How Grammar reflects Life

In Ephesians 6:18-20 (NIV, emphasis mine), Paul speaks fervently about prayer:

 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." 

A little tidbit of grammar can teach us something about the life of faith: In English we can write in two voices: active and passive. 

We can say, “I helped” (active voice: I am the agent) or “I was helped” (passive voice: I was the recipient).

It turns out that the language of the New Testament, Koine Greek has a third “voice”. It is middle voice. It is used when an action is done by someone or something, but the action strongly affects that someone or something. 

Some verbs in Greek come ONLY in middle voice, such as:

 • I come/I go/ I leave: I end up in a new place, so I am strongly affected by this action 

 

 • I answer: I am part of a conversation and will be affected by it 

 

 • I lie: I decide not to tell the truth, but I will be tarnished by this action 

 • I work: As a podcaster and theology student, Andrew Noble1, has pointed out, working with something as neutral as a shovel has an effect on the worker. At minimum, the worker will develop more muscles, maybe blisters… 

 

 • I pray: I am acting, but I’m also acted upon. We sometimes say, “Prayer changes things.” I’ve also heard it said, “Prayer changes me [the one who’s praying].” 

When Paul asks the recipients of the letter quoted above to pray, he is hoping for an effect on his ministry. At the same time, because of the grammar, he is affirming that the action of praying will also have an effect on them. 

As I thought about this, it is interesting to be me that both praying and working are found in the middle voice. Saint Benedict, who began a monastery 1500 years ago had the motto “Pray and Work.” I think he was onto something. 

We are affected by our labors and our prayers, and even more so when we do them with others for God’s glory. We are changed ever more into the likeness of Jesus together. 

For the past 18 years I worked and prayed together with my colleagues at an elementary school. It has shaped me. I’m grateful to have been part of this endeavor for the benefit of staff, students and families. 

This little Greek grammar tidbit brought it home to me at the close of the school year, and I hope you find it was worth sharing.

Solid and Dynamic Faith

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." 

Colossians 2:6-7, New International Version

We are given some word pictures by the Apostle Paul that show us that our life of faith is both solid and dynamic [1].

Photo by Bruce Kee on Unsplash

We’ll start with the solid pieces. Paul says, “Continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught.” This first image talks about plant life. As we know, roots provide stability to a tree or plant so that it can remain intact when winds and storms come. When we are rooted in Christ, we have a solid base and receive our nourishment from him rather than other sources.

And Christ also builds us up. Christ is the sure foundation of our lives, much stronger than reinforced concrete, steel or titanium. We can fully trust Christ in every situation, and he will never leave or forsake us.

Then two other word pictures indicate that unlike a tree or a building, we are not meant to stand still. They are dynamic images. The encouragement to “continue to live your lives in him” contains a reference to walking in the Greek. The New King James Version translates this phrase as “walk in Him.” 

Photo by Soroush Karimi on Unsplash

British theologian N.T. Wright comments that we need to move forward in this life with Christ. He says, “Being a Christian is like riding a bicycle; unless you go forward, you’ll fall off. And going forward as a Christian means, once more, nothing more nor less than going forward ‘in Christ,’ in the king” [2].

Finally, Paul adds, “and overflowing with thankfulness.” When something overflows, there’s movement and action. The storyline of Christ is enough to satisfy us, and we don’t seek anything in addition to Him. Our response is gratitude, which flows into good works and kind deeds. 

For further reflections on gratitude, you may enjoy the following posts:

Gratitude: Weakness or Strength

Easy Go, Easy Come

Give or Receive, Part 1

[1] Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat (2004) Colossians Remixed, page 135 says, "Paul frames metaphors of solidity and stability (rooted, built, established) with metaphors of growth and dynamic change."

[2] N. T. Wright (2002) Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters, p. 164.

Not a Game of "Gotcha"

There's usually a story, a series of events, behind every major lightbulb moment someone has. Please allow me to share a new insight about the "Woman at the Well", who meets Jesus in John chapter 4, and how it came to me.

Since I was a young child, I heard the story of the woman at the well in Sunday School. Jesus took the time to talk with her, even though there was extreme hostility between the ethnic groups they each belonged to. Jesus was a Jew, and this woman was a Samaritan.

As I got older, more layers were added to this woman. Much is made of her arrival at the well at noon. It is inferred that she was trying to avoid other people at the well, a kind of social hub in her day. She was described as someone who kept changing the subject, trying to dodge Jesus' attempts to bring her a living hope. And, the takeaway emphasized is that Jesus got her to face her especially immoral past as a woman who had been married five times.

