Communion and Maundy Thursday: "Do This"

1 Corinthians 11: 23-32

Holy Communion holds a high ranking of importance in my faith life. I attribute this recognition to several factors. Each factor is a unique, faithful and profound response to Paul's recorded command of Jesus to his followers: "do this in remembrance of me."

1. Communion is one of my earliest memories of church. At Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Renton, Washington, I recall Communion as the most profound repetitive action of the congregation. I liked the movement. I appreciated my participation. I held the responsibility of picking up my youngest brother from the nursery so our entire family could process to the altar. I liked that I could use my senses of smell and taste. People acted like it was important. I could learn about communion by doing, as opposed to my other ways of learning about faith were often tied to reading, writing or listening. I also shared the responsibility of helping my parents serve on occasion.

2. Sharing community life with several congregations over the years, each congregation or situation brings a special or unique attribute in its proclamation of Christ during Communion. Some examples:

+ Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Olympia, Washington served the first table of Communion with a "common cup." I liked the common cup because it identified the neuroses of individual shot glasses. It seemed to me wine served as a disinfectant for any radical germs and that sharing the peace presented much more danger than sharing a cup. The common cup represented the spirit of Communion to me--sharing Christ in the midst of the messiness of relationships.

+The International Church of Copenhagen, Denmark and Our Savior's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hartland, Wisconsin each used distinctively Danish communion cups. They were individual glasses that looked like mini-chalices. One would process up to the altar, pick up a mini-chalice at the altar, and someone would pour the wine into the chalice. What I gleaned from this practice was the action of Christ "poured out" his life for the sake of the world. Other congregations and communities use the "pouring out" method, but I love the mini-chalices as a Communion server--no perfect aim required. The shot glasses many congregations use are small targets.

+Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota serves Communion every Wednesday for its chapel services. This is the most beautiful, yet most tense celebration of Holy Communion that I know. Beautiful because of the harmony and voice quality of the participants. The instrumentation reaches heavenly proportions. Communion always felt tense because the overly deliberate procession, prayer and reflection. I felt like my steps needed to be heavier, my hands clasped tighter, my face either more sour or more joyful depending on the predominant theological view of Holy Communion that day. I often left a Communion service confused. I think with so many intelligent, gifted theologians in a place that thrives on theological critique makes Communion more tense than it should be. But it's probably just me and my own inferiority complex.

+ First Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was a Communion service of significant choreography. The goal was for deacons and elders to distribute trays of wafers and pre-filled grape juice (we got wine in there after much discussion in Session). Each server lined up precisely, turned the proper way and in order, and stayed aligned during distribution and retrieval. The theology was noticeably different for me, to which my wonderfully hospitable wife said to my hemming and hawing--"If they want your theological critique, they'll ask, but I don't think they will. Just be a gracious guest." Once I decided to be a gracious guest, it opened my eyes to what God was doing in the service--every time we celebrated Communion, the serving process of the elders and deacons brought to mind the feeding of the 5000. It was a gift to me and my imagination, and reminded me what it means to be a gracious guest, and how Jesus is a gracious host.

+ Lutheran Campus Ministry at Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University-Mankato). Our campus pastor, Fred Fritz, would change practices of Communion from time to time, but it was the first time I had ever participated with no designated servers other than the presiding minister. We served each other. This also happened at First Presbyterian Church-Sioux Falls, but this setting was much more intimate, and a learning experience for me about how we both give and receive in the Christian life.

+ Community Lutheran Church, Las Vegas, Nevada. This was Melanie's internship congregation. Though I only attended worship there a few times, I was struck by the how the proclamation of Christ's death was received at their Sunday evening country music service, with a band leading worship known as "The Honkey Tonk Angels." It was the most visited service at CLC, and the only service where they served weekly Communion, at the request of those who attended the service. Though it's easy to look at the community we know at Communion, sometimes I forget the impact of Communion on people I don't know.

+ What I've learned from First Lutheran Community Church in Port Orchard is how the openness of  the Communion practice reflects the hospitality of the congregation--from offering being taken outside of the worship service to the responsiveness of the congregation to sermons and teaching, to the empowered leadership structure that offers anyone the opportunity when provoked by the Holy Spirit to serve as they are called without a gate keeping hierarchy. Communion is then a practice that is representative of God's action in the community of faith.

