lectionary year 4 week 2)

Rev. Teri Peterson

PCOP

the word of the lord???

Genesis 21.1-14, 22.1-14

15 September 2013, NL4-2

The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ And she said, ‘Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’

 The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.’ The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’ Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together.

 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’

This past Thursday on the patio, we talked about why we call the Bible the word of the Lord, while other books that seem to tell stories of love and redemption are just novels. After all, the Spirit can and does speak through literature and movies and other media. The stories of Harry or Aslan or Frodo or Buffy or any number of other characters offer us windows into the relationship between humans and God. But none of them are scripture. None of those stories are the ones we gather around each week, base our lives on, and insist are the unique and authoritative witness to God’s love and power. There is something about scripture that causes us to proclaim that it is the Word of the Lord.

That something is actually several somethings. Among them: that these stories of God and God’s people have been held for millennia as the Most True—capital T—words about who God is and what God does, and who we are and who we are called to be. The cloud of witnesses gathered around these texts highlights the sacredness of the stories. In these pages we encounter God. And every word is filled with the Spirit—as is our understanding. The purpose of the stories, laws, poetry, songs, letters, prayers, and speeches we find in this book is to point us toward God’s most perfect revelation: Jesus the Christ. Anything we read that does not point us to the love and justice of God as revealed in Jesus, we are reading wrong. So yes, this book is the word of the Lord—not the words of God, written by lightning bolt or divine finger, but the word of God as it is known and lived and heard and told and practiced by a community of people, a means of revealing God’s power and love.

And then we get stories like this one. That, frankly, make me want to toss the whole thing out all over again. Who on earth thinks that putting not one, but TWO consecutive stories of child sacrifice into a holy text is a good idea? After all, church is supposed to be family friendly. We love children. Jesus said “let the little children come to me.” And here we are, reading about one kid sent into the desert with just a flask of water, and the other dragged up a mountain and very nearly burned as a sacrifice. It’s really hard for me to affirm that this is the word of the Lord.

And it should be. Because we know that every word in these pages should point us to the love of God made visible in Christ, and there’s not a lot that’s very loving or Christ-like about this story. After all the promises God made to Abraham and Sarah, after all the effort Abraham and Sarah made to follow those promises, or even to fulfill them on their own, now we have this: one child cast aside as unworthy, and one demanded as proof of faithfulness. Whatever happened to the unconditional covenant, where God simply promised and that was it? Nowhere before has God insisted on proof or payment or anything in return. Now, all of a sudden, Abraham—who argued and bargained with God several times before this—is perfectly willing to trudge three days away to tie Isaac up on a pyre. Thankfully, at literally last moment, Abraham and God come to their senses, and there’s a ram ready for the slaughter instead.

 THIS is the word of the Lord?

It’s important to remember that Abraham lived in a culture where the gods asked for sacrifices all the time. It would not be unusual for him to watch his neighbors offer a child at the high place. In fact, there are other places in scripture where God has to remind the Israelites that they are not to sacrifice their children—so the practice was definitely around.

It’s also important to remember that often God’s voice comes through the voices of others. Abraham had heard God speak directly, and in the voices of strangers.

The text says this was a test. It’s hard to see how a test that plays with someone’s life is a signpost pointing toward the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Unless perhaps it’s a test of just which god we follow? When Abraham knew he was talking directly to God, he often talked back, bargained, asked questions. This time, he obeys the voice silently—most uncharacteristic of his relationship with God up to this point.

Could it be that this is a story of Abraham hearing the voice of another god, through the voices of his neighbors, and then the One True God stepping in and calling off this horror? We know that God is a God of abundant life, of love and justice and grace and freedom. Any interpretation of this story that insists that God demanded this sacrifice as proof of Abraham’s faithfulness is an interpretation that does not point to Jesus—to the God who sacrificed himself on the altar of our stubbornness, not the other way around. So perhaps here we are reading of a human being testing the boundaries—how different is this new God anyway? How meaningful is this promise? And in response, God puts a definitive end to the practice of human sacrifice, grabbing Abraham’s hand—and by extension, our hands too—and taking the knife away. It is not okay for us to sacrifice one another on any altar.

