CHRISTMAS REFLECTIONS - Joseph

As Christmas approaches I am drawn to reflect on the characters in the birth narrative of Jesus. I wonder what must the events of the Christmas story have been like for the ones who lived it. What would the shepherds have felt seeing the sky fully illuminated by an angelic choir. The wise men from the east, whose reading of the stars told them a king was born, would have had a fascinating story. Mary gets a lot of attention this time of year, for obvious reasons - she carried God in her womb. But, I start by wondering about Joseph, Jesus' step-father.

There is one verse in Matthew's edition of the events that stands out: chapter 1 verse 19. 

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

Joseph was a righteous man but can you imagine committing to marry a woman who had become pregnant with a child that was not yours?! He was a man who was conscientious about his faith and about God but can you imagine marrying a woman who was known to be unfaithful? If Joseph had married her he would have been tacitly admitting his own guilt, because if you marry a pregnant woman it is not because she is carrying someone else's child, it is because she is carrying yours. 

Mary brought shame and dishonor to Joseph and ruin to his reputation. In the middle eastern world of the first century, adultery was grounds for the woman to be stoned to death; a husband could have his wife executed for this. We are not immune to being talked bad about, or shamed in front of friends. Think about the headlines we have seen in the past year about someone who sought out revenge for one reason or another. We are not so far removed from the feelings that Joseph would have felt, betrayed by the one he loves. We've been stabbed in the back, we've been blindsided by harsh news that came from someone we were supposed to be able to trust. We have probably thought about giving that person or group of people a taste of there own medicine. "They hurt me this way, let's see how they like it when..." fill in the rest. The full weight of the law could have led to the stoning death of Jesus’ mother Mary, at the very least a public divorce would have shamed Mary and her family and she likely would have never married. We could not fault Joseph for taking that route if he chose to do so.  

(Image Credit)

But Joseph was unwilling to expose her to the disgrace of public divorce, so he chose a quiet yet lawful way. I believe it is one of the reason's God chose Joseph to be a step-father to God the Son. Joseph finds a way to remain faithful to the rigidity of the law while expressing compassion towards Mary. I may have chosen to find some way to get back at the person who wronged me, who embarrassed me, who ruined my reputation - Joseph chooses to quietly divorce Mary and salvage her reputation. Ultimately he chooses to marry her, accepting the embarrassment and shame of a premarital pregnancy. He accepted the shame as his own even though he had nothing to do with it.

Can you imagine being a son, and hearing this story as you grow up? I seem to remember a story of a woman caught in the act of adultery, recorded in John's edition of the gospel. Jesus, just as his father, shows compassion and does not seek to embarrass her publicly. He stands with her in her shame and disgrace. Jesus looked beyond the circumstance to show a person is more than the sum of their choices, as did his father Joseph. 

Just a short time later Jesus would do it again... from a cross. The cross is where he remained faithful to the rigidity of the law while expressing compassion towards all humanity. He chose to accept the shame of death as a common criminal on charges that were not true to not just stand with us in our shame but to take our place. Jesus' journey to and sacrifice on the cross began with the courageous choice of a man named Joseph. A man who defied convention, who chose the harder road, and modeled compassion to a young wife and son who would go on to change world in the same way.

Just a meandering thought... 

BETWEEN Part 2

So you have graduated... big deal... There are apparently far fewer people out there who are excited about that fact than you thought there were. So how do you stay sharp in the time between receiving your diploma and receiving that invitation to the job you were wanting?

First, read BETWEEN part 1.

Second, here are the next three things I have decided that I need to work on. Three ways I can set some goals for myself without a real framework for setting goals. Blogger won't let me begin the numbering from "4" so I am going to have a chat with them about that...

1. Coffee Chat - Getting together once a month for coffee with someone who is in the field is a great way to do a couple of things. First, it helps you stay up to date with what people are doing in your field. Second, the more people know you are out there; the more ground your name covers, the better your chances of some who is hiring hearing about you. You just have to keep a couple of things in mind when you get together with someone. First of all, these guys (and ladies) are busy so don't waste their time. Arrive with a list of questions or talking point, but don't make it too long. Next the whole idea for this get together is for them to talk and for you to listen. Ask questions that are open ended and well thought through. Lastly, remember part of this time is for you to actually learn something, part of it is for them to catch a glimpse of who you are.
2. Be a student - there are all sorts of ways for you to continue to study and learn. Journals of various sorts, conferences, symposiums, and other gatherings are ways for you to continually grow your knowledge base.
3. Proficiency at one new skill - This is a chance for you to grow your personal skill set. It may be web design, photography, the culinary arts, whatever. Two things to keep in mind as you consider becoming proficient in one new skill. First, make it something you actually enjoy doing, or one of those things that you have always wanted to try but never had time to, or the resources to take on. You may need to take some time to save money so that you can purchase one important piece of equipment, but don't take too long and don't spend too much. Check out craigslist.com Second, try to make this something that is in some way connected to the field you are looking to get into.