3. Regardless of the setting in which I serve, the opportunity to teach about the sacraments to Confirmation students or First Communion students combines my experiences that are all faithful to Jesus command to "do this in remembrance of me." Today I worked with 12 students on the meaning, practices and theology of Holy Communion. Giving kids the opportunity to learn, experience, contribute, remember and question the Sacrament of Holy Communion is a fresh reminder each occurrence of the power of God's grace. These kids were engaged, and I probably learned more than they did in preparation. We baked bread, we made chalices in which they will share a common cup with their families for Communion, we shared the stories of Passover and The Last Supper, and we talked about 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26. Two Altar Guild members taught the students their practices to care for the worship space and the celebration of Communion. I'm always anxious about sharing this information, mostly because I always wonder if I do justice to an important practice. In the end, this reflection is what I see Paul writing about the examination of self in preparation for receiving the sacrament in 1 Corinthians 11:28--what is our unity in Christ lived out in the sacramental sharing? Living out our divisions in communion when Christ died for all will lead to the destruction of community--which leads to the loss of witness to the world about Christ.

A game of interdependence

Last week I returned to the United States after a week with my brother and his family in Edmonton, Alberta. I always enjoy a trip to Canada. Though many American creature comforts cover the landscape, some distinctly Canadian features offer some alternative perspective to American cultural hegemony and worldview. I value perspective as a theologian and in my life in general; I sharpen my critical thinking skills when forced to look at something in a different way.

I remember as a child watching the CBC on Seattle cable television, my only source for ice hockey and curling. Though my enjoyment of these sports never reached the level of baseball, college football or basketball--I would choose watching curling or ice hockey over golf or auto racing if given a choice.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I heard or read more than one American say that if they set their mind to it, they could become an Olympic-caliber curler. It's just shuffleboard on ice, so the critique goes. Though curling does not require world-class physical condition or athletic ability, I found my baseball sensibilities awakened by the interdependence, skill and agility involved. Curling requires a different set of gifts to compete at a level of excellence. Yet curling is accessible enough that one can participate and enjoy at any skill level, like golf or bowling. If a different set of gifts is required beyond mainstream activities, the activity is devalued: "it's just shuffleboard on ice." After two hours of curling at the University of Alberta curling rinks (picture above), I was sore from sweeping and in admiration of the agility required in throwing and sweeping.

My primary interest in curling is the interdependence--inspiring thoughts about team work and life in the Church. Even as a newcomer, my team still depended upon my contribution. My success was celebrated, I learned during several teaching moments, and my abilities were challenged. I learned a new sporting lexicon (skip, house, hammer, button, etc). All was shared with grace. This shared grace and challenge is what I hope for in the communities of faith in which I serve.

(If you're wondering about my success, I scored a double take-out on my third throw. That's not two take-out orders of poutine, but I knocked out two opponent rocks on one throw. Those granite rocks are HEAVY.)

Preaching from the book of Judges (part 2):

I've taken a different path on Palm/Passion Sunday this year--the manner in which it developed is the leading of the Holy Spirit, because I have been led to Christ.

Several months ago, an expanding group of ministers/volunteers at First Lutheran Community Church formed an outreach that would meet people in their vocation with the grace of God. We spend so much of our lives in our work, that God's presence should be proclaimed in the midst of that work. I wanted to proclaim God's presence and offer encouragement of gifts present in vocation. We've called this ministry "Celebrating Faces in the Community," offering thanks for a particular line of work in worship the last Sunday of each month. January offered thanks for health care workers, February offered thanks for people in education. Our March service is in recognition of "First Responders," emergency personnel, law enforcement, firefighters, EMT's and others like them. The group serving in this ministry considered changing the date because of Palm/Passion Sunday and working around the sermon series related to challenging texts of the Old Testament. I had an idea about how these strands of worship, proclamation and service could be woven together, but I lacked confidence.

After the recent violent events near my home in Federal Way, reading the Passion stories, and studying the Old Testament book of Judges, I realized I didn't need to weave as much of the aforementioned themes as I thought.

"First Responders" as we know them are not mentioned in the Bible, but First Responders are established to provide the grace of God in the midst of violent and chaotic situations. What is the source of violence in the book of Judges? Jephtha's lack of trust in the presence of God with him, the sacrifice/child abuse/murder of his daughter, and the ensuing civil war in the land of Israel. What happens in the midst of this civil war? Judges 17:6 and 21:25 provide bookends for the actions of the people when they do not trust God: "all the people did what was right in their own eyes."