The commentaries and study Bibles I have consulted seem to see this story as a game of "Gotcha", in which Jesus gets the upper hand and finds this woman out.

In 1964, Dr. Eric Berne wrote a book called Games People Play. He was a psychiatrist who specialized in "transactional analysis", an outgrowth of Freudian and Jungian thought. In this book, he describes dozens of patterns or games people use in relating to each other. One of them is "Now I've Got You, You ..." I am leaving out the offensive term he puts at the end.

As I reread Berne's book last spring, it struck me that Berne was documenting the plethora of ways pastimes and games act as "substitutes for the real living of real intimacy"[1]. And then I thought, we have been misreading this story as an interaction initiated by a man like our broken selves. If anyone knew the real living of real intimacy, it was Jesus Christ. This was not a conversation in which Jesus is trying to trick someone or come out on top or shame someone. Indeed, any other conversation Jesus had with other women and men do not carry this dynamic at all.

What are we misreading here?

And, now I go back to a book I read last summer, Misreading Scripture With Individualist Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Richard James (pseudonym for security reasons). It helps the reader realize that when Jesus is talking with a woman at a well in Sychar, Samaria, they are conversing in a collectivist culture. In this culture, women are not independent agents. They rarely own property. They rarely have a say in matters of marriage. They can be shunned for things they cannot control, such as medical conditions or barrenness. If something goes wrong in her life, the community can make up a story about how she deserved it.

So, if this woman came to the well at noon to avoid the stares of others, it did not mean she deserved them.

When Jesus asks this woman to call her husband and return, he is not trying to trick her. He asks her to call her husband because of the cultural norms. It would be appropriate for her husband and her to learn from Jesus together, so the community would not ascribe ill intentions to a foreign visitor.

When the woman says she does not have a husband, Jesus' words to her should be taken at face value. He commends her for being honest. She has told the truth, if not the whole truth. Does she owe a stranger the whole truth, especially if it's a truth that is mingled with pain? Richards and James write, "Her previous five marriages were likely ended by a combination of widowhood and divorce" [2]. They add, "...divorce was more commonly initiated by the husband" [3]. She has been through a lot. Jesus is not being sarcastic, and he is not adding onto her suffering. A group of women in Afghanistan hearing this story for the first time grasped this too! [4]

Next, she identifies him as a prophet. She wonders if she has to worship in Jerusalem to properly worship God. It was a long distance. What if the man in her life would not allow her to go there?

And here we continue to see a pastoral Jesus letting her know that the attitude of the heart is more crucial to worship than the physical location.

When we read this account hearing Jesus as a loving and guileless communicator, we discover a better takeaway--Jesus' simple request for a drink of water led to a woman discovering the Messiah, and she invited the town to come and hear this prophet. Jesus extended his stay because so many mortals were eager to hear the good news of a Kingdom that was being extended beyond gendered, ethnic and national borders.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

----------------

[1] Eric Berne (1964) Games People Play.

[2] E. Randolph Richards and Richard James (2020) Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes, page 56.

[3] Source above, page 57.

[4] This anecdote was shared in a online professional development (Edvance) gathering entitled Education as Hospitality by Dr. David I. Smith in October, 2021.

Buried Treasure, a Pearl and a Bugatti Sportscar

This post is an excerpt from a talk I gave in August 2022, at my local church.

Jesus told two short parables, recorded in the gospel of Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV).

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

It’s not hard to see parallels between the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl. Yes, the high value of the Kingdom of Heaven, through the treasure and the pearl stands out. Another similarity is that the person who finds the valuable item, whether by chance or by diligent search, sells everything to possess it.

As we ponder these parables, letting them roll around in our minds, and earnestly seeking their meaning, we realize that the value of the Kingdom and the willingness to sell everything to obtain it really go hand in hand. 

Have you ever held and examined a pearl? It’s one thing to store up some facts about pearls in our minds and then have a logical understanding of what Jesus said, and it’s another to ponder a pearl, roll it around in our palm, and earnestly seek its meaning and its beauty. 

A Syrian theologian who served as a deacon did this very thing in around the year 360 AD. Based on his hands-on experience with a single pearl and his thoughtful reflections about it, Ephrem the Syrian wrote seven hymns. 