Good Luck as you embark on these next three and hey, if you end up doing any of these let me know how it goes. I will be working on them as well, and I will let you know how it goes.

Just a few Meandering Thoughts...

BETWEEN Part 1

Not too long ago I walked across a distinguished looking stage, with a group of distinguished men and women sitting on it, all wearing distinguished robes and caps... I was wearing one too. I received a very official looking folder in which will go a very distinguished piece of paper that I will likely later put into a distinguished looking frame.  I spent a lot of time and a lot of money for a graduate degree and I loved every minute of it but now... reality is setting in. I suppose I am experiencing what a lot of graduates are experiencing whether bachelors or Masters... how do I find a job that is a good fit for my interests, training, experience, and passion?

I wish I had an easy answer but it seems to vary depending from field to field. But these are not "meandering thoughts" on how to find your dream job, instead these are my ideas on what to do in the time between finishing your education and landing that dream job. 

I have been asked, "what are your plans now?" or "what goals do you have for yourself?" To be honest it is hard to set goals when there is no real framework in which to set goals. What do you try to achieve, how do you improve your performance what do you shoot for when you are still looking for a job to perform in?

To help me answer these kinds of questions I have put together a list of nine things I (and anyone really) can work towards in the time "between" times. Now, I share with you how we can navigate the time between ending one chapter in our lives and beginning another; how we can "improve our performance" by setting measurable and attainable goals. These are the first three I came up with. ( I was hoping to get a nice round number like ten, but nine is what I am stuck with. If you have an idea share it with me.)

My goals for the time between times:

1. Steward my Opportunities - I may get occasional opportunities to work on some projects that are directly connected to my area of training and education. I need to make the most of those opportunities and use them to showcase what I can do. I need to do my best work here. These chances are where I get to demonstrate who I am and what I am about.
 
 
2. Stay at the Cutting Edge - Identify ten thinkers and writers who are at the cutting edge of my field and read everything they write. This will keep me at the forefront of the thinking and conceptualization in my field. I will have a grasp on the direction and the depth of my area of expertise.  
 
 
3. Remain Relevant - Find ways to use basic skills in my field in what I am doing right now. I need to know a few things that I can do now that I will also need to be doing years from now. I am in sales now so talking with people and developing a rapport with them is one of the things I need to continually work on.
    

Just a few meandering thoughts...

My next three will be coming soon...

PEOPLE

     Some words I would like to share with the people I met and came to know while in India. Some of them may never actually read these words but they need to be said:

     My friends from Orissa: You have endured so much already, may God give you the strength and courage to go back.

     To Don: your family may have turned their back on you and thrown you out, but you have a heavenly Father who will never leave you.

     To Sonam: I will continue to pray that things will work out for your father and the house the government kicked him out of.

     To Basant: Your English is not so good, but I have so much respect for what you feel God is calling you to do. Don’t hesitate.

     To Gerin: You never cease to crack me up. Your story was so moving, God healed you so that you can be an instrument of healing to the world.

     Mitendra: So sorry to hear about your parents, so glad you shared your story, God redeems every tragedy.

     T.S. Sam: Congratulations on you daughters marriage, thanks for letting me tag along.

     To Guunjen: I am sorry your family kicked you out of your home for becoming a Christian, I hope your new brothers and sisters in Seharampur can help to fill that hole.

     To Kajal: Thanks for teaching me some Hindi, you are a wonderful teacher.

     There are many others that I met who were aboslutely amazing people. There are many sad stories, and may inspiring ones too. Each name is a life and a series of stories. I have been privelaged to be a part of some of these stories halfway around the world. Several have said to me, "I will never forget you". That is one of the most humbling things anyone has ever said to me. To them I would respond by saying:

     "It has been an honor to be a part of your story..."

