Blog Archives

High on the Spirit, Ministering in Life

7/28/2014

4 Comments

Gracious water of life, you pour out your Spirit upon your followers to carry on your work, on Luke, the physician, who proclaimed with Paul your life, death and resurrection among the Gentiles and on faith communities who discover your healing power in anointing and prayer. Bless us so that we can provide your healing grace upon all in need. Help us to discover all the ways in which healing is worked in every corner of your creation. Amen.

    There are debates right now concerning the use and/or legalization of marijuana and other cannabinoids for medical and/or recreational purposes. The debate has become largely politicized and this is unfortunate because in our current political climate it makes open and unbiased discussion difficult. People sometimes seem more interested in leveraging a position rather than asking important questions.

    Let us leave the politics behind and think instead about this issue from a spiritual point of view. Let us consider the issue of medical marijauna and its implications for a Christian. Let us further shrink the issue down to the impact of a particular type of cannabis on the issues of seizures impacting young children. Read these links to understand a bit about this specific use of cannabis.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/23/anna-conte_n_5614774.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte's_Web_(cannabis)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/28/medical-marijuana-legalization_n_5627810.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/07/health/charlotte-child-medical-marijuana/

    There are children afflicted with a particular type of seizure for which no satisfactory commercial medications have been found. This is called Dravet Syndrome. These children can be affected by as many as 100+ seizures a day and more. Furthermore these seizures can lead to brain trauma and death. There is a particular member of the cannabis family of plants that has demonstrated great success in treating these seizures.

    One of the central components of Jesus ministry was healing. He healed the blind, the deaf, the mute, the crippled, the fevered, those with seizures, and yes, even raised the dead. Sometimes he did it only with the power of his words. Other times he used the simple elements of the world, he mixed spit and dirt to make mud to heal the blind man. He told people to wash and they discovered relief.

    The elements of healing have been long discovered in the materials of this world. The biblical world understood the healing qualities of the alcohol in wine and oil as anticeptic. The story of Good Samaritan is the prime example.

    Aspirin was derived from the ability of the willow's bark to relieve pain. The digitalis family of plants has given us Digoxin used to treat heart problems. Chincona bark gave us Quinine to fight malaria. There are literally dozens and maybe hundreds of connections between plants and minerals and healing uses for treatment of illnesses.

    So what are the limits on what is acceptable and good and what is better avoided. Digitalis plants can be lethel. So that is a good place to start. Using an organic treatment should not be done in a way that kills. We can even extend that to say it should do no harm, adding to the illness and the suffering. Clearly, the control use of Digoxin is aimed at sustaining life but it can kill. Aspirin is used to relieve pain, used improperly it can cause major problems by excessively thinning blood. That is why we have quality control for accurate dosing and extensive instructions for their use.

    Presumably, Jesus trained and prepared the twelve and the 70 disciples that he sends out in pairs. They traveled with him. They witnessed his miracles. They listened to his teaching. He gave instructions to them for how to act, where to stay, what to take with them.

    We receive testimony in scripture that they, too, performed miracles of healing. So, in addition, to a general use of nature and the power of creation Jesus prepared his followers to carry on his work. Jesus celebrates with his disciples when they return to him telling him everything that happened.

    How do we, as Jesus disciples today, apply these to things to the proposal for use of the medical cannabis to treat seizures? First of all, let us deal with the comparison to other organic medicines. The form of cannabis known as Charlott's Web that is used in treating seizure disorders does not contain any significant THC (0.5%). THC is the hallucigenic compound in other types of marijuana. Charlott's Web is high in cannabinoids (17%) which seems to account for its usefulness in treating seizures. Secondly, it is used as an oil and not smoked therefore does not have the problem of lung issues related to smoking. Finally, if Charlott's Web and its extract Realm Oil is legalized it will be managed and overseen as any treatment form must be.

    In all of this, it would seem that the potential for successful treatment of seizures would be consistent with Jesus acts of healing and caring for those vulnerable to illness, including those suffering from seizures. Plus, there is a responsibility to insure it is used properly which can be met with proper oversight. For these reasons it would seem that there should be no theological or spiritual reason to deny this limited medical use while leaving all other aspects of the debate aside.

    The legalization of this use of medical marijuana is an opportunity to minister to the least of these and one of the most vulnerable among us and to bring hope out of God's creation for parents seeking the best for their children.