Among other things, he observed that the pearl speaks with “silent mouth” of the trophies, victories and crowns of Jesus Christ. The bright and luminous gem was for him a reflection of Jesus, the “Light of the world.”[1]

If buried treasure and a lustrous and valuable pearl feel too distant from our everyday experiences, let’s reimagine the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl using a more current example of something out of reach for most people.  

It was suggested to me as a modern equivalent by a Grade 8 student during class devotions, when asked, “What is something today that somebody might sell everything to get?” 

Consider with me: The Kingdom of Heaven is like the case of a collector of classic cars, who scours websites and advertisement and travels to dealerships and auto shows every weekend for months. He is seeking for the one car that meets all his criteria for design, speed, and luxury. One day, he spots a one-off Bugatti sportscar and knows he doesn’t need to see any others. 

He smiles broadly and sells all the other cars in his collection and everything else he owns to get that sportscar. 

The man who sold everything to buy the field, and the merchant who sold everything to buy the pearl, and the car enthusiast of our modern example did not feel they were making a sacrifice. It was a calculated decision; they knew the supreme value of the item they were seeking. Therefore, I also hesitate to use the word “sacrifice” to describe what citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven choose to give up in their loyalty to Jesus. 

After all, what else has lasting value? Through Christ and his Kingdom, in the words of the hymn writer, we have “pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, [Christ’s] own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Blessings all [ours] with ten thousand beside.”[2]

JOY is the motivation for a Kingdom citizen to give up things of minor value so that they become more and more centered on their King and Lord. Committing every part of oneself to serving the Lord is a joyful process, and it will take a different form in your life than it does in mine. 

[1] http://www.voskrese.info/spl/pearl.html

[2] Lyrics from the hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness" by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923. 

Dare to be an Ebed-Melech

This post owes something to two individuals, who should be acknowledged at the outset. The first is the hymn writer Philip Bliss, who wrote the simple song "Dare to be a Daniel." The second is a Rev. John Suk, who preached a sermon 20+ years ago entitled "Dare to be an Epaphroditus," in which he highlighted a lesser known New Testament character with a 5-syllable name.

Jeremiah is a long book of prophecy in the Old Testament. It also contains some narrative parts (storylines), such as chapter 38. Here we read that Jeremiah's prophecies were not appreciated by the king's officials, and they want to put a stop to his words. They approach King Zedekiah with plans to put Jeremiah to death, and the king puts up no resistance.

That is how Jeremiah is lowered into a mucky cistern, a deep well used to collect rain water. Ebed-Melech, a Cushite [1] and official in the royal palace hears what has been done to Jeremiah and plucks up his courage to see King Zedekiah about it. He must know that the king had been indifferent before, but Ebed-Melech advocates for the life of Jeremiah and is ready to get personally involved.

Not only that, Ebed-Melech is an example of kindness. He understands about rope burn and takes the time to gather rags and worn out clothes to cushion the ropes that would be placed under Jeremiah's arms to lift him out of the pit. Along with 30 men the king sent with him, they go to the cistern and perform their rescue. Because of Ebed-Melech's kindness, Jeremiah is safely restored and can continue his ministry.

So, I'd like to add a stanza to Philip Bliss's song written in the 1800's. Because it's a four-syllable name, it may not have the same ring to it:

Dare to be an Ebed-Melech,

Dare to stand alone

Dare to have a purpose kind

And dare to make it known.

[1] Cushite is an ethnic reference. Ebed-Melech or his ancestors were from the "Upper Nile Region", or what is today called Sudan. Hence Ebed-Melech is someone we can celebrate as an African in the Bible. 

Part of God's Story

I had a room mate in university who once asked me, “If the Bible were being written today, do you think we’d be in it?” I’ve thought about her question from time to time. I’m not sure if she was wondering about her or our level of faithfulness and whether or not it would be noticed. She may also have been seeking a tangible way to be part of God’s story.

So, are we in God’s story? As a child, I saw myself in the stories of the Israelites from Genesis to the rule of David. In fact, I remember the shock around Grade 10 when it was made clear that I was not in fact a Jew but a Gentile. Despite not being a biological Jew, the stories of the Hebrew people are so relatable—human nature spans one’s ethnicity. The life of Jesus is also sprinkled with characters we can relate to.

We live in a culture where people look to celebrities and “follow” them. Not even the Christian church is immune with singers, teachers, pastors and congregations building brands and empires. We are tempted to read the Bible as the stories of heroes to emulate and villains to scorn. But when we do that, we miss the truth that God is the main character and that God can use anyone—adult, child, powerful, weak, named, unnamed, Middle Eastern, African, European, Asian-- to help bring about his purposes. The apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians of their beginnings, which were nothing to boast about:

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.”