RESURRECTION

Some random thoughts about Easter & Resurrection:

1. Jesus told Martha that he was The Resurrection before he was raised from the dead. He gives himself a title that is a verb but here expressed as a noun - The Resurrection. You could say it this way: Jesus is the one who is raising from the dead. So for Jesus raising from the dead is not something he does it is something he is...
2. The disciples who had followed Jesus for three years were, I am sure, a little disappointed, shocked, discouraged, maybe a little angry, maybe they felt betrayed. Jesus talked about a coming Kingdom for three years but on the Saturday after the crucifixion his lifeless body was laying on a cold slab of rock. The cold slab seems dark and hopeless but it is not quite the end of the story; there is more to come...
3. Jesus cannot be resurrected if he does not die. There is no victory without at least the risk of defeat.
4. In every competition there are winners and losers. The cliche is that Jesus won and sin lost, but the way it plays out, we actually get the credit for the "W" in a "competition" that we simply were not good enough to win on our own. Death gets the "L" because even though we still sin we do not still die...
5. Martha knew that her brother Lazarus would eventually raise from the dead; she did not realize that new life was possible while she was standing there in front of her brother's grave.
6. There were a lot of bodies in graves as Jesus stood there with Martha, the only one who walked out of his grave was the one who knew Jesus.
7. Death was the ultimate proof that Jesus is the resurrection. You can claim to be the president all day, but it is only seen to be true if the military moves when you give the orders, or they ask for your signature on a piece of legislation. Any others are posers and fakes.
   

The resurrection did not just change the world it changed the lives of the people who experienced it. Their experience with The Resurrection propelled them to share their experience with others because it changed their lives and it was too good not to share. It has continued to change the lives of people who are willing to get close enough to Jesus to hear him call their name.

Just a Meandering Thought...

RAINS

The Summer rains are falling

They fill the dried up streams
The parched earth drinks it in
And dusty paths now are mud

Blue sky masked in shades of gray

God wrings out the clouds
Droplets form like buckets
And rain like puddles falls

Lakes and oceans merge
Rivers connect them all
The Summer rains are falling
The plush green grass returns
The babbling brooks are swelling
Liquid life on a sojourn

TENTS

A while back I was working a Saturday shift at the REI. A guy came in and asked if I knew anything about setting up tents. I thought it was an odd question given the store we were in but I answered him affirmatively. He went on to vaguely describe a four season, two person, mountaineering tent that was designed for Denali. He said he had not been able to figure out how to set it up and wanted someone to help him get it straight so he would be able to do it on his own. He brought the tent in and we proceeded to set it up in the store, as we did he told me the story behind the tent.

It turns out he bought the tent about five years prior to coming in the store that day. When he got it home he tried to set it up but had some difficulty with it, put it away and had not used it since. By the way, the day he walked in it was in the first couple of days in July and we were on the verge of a record setting heat wave. So here I have a guy with a tent that is made for extreme conditions in the mountains and it has never been set up beyond his backyard because he cannot figure out how to properly use it. I could not help but think, what a waste. To have that kind of equipment and never use it even remotely close to its potential, to never use it for its intended purpose. Then I thought how much am I like that with God??

As followers of Christ we have both the responsibility and the capacity for extraordinary demonstrations of a Christ centered life - things like: extravagant grace, reckless love, incomprehensible acts of service, just to name a few. Many times, however, we shortchange these biblical standards of excellence in our lives. We don’t want to take the time to have these lifestyle attributes molded into us, or we want to but there are so many other priorities that take precedent, or perhaps we are just not aware that they are needed. It is not until we are faced with a crisis that we realize we are forgiving with strings attached, or loving when it is convenient for us, or serving begrudgingly rather than cheerfully. Somehow many followers of Christ have become okay with doing exceptional acts with great mediocrity.

It is like boarding a jet to taxi two doors down and thinking it sure was a good thing the jet was there to go that far distance. The jet can go to a totally different continent but we are content to go two doors down. Its like owning a four season mountaineering tent and setting it up once in the backyard and then never setting it up again because we have forgotten how to set it up. As Christ followers, our actions and our attitudes in the world should be such that they are an improvement on the world, but we for one reason or another never get them beyond our backyard, or beyond our church.

Which tent set up do you think has a better story behind it?? This one... Or this one?? Which one would you want your life to look like?

That guy spent at least five hundred dollars for something a twenty dollar tent could do. We are only shortchanging ourselves when we don't pursue something deeper with God and for the world. We are only asking God for five minutes when he is the one who holds eternity in his hands. It has been said that some people believe that the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. I believe life is an adventure best lived on the front lines.

Just a Meandering Thought...

FIRST

Just a little while ago we had our first snow fall of the new year. I was of course thinking about Christmas time and having a white Christmas. You see, we had about six inches of snow on the ground but the day after Christmas it all melted away. All of it. As the snow disappeared what was left was an unattractive mix of brown sand from sanding the previously icy streets, and dead leaves, just a remnant of the once brilliant colors of Fall. Over the course of about 24 hours the world here on the north shore went from mostly white to browns and muted greens. It was pretty depressing the way a white Christmas on Friday became a brown Saturday afternoon.