    The least we must say is we need to know more about it.

4 Comments

Start First with the Word of God

7/22/2014

4 Comments

Lord of the nations, your Word teaches us to value and respect those who hold roles of leadership in our civil offices. Teach us to pray for them that they may cast aside the interests of partisanship and look to the needs of all your people in faithful service. Amen.

     One of the greatest challenges that we as Christians face is to define how we interact with the process of governing our democratic republic. Some people attend churches that actively engage the political process handing out voting cards or pamphlets with ratings for candidates indicating who leadership or some organization thinks people should be voting for if one is a “good” Christian. Others think churches should have absolutely no connection to the realm of politics and should never utter the word or speak of anything political.

     In contrast to these two approaches that seem to be all or nothing with regard to politics there is a third way. It is a path that has, historically, been part of the vibrant life of the body of Christ. It has led to many bold actions, for better or worse. That path assumes that the community of faith looks first to the Bible to understand how faith and the community of faith engage the world. It is a place we are called to tread fearfully and faithfully with God.

     When approaching issues in this manner one must be careful not to make prior assumptions of what one will find in the Word of God. If you have a preconceived belief there is little doubt that you can find a basis in scripture to justify it. The problem is that whenever one does such a thing one tends to ignore anything inconvenient that may cut against your personal belief. As such is not an honest process. Ex. Faithful people stood on both sides of the Civil War and both used biblical arguments to justify their position.

     When we study scripture sincerely and apply it to our lives it leads to real consequences and actions. It shapes what we believe about our lives and our responsibilities to our neighbors. When we truly believe in loving God above everything and loving our neighbor as ourselves that should shape what we believe we are compelled to do. If it doesn’t so convict our hearts we must never fool ourselves into believing that God sees Christian living to be about maintaining our comfort levels. (Matthew 10:35ff)

    Very often being a Christian is to walk faithfully where others fear to tread. Those who walked the paths of the Civil Rights movement were most often people of faith, Jews and Christians among them along with others. Blacks and whites, pastors and laity walking arm in arm, often defying the law and being beaten or arrested, sometimes even dying for a belief all people should be equal under the law without regard to race and color.

     When we fear having open and honest discussions about difficult issues and when we fail to act upon our faith because we might be uncomfortable or we might make someone angry we can lose touch with how it has always been for the disciples of Christ; in the world but not of it. When we face difficult social questions like refugee children fleeing death and suffering at our border, when we consider what are the right and good uses if any of medical cannabis in bringing relief or treatment for children and adults with seizures, chronic pain, or cancer, or when we consider how we can welcome Hispanic, Gay, Islamic, or “other” persons into our love and concern as Christians let us start with our hearts and noses in the Bible. Then let us allow the Spirit to lead us courageously forward in faith as the people of God have always done, loving God and loving neighbor Doing this let us know we can freely and joyfully bear the cost of such actions just as Christ did his cross.

    Ever since Jesus died on the cross for us, ever since the Apostles died in martyrdom for passing on the faith, ever since Paul traveled and faced imprisonment throughout the Roman Empire, ever since you and I were baptized we have all been set on a dangerous road comforted only by a faith we walk with God. We begin with God’s Word and we move out into life remembering the cross of Christ before us.

If you find these devotions and reflections helpful and believe in the spiritual reality of our struggles as Saints and Sinners please help us fund this ministry for the next three years so that we can keep it advertizing free. Thank you and God bless you for your consideration.

http://www.gofundme.com/a1ab9s

4 Comments

Breath on me breath of God. Your Spirit blows through life animating us in your image, filling us with your Spirit, empowering us to walk in your ways. Amen.

    Another of the difficult questions lying at the heart of the Hobby Lobby case and long debated around the issues of Roe vs Wade is when does life begin and how do we determine that. For the last 40 years that question has been a bone of contention between segments of the Christian community and the secular community but, also, within the communities of faith, as well.

    Portions of the church today contend that life begins at the moment of fertilization. Biologically, someone might well make the argument that uninterrupted the birth of a child is the natural process set in motion by fertilization of an egg. All the genetic material for the creation of a new human life is present. The problem is that word, "uninterrupted." In the reality of biology and reproduction as many as 60-80 percent of fertilized eggs never implant in the uterus wall and are flushed out by the female body without the possibility of producing life.