In between these bookends in Judges we see some of the most despicable and egregious acts of violence in all of scripture. One can read of rape, complete and violent disregard for the human body, and murder. This takes us back to the question "why is there so much violence in the Bible? Why would we even bother reading these Bible passages?" This takes us back to a key discussion point early in the sermon series from Professor Jacobson. A key interpretive question about Bible passages is "is this passage prescriptive or descriptive?" Is this passage telling us what to do, or is this passage describing a situation? If we look at this passage as prescriptive--telling us what to do, then we legitimize violence in the name of God for our own purposes. This is the exact point of the passage. The reason we have violence in Judges in the first place is that "all the people did what was right in their own eyes." The people of Bible times are not any more violent than we are--Judges is telling a story about ourselves and the consequences of when we do what is right in our own eyes.

"...all the people did what was right in their own eyes" is the human drama of Holy Week.

+ Jesus is brought up on charges because "all the people did what was right in their own eyes."
+ Jesus is mocked by leaders of all stripes in because "all the people did what was right in their own eyes."
+ Jesus is abandoned by his followers because "all the people did what was right in their own eyes."
+ Jesus is executed because "all the people did what was right in their own eyes."

First Responders are not our source of our salvation, but they do provide the grace of God in the midst of a world where "all the people did what was right in their own eyes." This is not to say that First Responders are perfect, but they are the grace and compassion in some of the worst possible situations. For a people and society that does what is right in their own eyes, the grace of God is our only hope for transformation. The grace of God is made perfect and real in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus who conquers death in the hoards of people who "do what is right in their own eyes." Thanks to all the First Responders in our midst who provide the grace of God in unspeakable violence and chaos, thanks be to God in Jesus Christ, who withstood our violent, chaotic behavior so that we may know that there is nothing that will separate us from the love of God.

Preaching from the book of Judges (part 1)

In January 2010, Professor Diane Jacobson from Luther Seminary challenged a group of ELCA pastors in Southwestern Washington to engage "tough" texts of the Old Testament. I took the challenge seriously.

Most of my favorite professors (Throntveit, Fretheim, Jacobson) from seminary and my favorite theologians (Von Rad, Brueggemann) happen to be Old Testament scholars. I enjoyed the interpretive debate in Hebrew more than Greek during school and in my own personal reading. However, I have been so tied to the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) over 11 years of ministry, that I missed out on some of the wealth of scripture, even though I preach an equal amount of Old and New Testament sermons.

Jacobson primarily addressed texts of violence in her talk, something the RCL mostly ignores. Out of respect to the insights of my teacher and the revelation of God in scripture, I thought I needed to join the congregation in engaging some challenging texts in Lent. This challenging engagement can take on many levels: an academic exercise for pastors, a Bible study for hearty students in the congregation, or using these texts as part of a sermon series. The sermon series produced more reflection upon the relationship between the Bible and a congregation than any group of sermons I ever preached.

Topics we have covered during the series include:

1. Job
2. The sacrifice of Isaac
3. Jephtha's sacrifice of his daughter in Judges

Though I do not believe in the dogma biblical inerrancy, I still have a relatively high view of the Bible. Though I believe the Bible needs to be considered in context, that doesn't excuse Christians from engaging biblical texts just because certain concepts or ideas seem antiquated. The Old Testament book of Judges provides a great opportunity for Christians to address an important critique about the Bible--the graphic depiction of violence. Tracy Fitzgerald gave a great introduction to the book of Judges for our consideration in his sermon at First Lutheran Community Church on March 14th (to be posted on my blog at a later date). He and I share conversation about concepts in Judges regarding J. Clinton McCann's Judges commentary and our other readings. McCann makes an argument that Judges is relevant for the community of faith because it addresses contemporary themes:

1. Disputes over land and territory
2. Uncertainty over the roles of men and women
3. Child abuse
4. Spouse abuse
5. Senseless and excessive violence
6. Moral confusion
7. Power-hungry political leaders
8. Male political leaders who chase women
9. Social chaos

McCann argues that Christians are quick to make sociological, economic or psychological examinations regarding the aforementioned social conditions. Judges presents a case to consider these themes theologically. Theological thought related to the texts in Judges presents a challenge because many of the texts produce emotional and visceral reactions. Violent revenge, child abuse and rape all occur in Judges, and each person sitting in the congregation knows something related to these tragedies in life. Revisiting these thoughts or experiences produces pain, anger and despair. Though people come to worship for hope, healing and peace--these texts fail to provide a quick path to wholeness. Preachers and congregations tread lightly or outright avoid these texts. I tread lightly as well. I choose not to address the graphic depiction of rape and murder in the last chapters of Judges, but it is important to name their occurrence, because silence about these topics blocks the path to healing.