Then it happened... a couple of days later little fluffy white flakes began to slowly drift to the ground. Before long there was a gentle white layer of snow covering the cold, dull colors of winter. It was the FIRST snowfall of the new year. What was once quiet and colorless, muted and silent, drab and dull was soon dressed in mystical white. The snowfall is a transformation that is hard to describe to someone who has never experienced a New England winter. There is something about the blanket of white that falls from the sky that somehow makes things seem to have new life. Take a look next time it snows at someone’s back yard before anyone has walked through it. The unbroken snow cover just after a winter storm is a sight to see; part of you wants to dive in, and part can't help but to stand in awe as you take it in.

Haven't you had dull or muted moment in your life at some point? I have. When the choice you made did not work out the way you thought it would, a relationship goes bad, a business partnership turns out to cost you the money you thought it would make you. Maybe you lost the job you thought was stable. Whatever it was it feels like the colors have faded. Everything seems to exist in muted shades, the prospects seem dull and drab.

In the Old Testament of the Bible there was a King whose name was David. This King who was a shepherd as a boy, and the leader of a militia as a young man was also a poet and song writer. He was a pretty intense guy who lived his life somewhat impulsively. One time after making an impulsive decision he realized that he had made a huge mistake. He basically looked after he leaped. Have you ever been there?? If you are breathing on planet earth you have. Maybe you made a quick decision you wish you could unmake; you made a comment you wish you could take back, you commit to something or someone you wish you could get out of or away from; the result?? You lose a job, you burned that bridge, you dropped the straw that broke the camel’s back and now the colors of life are dull and muted.

Well guess what... God controls the weather! He’s the one who sends the fluffy white flakes. This king who was a poet wrote these words: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” - Psalm 51:7. Whiter than snow!! What a metaphor to describe what happens when we allow God into our space. Often we try to keep God at a distance but the reality is that once we allow God into our lives, those places that are dull and muted and seem to have no life at all are somehow covered and made beautiful. Those painful areas, those places where we have been hurt, those places where we have been let down or stabbed in the back., the places where we have royally messed up, the places we hide from everyone else because of fear of what some might say or think when they saw how colorless, how lifeless, how empty we can be. Somehow, God can look at those things and say, “I have something for that. I have love for your lifelessness, your dullness.” God takes those places and covers them with beauty that is whiter than snow. If we will allow him close enough to wash us he will cover us with a brilliant shade of whiter than white snow...

Just a thought...

WITHERED

Have you ever bought flowers for someone (or yourself?? So sad...) You know how the flowers comes with that packet of stuff that you are supposed to put in the water after you find a vase to put them in. So then, why do you put the stuff from the packet into the water?? Well, we have figured out that when we pick flowers we are actually killing them and the stuff in the packet that goes in water is like flower life support. The only problem is that their condition is terminal; when we cut the flowers from their roots we are killing them. It is kind of weird that people seem to enjoy flowers so much that they would kill them. In short, the upside is that flowers bring a little beauty into the house; the downside is that you have to ultimately kill the flowers. Every flower that is cut from its root will eventually wither and die - even with the flower food.

At the Hectic pace that life moves today it is easy to find ourselves feeling a little disconnected or maybe cut off. We often times will neglect the importance of being connected altogether. It's easy to become so busy with the business of life that we cease to really live; we don't notice that we have been living disconnected lives. By the time we realize it we have neglected our soul for so long that we have done some serious damage; our soul is withered - like a flower cut from its roots.

Have you ever looked into the face of someone who has withered on the inside. You can see a loss of hope, and purpose, you can sense neglect, and lack of direction. Without connection to a source of strength we also will wither and die, maybe not physically but our soul will certainly shrivel to nothing.

What do we do? Jesus put it this way, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers..." Jesus gives life to our soul. Jesus at the center of who we are gives a whole new level of meaning and purpose to everything we do. We no longer work and live for ourselves, but for something - someone - greater than we are, and somehow that gives us a new level of meaning - gives life to our soul. It would be like that flower growing an entirely new root system. It gives new life. We go from withered, shriveled, and empty, to healed, healthy, and whole.

The wholeness we feel that comes with success lasts only as long as the success lasts - it is temporary - like the food you give a flower after it has been cut. As the flower food does not bring life or wholeness to the flower so success or anything else does not bring true wholeness to us. This is true for anything we use to help us feel healed, healthy or whole. Jesus came that we could have life and have it to the full.