    This would seem a horrible waste of God's gift of life and yet it is built into the very fabric of human reproduction occurring without any intercession or causation through human medical procedures. It would seem to be in some way an organic expression of the very will of God within the process of creation. Can we inspect the mind of God to understand his will in such things? Are we to say that it is God who causes the elimination of these fertilized eggs? Those are fearful steps to tread.

    Some would argue that we should consider implantation of the blastocyst into the uterine wall the beginning of pregnancy. Yet there are still spontaneous miscarriages without any medical causation. So while the percentages are reduced dramatically the question still remains are we still to consider these the will of God.

    Or is the attempt to use science to define the beginning of life to remain distinctly unsatisfying to communities of faith and particularly Christian communties. If so, what is the yardstick for making a faith based determination? For Lutherans that always raises the issue of sola scriptura. What does scripture say and how does it define the beginning of life?

    Throughout portions of the Old Testament the people of God are told to kill the people of other cultures and religions. Horribly, they are even they are even told to "tear open the wombs." Clearly, the God of Israel gives no special protection to the unborn "innocent" of those cultures.

    In Numbers chapter 5:11-31, God gives instruction for a test of faithfulness by which an unfaithful woman is caused to lose a pregnancy to miscarriage. Given the agency of a concoction which God's gives and which is prepared by the priest this is a means of abortion by jealousy trial. Are God's instructions again the source of abortion in this trial?

    In Exodus 21:22f, a situation is described in which two men fighting cause a woman to lose a unborn fetus to injury. The compensation for the loss of the fetus is based on a fine by the judge and not a life for a life.

    In addition to these passages above, there are passages which affirm the beginning of life and the nature of life as the presence of breath, breath which is the source and nature of life as God's gift. In Genesis chapter 2, God breathes his own breath and Spirit into and animates the red clay dust we know as Adam. Breath brings life. Ezekiel is told in chapter 37 to prophesy and God's breath enters into the valley of bodies and they come to life. Ecclesiastes 12 identifies life with breath. Job identifies life with the breath of God several times. Again and again it is breath that is associated with life. Isaiah 42 identifies God's breath as the source of life in his people.

    In scripture when breath is present there is life and humanity and without breath there there is only the raw materials of origins and creation. Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Even dust is the substance of God's creation but it is breath in the scriptures that brings and is life.

    Does any of this mean we should be callous about abortions and take no consideration of the importance of supporting all options for the possiblity of healthy gestation and delivery? No. But let us be honest about when scripture says life begins. It begins with breath, not with the merging of sperm and egg, not with a dividing blastocyst, not  even with implantation in the uterus wall and the developing embryo and then fetus. Not it the first, second or even third trimester. The biblical understanding of life is the breath of God. To say that is to acknowledge and honor scripture.

    Consider how tenuous the arguments of Hobby Lobby become when one identifies with the Bible that life begins with breath.

3 Comments

Gracious Creator you have ordered our lives in community and sent Jesus into the midst of those communities. Teach how to be in but not of the world that we may be faithful to our baptismal calling as your children.  Amen.

     There are numerous issues wrapped up in the Hobby Lobby ruling of the Supreme Court. Some are theological ones, some are civil and legal ones, others are Biblical ones and still others are scientific ones. I would like to try and reflect on them and to help us think our way through them. For the sake of clarity and to maintain a level of brevity that will not weary us with is sure to be long and complex I will divide the topics into separate blog entries.

     The first issue I would like to address is, “Should Christians participate in society and civil orders, and if so, how?”

     Among the arguments put forth in Hobby Lobby case was that the government through the establishment of the ACA and certain care standards should not impinge on the religious rights of Hobby Lobby. This included closely held corporations like Hobby Lobby which are not publicly traded.  Hobby Lobby argued that the ACA forced them to pay for certain forms of birth control to which the corporation objected. Specifically, Hobby Lobby objected to 4 of 16 methods of birth control to be covered under the standards of the ACA.

     This raises the issue spiritually about how religious communities and specifically Christian communities are to interact with the broader society including the civil government. As Christians, and as Lutheran Christians, we should take our cue from the teaching of scripture.