These topics addressed in Judges hit home for me this week as I examined the stories surrounding the murder at Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way, Washington last week (Susan Hogan compiled a list of links for this story). Calvary is the congregation my family and I attended while I awaited an opportunity for interim ministry. This story leaves me shaken, yet juxtaposed with reading Judges I move away from pure indignation or despair, and think about the world of violence in which we live theologically.

Violence in the Bible challenges ideals of what God's word is supposed to reveal. I think people ultimately want to experience assurances of God's love when reading or hearing the Bible. I think people hope that the Bible will take us to a better place, but sometimes the stories reveal something about sins and baser instincts and actions. Violence was not worse in Biblical times compared to now. The acts of violence differ today from Biblical times, but the violence remains today, magnified by a hypermedia culture that perpetuates a violent life experience. The stories of Judges provide a path for victims of violence to tell their own stories about violence--so they do not have to suffer in silence. Personal stories of violent suffering are often buried, and the stories in Judges do not go around the consequences of violence--the consequences are named. The stories in Judges also reveal an insidious human complicity in violence; temptation abounds for a reader of Judges to separate oneself or community from complicity to violence. A deeper reading beyond the emotional and visceral offers the judgment of God: we are a violent people, and there are consequences for our violence. Palm/Passion Sunday and Holy Week highlight human complicity in violence on many levels and the depths to which God must go to meet us in our violent lives.

Though Judges may not provide a clear path to redemption in the face of violence, God is at work in the midst of the violence that humans inflict on one another, and God will not be silent.

Please pray for the families affected by the murder at Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way, Washington and the congregation.

The Life of the "First Advantage"

I knew a man at a congregation I served years ago (I’ll call him John). John is insightful, pragmatic and creative—a great leadership resource. Incredibly busy, John runs a public relations/advertising company. He is also interested in the life of his congregation. He removed himself from church leadership because he attended too many committee meetings that were long on talk, but short on action. John wanted his work and gifts to mean something in the life of a congregation and community. He found his time, energy and gift investment was better placed elsewhere. At first, I lamented John’s absence. However, other service opportunities offered a better return on investment. I couldn’t argue with his disengagement from congregational leadership.

My first encounter with First Lutheran Community Church and its organizational structure was intriguing to a geek like me. I like sociology and organizational development. I spent my first 11 years of ministry trying to make broken systems better, mostly because I enjoyed thinking about the structure itself. However, the return on time and energy invested was minimal.

My current commute tests my patience. Although I will make two round trips (some days 3) between Federal Way and Port Orchard (about 80 miles), I have new hope for ministry. A few years ago I completely lost my patience for ineffective church committee meetings. I see FLCC and its lack of standing committees as a breath of fresh air. My leadership to different groups of the church seems to matter at FLCC—and most ministries are able to thrive without my presence at meetings. I have good return on my time, energy and gift investment in FLCC--because I know that people’s lives are affected positively in the name of Christ.

The point is that the people of Port Orchard need to know the advantages of this community of faith. What are the advantages of being a part of FLCC? What is the First Advantage? Anyone can come to worship and learn about the presence of God in daily life through the Bible, music and prayer. Wisdom for living is found. Healing is possible for brokenness in relationships with God and others. A call is issued to serve our neighbors in need. FLCC is a place where anyone can become neighbors. There is an opportunity to live this life in Jesus Christ every day of the week. The congregation may not suit everyone’s preferences, but anyone can receive a good return on their investment. Not only does FLCC open its doors, but you are continually learning to proactively invite your neighbors outside of your doors. To what kind of community are you inviting potential neighbors? Thank you for sharing that First Advantage with me. I pray for your continuing work in engaging your neighbors-to-be.

40 day Journey with Martin Luther (Augsburg Books) Day 13: My Favorite Commandment To Break

"We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light." --Martin Luther

A colleague of mine loves to say, "The Eighth Commandment is my favorite one to break." I'm not sure if it's my favorite commandment to break, but there is a certain satisfaction in breaking it. There's a certain kind of remorse I experience when I have another god in place of God. I eventually come to a realization regarding God's identity. Killing and stealing? Though I may be able to eek out a justification of the behavior that Luther says is the spirit of those commandments, I nod my head and acknowledge that these are good for not only a just and orderly society, but for a society that thrives.