Ten examples that shine a spotlight on hidden figures.

1.       The little boy who gave up the five loaves and two fish to Jesus, resulting in the feeding of the 5,000.

2.       The servant girls who urged Naaman the Syrian to go to Israel’s prophet to be cured of leprosy.

3.       Shepherds were a disreputable class of people who nonetheless were the angels’ audience as they  shared the news of the Messiah’s birth.

4.       Jehoida the priest, who lived to be 130 years of age, faithfully advised the seven-year-old King Joash and kept him on a good path.

5.       Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, found a wife for Isaac so that Abraham’s line could continue at a critical time in Canaan.

6.       Who does Jesus take the time to talk to as he’s being rushed to the synagogue ruler’s house to heal his 12 year old daughter? A woman who’s been bleeding for 12 years.

7.       An ill Egyptian servant of the enemy Amalekites left for dead enabled David to reclaim all the people and goods raided from the town of Ziklag.

8.       It’s not known which of these was the first African to receive Jesus as Lord: maybe Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus’ cross or his sons Alexander and Rufus or the Ethiopian eunuch or Simeon called Niger or Lucius of Cyrene.

9.       Who rescued the prophet Jeremiah from the mucky cistern? Ebed-Melech, a Sudanese man who was a government official.

10.    The Apostle Paul’s nephew overheard a plot to ambush Paul on the way to Caesarea and spoke up so that it could to be carried out.

Something my room mate and children and we ourselves want to know is, are we part of God’s story? Does God’s story include people like me? Fortunately, for all of us the answer is “yes.” For some of us, who might feel like we don’t fit, it may take a careful search to demonstrate this truth: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on US that WE should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, emphasis mine).

Rivers of Babylon

Lately, I’ve been listening to the song “By the Rivers of Babylon” by Boney M (1978) with new ears.  Some of the lyrics, based on Psalm 137, go like this:

By the rivers of Babylon, when we sat down

Yeah, we wept, when we remembered Zion

…

There the wicked carried us away to captivity and required of us a song.

Now how can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?

 

Colonialism and Babylon

   This year, I've begun to hear the voice of mistreated peoples in the lament of the exiled people of Israel.  I'm learning that actions of my forebears must be reckoned with and acknowledged as wicked even if some of these people claimed to be serving God.

   For Africans forcibly brought from thriving societies and cultures, North America was Babylon, a place of captivity. They wept, but their tears were ignored.  Instead, their captors ruthlessly “required” that they sing and dance to entertain them.[1]  Such requirements are documented in Alex Haley's book Roots (1976), as they happened to the author's ancestors on slave ships and on plantations.  It is a form of cruelty to force those under your authority to suppress their valid emotions simply to soothe your own conscience.

   For Indigenous North Americans, colonialism showed a different face of wickedness.  The songs and dances with a history much older than those of the European colonists were fully dismissed. It even became a criminal offense under the Indian Act (1876) for dances and ceremonies to be performed. In residential schools and foster homes, the wicked carried children away to institutions of captivity and forbade them to sing or even speak in their native tongues. Likewise, they wept, but their tears were ignored. Survivors of such mistreatment have spoken, and it's time to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth.

Pandemic and Babylon

   In addition to the applications to North American history, the pandemic represents a type of Babylon. That is, Babylon as an experience of exile from our usual ways of being.  It truly is a strange land, where an invisible but potent virus has made us take shelter in personal homes and disengage from typical social behaviours.  One of the places affected by the pandemic exile is the church.  People participating in online worship may have legitimately asked, "How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" Singing along with livestreamed praise songs in one's living room is almost as odd as singing along with the national anthem when watching a televised sports broadcast. And yet, leaning in and doing the opposite of what one might naturally want to do can be therapeutic.  When we don't feel like singing, choosing to sing anyways can have a positive effect on one's mood. By choosing “opposite action”, some of us have learned to sing the Lord's songs in a strange land.

   Some have also realized that the canon of the Lord's songs is broader than just praise choruses with a feel-good beat.  Of 150 psalms in the Bible, nearly one-third are laments.  Becoming acquainted with other songs that help us express longing and distress are what is needed for people used to privileges. Singing the Lord's songs that echo the sadness, disappointment and even anger which our Christian brothers and sisters have faced through the ages can draw us together.  Psalm 137 is one of those laments, which can help get us through tough situations we face.