     Jesus tells his disciples that they are to be like Christ himself in the world but not of the world (John 17). In other words, they are called to march to the beat of their own drummer while still living in the midst of society. They are to live a life like Christ’s, teaching others what he has taught them, baptizing them and thereby making disciples (Matthew 28). Is this the goal of the Hobby Lobby corporation? Is it even possible for a corporation to hold a faith with which to witness?

     Jesus, also, called us to leave to Caesar what was Caesar’s (Matthew 22, Mark 12 and Luke 20) and to be concerned with giving to God what was God’s. The coin of the realm was understood to be the work of Caesar and his picture was on that coin. Therefore entering the marketplace was to enter the civil world and society that was concerned with such things.

    And the Epistles teach that the rulers and authorities of this world only stand because they are granted that authority by God (Romans 13 and Titus 3) Therefore however the civil orders organized themselves under kings or Caesars, or as democratic republics had real authority. Authority that was to be respected.

     Given all of this one might well ask why any Christian living and working and acting within the wider culture would seek to impose his or her own theology on the wider society ormore importantly their employees by refusal to accept the Constitutionally established and signed ACA’s standards for care. Would it not be more theologically consistent with scripture to make personal witness as taught by Jesus through a display of personal standards and behavior rather than imposing them by economic force upon their employees through denial of coverage established by civil authorities who Paul calls them to accept? If one doesn't believe in birth control fine do not use it, but if the law requires it as a part of health care of the wider public you leave the choice to the conscience of the individual. In a sense it is like Paul's saying to disciples to forgo marriage for the sake to the kingdom but they may marry if it is better for them rather than to struggle with the sin of carnal relationships and the flesh as Paul saw it. In other words, Paul accepted the responsibility of individual disciples to make the best choices for themselves.

     In taking the action that Hobby Lobby has taken they have demanded a personal right while denying a publically agreed standard under the law to their employees and their personal rights. This is not an action bringing others to follow Christ by teaching but rather by force and coersion. In no way under the ACA is anyone forced to use birth control but by Hobby Lobby’s actions its employees are denied equal treatment under the law by being forced to pay out of pocket for what is provided to the wider society.

1 Comment

Suffer the Little Children ...

7/9/2014

1 Comment

Lord, you taught your chosen people the importance of hospitality. You taught them to give water, food and shelter by sharing your gracious gifts. Give us a full measure of your Spirit that we may grant your protection to those who flee from war and the threat of death. May we secure the lives of the children who come among us. Amen.

It is not an immigration problem. It is children fleeing from three countries with three of the top 5 murder rates in the world. It is parents desperately sending their children north into Mexico and the United States to secure their children's lives. The numbers we are experiencing here are reported to be 10x higher in Mexico.

Jason Miller of the Franciscan Action Network wrote of the priest addressing his local congregation saying, "We have failed at Christianity." His proof was the angry mobs meeting buses at the border protesting and demanding that the children on board be sent back home. Worse yet those children are being turned into political pawns by the agendas of politicians and parties as a means leveraging issues.

As Christians we are failing Christ when we fail to provide the basic security needed for children. We cannot claim the label of Pro-life when we strike out in anger and hostility at the most vulnerable in the world.

President George W. Bush understood the unique vulnerability of children and in 2008 signed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. This act requires border patrol agents to turn over unaccompanied children to Health and Human Services for processing. That law and the responsibility under the law to properly care for those kids fleeing Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in the least restrictive environment is overwhelming because of the numbers involved. TVPRA's ability to deal with a protect these children is immensely complicated by those who seek to convert it into an immgration issue.

Can anyone imagine Jesus turning away such vulnerable children who are alone and thousands of miles from home. In Matthew 19 when his disciples are trying to stop parents from bringing children to Jesus for a simple blessing Jesus chastizes his disciples saying, ""Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." Can any Christian believe that Jesus would not be welcoming every child at the border and encouraging his followers to do everything they can to secure the children's safety.

Jason Miller further challenges us to understand that to follow Christ is to willingly take action beyond our comfort zones. To move beyond the ease of check writing and into action.

If we believe in real Christian hospitality what does that look like. What is it to love our neighbor. Is it only for people like us, only people of the right economic class, only the right color, only the right education, only the right political views, only the right whatever? Or is it is true that "... God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Just how much do we believe in Jesus?

1 Comment

High on the Spirit, Ministering in Life

Start First with the Word of God

Breath of Life

In the World ...

Suffer the Little Children ...

Pastor Bill Esborn

Archives

Categories