Even when the voices of our many gods call out, it is not okay for us to sacrifice one another on any altar. Make no mistake—there are plenty of voices we, like Abraham, think are perfectly reasonable. They ask us to sacrifice our children on the altar of prosperity, of national security, of morality. They ask us to sacrifice our children for the sake of our military reputation, our economy, our global power. They ask us to sacrifice our children for profit, for safety, for our understanding of what is right. They tell us it’s okay to sacrifice some children, or some poor people, or some elderly people. These false gods surround us, asking us to forget that fifty years ago today four little girls were killed in Sunday School when their church was bombed because their skin was the wrong color—sacrificed to self-righteousness. They ask us to forget that poverty fuels violence that has claimed the lives of thousands of children in our county alone—sacrificed to apathy. They ask us to forget that the things we buy often perpetuate a cycle of violence and despair that destroys the lives of children—sacrificed to convenience. These false gods shield our eyes from the reality that more people are enslaved today than at any time in history, that sporting events are also sex-trafficking events, and that the vast majority of people affected are children—sacrificed to instant gratification.

The voices are all around us, suggesting that the ways we sacrifice our children are perfectly normal. What’s one more time? It’s good for us, it’ll prove something, it’s cost effective, and it’ll all be okay.

And so the test: will we listen to the voice of the God who says: Give me the knife. It is not okay to sacrifice one another on any altar. period. No more. No more. I am a God of life, abundant life. I am Love. I am hope and justice and peace. My faithfulness is not contingent on your faithfulness—and good thing! Those other gods may have compelling voices, but their call always leads to destruction, and my call leads to life. This I promise.

That is the word of the Lord.

Amen. 

weekend interesting

The internet was down at church all week.

ALL. WEEK.

You might be wondering how I had time to come across all this interesting stuff then. There's a LOT of it, after all. This will probably be the longest post on my blog in....ever.

Answer: smartphone. I gorged myself on the internet while I was at home, instead of doing things like sleeping and exercising and cooking.

Here's some of what I came across. My empty fridge testifies to the amount of awesome on the interwebs in the past 10 days or so...

The future is here! This is every bit as cool as the movie that came out the same year it was launched.

Yep, the future is definitely here. Maybe we could start living in it.

Except sometimes we're caught up in the past. Does re-living 9/11 end up shaping our future in ways we don't want? We’ve seen the dangers of being defined by one horrifying event. We’ve watched as other cultures have re-enacted the wrong done to them, but been blind to the ways we’ve done the same. Yes, it was awful and terrifying and wrong, and we grieve with those who grieve and for the families of those who thought this was the way forward. And we also remember that it is not the way forward: we must go on as the best version of ourselves, not the worst.

These people said it way better than me.

Speaking of the past eclipsing the future...it happens at church too. (okay, it mostly happens at church.) 

And why is that? Every church says they want innovative leaders that will move them forward. There are bajillions of creative people leading congregations (and bajillions more who want to lead congregations). So why is it so difficult? Well, because as much as we want to think pastors can do it all, we can't. And this is DECIDEDLY one thing we can't do. We can offer tools, hold out a vision, and do our best to create a culture, but the reality is that we're not in charge of this one. you are.

If you are looking for some inspiration though, say, to be an agent for good in the world, here's some. Maybe we could even apply some of that inspiration to our church communities.

First step toward changing our communities? THIS. Our Jewish brothers and sisters and in the midst of High Holy Days...and that always makes me wish we had a period in the Christian calendar that was so specifically focused on forgiveness--as in, asking for and extending forgiveness from and to other people. Literally. Like we had to actually practice out-loud reconciliation in church. (Go ahead, try to tell me that's what Lent is about. I wish.) Imagine how our church cultures might be different if we did some truth-and-reconciliation work.

Of course, there are also plenty of other realities that the church is ignoring. Like, you know, this one.

The situation in Syria gets sadder and sadder. It is one of my favorite places I've ever visited, so my heart aches. It's complicated, of course. Our Christian friends have some things to say too.

On an apparently completely unrelated note: the way we talk to each other matters. (not just about teenagers!) 

And this is one of the ways it matters. (warning: tissue alert)

The way we talk to ourselves, or hear ourselves talk, matters too. Ladies, you know what I mean. Stop it.

And in the HAHAHAHAHA department...

There's been a ton of discussion about why millennials are leaving the church. I still maintain that they mostly weren't there to begin with, but aside from that, THIS.