There are times when I get energy from righteous indignation against another human being. I am right, after all. Not only am I right in my thinking, but how dare someone infringe upon my rightness in the world? That kind of rightness enables me to spew all kinds of vitriol to slash and burn everyone in my path. Luther's teaching is hard to swallow, because in the midst of my confidence in the rightness of my thinking and action is a call to interpret everything my neighbor does in the best possible light. This positive interpretation is hard because it is so fun to be right. Although it is not as fun when I see the impact on my neighbor of righteous indignation. Which means it is important to see my neighbor. Which also means that it's not as fun to be right as I originally thought it was. If breaking the Eighth Commandment was ever my most favorite to break, it's not anymore.

If there was ever a commandment that could be followed in the spirit of Luther's interpretation, I think following this one would really change the world. Fox News and MSNBC would go out of business or completely change format. Media outlets would be turned on their head. Congregations and places of work would change. In breaking this commandment, killing, stealing, coveting, dishonoring father and mother are born from the transgression of this commandment. Interpreting our neighbor's action in the best possible light is a reflection of Christ's mercy.

40 day Journey with Martin Luther (Augsburg Books) Day 12: Won't you be my neighbor? The 7th Commandment and Merciful Leadership

Nowhere do I remember reading in this book that I was supposed to spend forty consecutive days with Martin Luther. Did Jesus spend 40 consecutive days in the wilderness? Did it rain for 40 consecutive days and nights for Noah and the Zoo on the Ark? Maybe the consecutive is implied in the original biblical languages--but I am going to keep working on this book, even though my Lenten discipline has been discombobulated.

"...we are commanded to promote and further our neighbors' interests, and when they suffer any want, we are to help, share, and lend to both friends and foes." --Martin Luther

I deeply appreciate how Martin Luther uses the word neighbor. Though some words can be put away because their lack of usage, loss in meaning, or that a word's meaning is altered, some words are worth exploring. Neighbor is one of those words. In some ways, neighbor is a value-neutral term, because in his writing on the Seventh Commandment, Christians are called to look out for the welfare of both friend and foe, not merely not take their stuff. Though Luther's application of this commandment has far reaching economic implications, I find this point particularly interesting for Lutheran Christians, considering that some Lutherans want to do as much damage as possible to the welfare of other Lutherans. I admire the work of my colleagues who have taken on reconciliation work in their fractured congregations over issues related to homosexuality and clergy. I have seen good leaders who are not merely trying to make peace in their congregations by saying "can't we just get along?" Or ignoring the situation. I am not that patient. I know that looking out for our neighbor's welfare means keeping in contact and listening to the neighbor--looking out for their interests. I believe this kind of action is modeling "further" our neighbor's interest. Another important component of examining this commandment is reflecting on Jesus' definition of "neighbor" in the parable of the Good Samaritan: a good neighbor shows mercy, regardless of being friend or foe. I immediately thought of a colleague (whom I do not know personally) Pastor Eric Lemonholm in Minnesota. I find some merciful and courageous leadership in that congregation. I'm sure the leadership or the congregation is not perfect, but it is merciful.

40 day Journey with Martin Luther (Augsburg Books) Day 11: Sexuality and Honor

"...you are to defend, protect and rescue your neighbors whenever they are in danger or need, and moreover, even aid and assist them so that they may retain their honor...In short all are required both to live chastely themselves and also to help their neighbors do the same." --Martin Luther

Wow. How do I work with Luther and sexuality in a reasonable blog post? Any commandment could be a dissertation-length endeavor, but the Sixth Commandment regarding adultery and Luther's writing addressing sexuality takes on monumental proportions. The history of sexuality and the Church is a mixed bag. Encouraging the view of sexuality as a gift rather than something dirty or demonic is relatively new in Christian thought, though the argument for this outlook in Christian teaching is strong though not pervasive in history. Original Sin has been believed to be transmitted through sex and procreation. Sexuality has been abused through power, deception, manipulation and coercion. The list of abuses linked to sexuality is long. Therefore a definition that Luther advocates for purity and chastity didn't seem particularly helpful in his time (though I didn't live then, so what do I know) and they don't feel particularly helpful now. The teaching of Christians around sexuality has been so intertwined with shame and a misguided understanding of sin that I don't know what to do with some of Luther's writing on this subject.