So the next time you buy flowers at the store or just put some freshly cut flowers from the yard in a vase, ask yourself how you may have cut yourself from the true source, and perhaps how you have tried to use a temporary source to help you feel alive...

Just a meandering thought...

Change

Taking a look outside today it is easy to see the change of the seasons. This really is my favorite time of year. The trees are gushing with color. It seems as if the colors drip off the trees and lie in puddles on the ground just beneath these fountains of golden hues. There is a slight nip in the air and at just the right time you can step outside and smell the smoke from the chimneys.

The ancient Celts believed that this was a magical time of year when the border between this world and the next was at its thinnest. They believed that at certain times and in certain places the two worlds would overlap. They believed it was possible to pass from this world to the next in these places of overlap. Our present day celebration of Halloween has its roots in this belief event hough the holiday is nothing of what it was in the prehistory of the British Isles.

So this time of year is filled with all kinds of magical changes. The leaves are brightening, the temperature is dropping, the sweaters are coming out, there is an occasional frost on the ground. This is the kind of change that I enjoy. However not all changes are so pleasant. In fact for most of us change is very unpleasant and sometimes even painful. It has been said that all change is loss. When something changes it is no longer the same (I know this is terribly obvious) but since it is no longer the same there is a part of us that mourns the loss of things as they were. We cannot go back. We cannot get it back. We have lost it.

Mourning the loss of things that change is an important process in coming to grips with the fact that things have changed. We sometimes watch a video from several years back, or click through pictures from a time gone by and we think of what it was like. We feel sad that those times have come and gone. In those moments we are experiencing a kind of mourning. Change has taken place and we feel a sense of loss.

Life is change. And so if we live long enough we will experience the loss of change and the need to mourn that change. The scripture reminds us that God does not shield us from experiencing these sometimes difficult times in our lives or the emotions that go with them. Intimacy with Jesus does not exempt or insulate us from the hurt of change even when it is not our choice. Intimacy with Christ tells us that no matter what the changes that come our way, no matter what the loss is that we feel; the veil between our world and His is never closed. He is as close as the mention of his name.

The Ancient Celts were close. They believed they had access to the "otherworld" twice a year, around the Spring and Autumn Equinox. What we know is that through Christ we have access to the "otherworld" by simply calling His name. Even though the pain of loss does not go away, somehow knowing that someone is there makes it a little more bearable.

Just a thought...

Fragrance

I am fascinated by the affect that smells can have on us; where they can bring us. Have you ever walked into your parents home on Christmas Eve and been taken back to your childhood by the smells of the home when you walked in? One of my college roommates still remembers the smell of a particular girl at school whenever he smells the scent of vanilla perfume, or vanilla anything really. There is the smell of fresh cut grass that reminds me of summer. The smell of the road right after a mid-summer rain storm is another. The smell of a fire in the fireplace or at a campsite makes me think of comfort and warmth after being cold. Each of these and countless others brings us all back to a place in our lives, perhaps good perhaps bad, but the scent... sends us somewhere.

These last couple of mornings I have left my apartment a little earlier than usual for school orientation. When I walked outside I was greeted by some familiar smells. I smelled the morning dew. I smells the fresh crisp morning air. I smelled the smell that I remember smelling on those early days of September when I would be going back to school. It reminds me of the nervousness of seeing students and friends I had not seen all summer long. It reminds me of cutting up paper grocery bags to make book covers for them. It reminds me of heavy backpacks. It reminds me of football practice, classes, lunchrooms, fire drills, homework... it reminds me of the first day of school. What a coincidence I am in orientation for my first day of school... post grad to be exact.

It has been many years since I rode my bike to school, I may be doing that again (out of choice) The backpack is now a shoulder bag, there is no gym class or study halls, some classes have like fifty people in them, some possibly more, there are a ton of things that are different. The one thing that is the same is the early morning September smell from years ago. I am thirty three years old, I am pursuing a Master's degree but this morning, for a brief moment, I was eight years old on the first day of school.

I wonder sometimes, when smells remind Jesus of the cross. I wonder what smells remind Jesus of a fire side denial. What was going through Peter's mind (as a fisherman) when he set foot out of the boat. When Jesus taught in the temple courts during the week before his crucifixion was he reminded about the time he was left there by his parents? When he was teaching there at twelve years old was he thinking of the time he would turn over tables? Are there smells that make Jesus think of me? The smell of denial, of compassion, of forgiveness. If Jesus were to "smell" my life, where would that take him? Can we say, "our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God..." as 2Corinthians talks about? What do "smell like to God? What does God think of when he catches a whiff of your life??

Just a thought...