While we're at it, pay close attention to this unexpected reality.

And then, to make us all feel better....you knew the cat hadn't moved from that spot since you left the house. now there's proof.

Happy weekend reading!

Friday Five: food!!!

Over at RGBP, we've been asked to ponder food. Since this is one of my most favorite things in the entire universe to ponder, I'm all in.


1) Is there a food from a foreign land whose reputation led to trepidation when you had a chance to give it a try? Did you find the courage to sample it anyway? If so, were you pleasantly surprised or did you endorse the less than favorable reputation that preceded it?
Hmm...well, the prompt for this particular FF came from my friend Nikki, I understand, who wished to write about haggis. I will say that the reputation of haggis precedes it...and recedes from consciousness because why on earth would you eat that??? I did not eat haggis. I ate a vegetarian version that seems to bear little resemblance to the actual dish, and it wasn't very good either, though I do like all the ingredients so I'm not sure what happened there.

2) What food from your own country/culture gets a bad rap? 
Most of it, and with good reason. We in the USA are known for food that will kill us all. But there's something so delicious about fried foods on a stick...

3) Of what food are you fond that others find distasteful?
Kale! I love kale. I think it's probably my favorite non-potato vegetable. Seriously. Almost everyone I know eats kale out of obligation, or they try it once and then never again, or they only eat kale chips but not any other way. (aside: I think kale chips are gross. yes, I'm that weirdo.) I think I could probably eat kale every day, or at least several times a week...

4) Is there a country’s food, not native to you, that you go out of your way to eat?
Indian! Mexican! Middle Eastern! so....yes. :-)

5) What is your guilty pleasure food?
just one? hmmm...cinnamon toast crunch. lol.

Bonus: What was your most memorable meal (good or bad), either because of the menu, the occasion, the company, or some other circumstance that makes it stand out?
Oh my. I've had so many memorable meals! Do I write about the cheese-and-wine night where I tried desperately to convince myself and others that the cheese whose description included the word "barnyard" would get better with more bites? (that attempt failed spectacularly--it was so terrible.) Or the several zillion-course tasting menus my friends and I have enjoyed at various fancy-schmancy places? The first time I cooked rice (when I was a teenager) and doubled the rice but not the water? The night at the vegetarian restaurant in Edinburgh with a bunch of skeptical non-vegetarians who came away saying that was the place to which they'd most like to return? The vegan sushi at Sipz? A mimosa Saturday brunch that turned into strudel for dinner because that takes so freaking long to make? There are so many...

a holiday interesting

Since many of us have the day off today (though not all...in spite of the work of a generation of activists, still some people must work on holidays, to make things convenient for us or to make ends meet or to avoid never getting scheduled again)...I postponed the Wednesday Interesting until today, to make time for the perusing.

Since it's Labor Day, let's clear some things up. First, this is not a "patriotic holiday" in the usual sense of the word--I mean, it's not a day celebrating or honoring the military, veterans, or even advances or freedoms technically won by military means. It's a day that's brought to us by labor unions, who fought for reasonable working hours, days off, a living wage, child labor laws, safety in the workplace, etc. It's patriotic in the sense that without those people, our country's way of life may not be worth fighting for, but in our current political climate no one wants to think about how the reality is that without unions we may very well be one of those places where children make low-quality clothes for 8 cents an hour.

Second, many of those things the people honored on Labor Day fought for are slipping. Here are some amazing charts.

As long as we're pursuing the American Dream, though, however hazy that dream might be, here's a great list of questions people in every age group should be asking themselves, even though it's labeled for 20-somethings.

If we could pursue God's dream instead of the classic American dream for a minute, it might lead us down a path sort of like this reflection....

While we're talking about God's dream--what about God's dream for the church? There have been dozens of articles lately about why millenials are leaving the church (aside: it's because the vast majority of them weren't in church to begin with). This article about why people, in general, leave churches, is pretty well spot-on, I think. Some of the things there make me want to shout "come on over to a mainline protestant church! I promise not to tell you how to vote!" while others of them hit a little too close to home:

I think we need to just start being honest with ourselves and admit that a lot of people reject our churches because they’re too interested in Jesus to accept a counterfeit version.

Yep, that.

And, you know, because it's a holiday we probably need some lightheartedness. This is hilarious and I love it (though the underlying reality is serious...).