However, I do appreciate the move Luther makes from addressing adultery with purity and chastity, and toward how we relate to our neighbor by retaining honor. There is honor and esteem in sexuality as a gift from God to be used cautiously and wisely, and that we work with our neighbors so that others do not have their sexuality abused through power, coercion or manipulation. This is a tall order--but the idea of honor is not as shame-based in understanding sexuality as purity or chastity, and gives us a basis for at least working toward giving women and men, boys and girls a sense of responsibility, respect, grace and healing related to sexuality. Chastity and purity are overly connected to shame, and though those words are not necessarily bad in and of themselves--the history with these words is too dark for them to be helpful anymore in understanding God's gift of sexuality.

Luther's writing about honor and implicit sexuality on the Sixth Commandment have powerful implications for how the Church relates to the community regarding sexual violence and the sex trade, and also how it prepares couples for marriage and builds up family relationships. This is indeed a tall order. God, have mercy.

40 day Journey with Martin Luther (Augsburg Books) Day 10: Death By A Thousand Cuts

"We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors, but instead help and support them in all of life's needs." --Martin Luther

Outside of Luther's writing on the First Commandment, this writing on the Fifth Commandment is the hardest to pick apart. I believe this writing carries some of the greatest wisdom. Luther is adept at giving students of the Commandments a positive trajectory in how to follow any given commandment, and looking out for neighbor has a centering quality for living, because the temptation and societal prerogative is to merely look out for self. Loving neighbor as much as self is a radical statement. Putting that statement next to loving God with heart, soul and mind is challenging, but loving neighbor as self reveals how much we love God and in turn shows the abundance of God's love in the world.

In an age where political philosophy seems to dominate a toxic public discourse about how much society is obligated (if at all) to help our neighbor, I'm not going to worry so much about politics as much as I used to, but work with the resources and boundaries I have available and work with my neighbors to serve my neighbors. I have never had politics prevent me from loving my neighbor as myself--therefore that will be my goal. If politics becomes a way I can serve my neighbor, then that is the forum I will use. Serving neighbor begins with God's action through me. When I ignore those opportunities to serve my neighbor because I'm more concerned about the political process, I contribute to the death of my neighbor. Though my actions do not appear to overtly harm my neighbor, my action (or lack thereof), contribute to a death by a thousand cuts.

40 day Journey with Martin Luther (Augsburg Books) Day 9: Authority Issues

"In your words you are also to behave respectfully toward [your parents] and are not to speak discourteously to them, to criticize them, or to take them to task, but rather to submit to them and hold your tongue, even if they go too far." --Martin Luther

Why did Luther have to include honoring others in authority with honoring father and mother? It's hard enough honoring my parents. They've been good parents. They've sacrificed, worked hard, gone through agony for my sake and my brothers' sake--and they've been of good cheer for the most part. Even still, honoring them is still hard to the end that Luther writes regarding this commandment.

Last week's sermon by Bishop Rob Hofstad got me thinking about grace. Sometimes I am the giver of grace, sometimes I am the receiver of grace. Sometimes I don't know which one I am. I am now a parent and a son. I am a person of authority and one who is under authority of someone else. I want respect from those within my range of authority, but I also am called to give respect to those in authority in my life. What does it mean to criticize. Does respect mean to take everything from someone in authority at face value. I often learn from people in my range of authority, and I wouldn't learn as much if they didn't ask questions. I have been humbled by this commandment and Luther's interpretation as I have lived into adulthood. And the questions hang over my head, what about abusive situations? This is a challenging commandment interpretation. I think that God didn't get specific for this very reason. Luther is probably a bit off on the interpretation and that God had it right the first time around, so to speak.

Journal reflection:

How can honoring your parents become a spiritual practice for you?

I've been thinking about what I can do for my parents to extend them grace lately. They've been a huge help for us since we've moved here from South Dakota, watching our daughters on most weekends since I've started at First Lutheran Community Church. I don't want them to feel like their lives are a babysitting service. To some degree they have made up for some lost time with the girls when we lived in South Dakota. But I also want them to know that I love them for who they are and not merely what they do. A few weeks ago I took my Dad to a Seattle University basketball game, and we made an evening out of it. I need to do the same for my mom. This has been a spiritual practice for me, because it takes intentionality to honor them--I can't merely assume it's going to happen. Honoring is a matter of intentional investment--much like my relationship with God.