 

Meditations of our Hearts

   The musicians of Boney M chose to insert words that come from the end of Psalm 19, into their song about exile.  They also make them communal instead of individual:

                May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts                                                                  Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight

 When we face the broken places of our collective history, we can bring all the words and feelings of distress to the Lord. In 2021, this song (and psalm) has given me a fresh experience of empathy toward others and new permission to embrace the complicated emotions of exilic realities.

 

---

[1]I am grateful to Esau McCauley’s book Reading While Black (2020) , which helps me read this psalm and other Bible passages from a new perspective.

Things I learned at church, Part 2: Worship is a two-way conversation

I sometimes think that a person coming to a church service for the first time must find it confusing. When do you sit and when do you stand? Are you supposed to kneel? What do some of those words mean? Will someone show me where to find the next song or passage that everyone else is looking up?

Although the church I grew up in did not have a complex liturgy, there were still different elements: prayers, songs, readings, an offering, a sermon and sometimes a baptism or communion. Because I was immersed in this style of worship from a young age, I did not really question it.  At about age 10 or 12, a church school teacher explained to our class that there was a purposeful structure to a worship service.  

When the pastor or an elder spoke from the Bible, it represented God speaking to the people.  That was because what this leader said was not just a personal opinion or something original that he wanted to talk about.  There was a "greeting" that was a direct quote from the Bible, usually from a Psalm.  A reading of the 10 commandments or a summary of the law would come a bit later.  The reading of another Scripture would be followed by a sermon. An announcement of what the offering would be used for would also come from the pulpit.

But coming to church was not just listening to the leader speak.  Each time, like a back and forth pattern, the people would have something to contribute too: a prayer saying sorry after the law was read, a song of response, giving the offering, the word "amen," another prayer asking God to bless the word as we read it, another song responding to the content of the message, another prayer that was more personal, sharing the needs of people we knew, and so on.

Many churches today have simplified their liturgy even more.  They start with a welcome, 3 or 4 songs in a row, time to read the Bible and hear a talk about it, a prayer, maybe one more song and then the service is over.  But even here, the gathered people are active in both listening and responding.  Going to church is never passive, even if it's done online. By singing along, praying along and deeply listening, we are taking part in a conversation with the God of the universe, who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Inspiration for Remote Learning

As we embarked on Week Nine of Remote Learning in Ontario, Canada, I shared this devotion with my staff via Zoom.

Colossians 2:5
For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

2 Timothy 1:3-4
 I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

Romans 1:11-13a
 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) 

1 Thessalonians 2:17-18
But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan blocked our way.

Exodus 3:3-5
So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."
   And when the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses, Moses!"
   And Moses said, "Here I am."
   "Do not come any closer," God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

In 1994, when I was hired for my first teaching job, it was at a school opening its doors for the first time that September.  The position was to teach Grade 6, 7 and 8 in the same classroom, with nine pupils.  To encourage myself that such a task was indeed possible, I spent a week in May observing in my uncle's Grade 4-8 classroom in Renfrew.  Seeing firsthand how someone else was capably teaching and managing an atypical arrangement gave me a bit more confidence.

Where do we find models like this to encourage us during remote learning?  Aside from the inspiration we can gain from one another, which is nonetheless helpful, and from reading about teachers in China, I've been struck by two other sources.

New Testament Epistles

Repeatedly, the apostle Paul is unable to be present with individuals and groups due to factors outside his control.  He wants to reach out and teach the believers, but he can't do so in person.  Paul's remote teaching method came in the form of letter writing.  In fact, our New Testament would be missing a great chunk if it were not for the remote teaching that not only Paul but Peter, James, John and Jude availed themselves of.  Many of these letters contain prayers, but they were certainly accompanied by prayers on behalf of the letter writer.  When we as teachers provide written lessons to our students, our heart is communicated and our prayers accompany them.

Mr. Rogers

Mr. Rogers created a remote learning program to reach and teach children about how to relate to others and expand their understanding of the world around them.  He used a screen, as we have been forced to do.  Yet, as explained in the book The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth, he considered the space between the screen and the viewer to be holy ground, a place where the Holy Spirit could take his words and be just what's needed for the student and parents on the other side.  Fred Rogers, by being himself, exuded the love of God that was unmistakable in person and on the screen.  In our case, a relationship already exists between our students and us.  Our video transmissions can build on it, and we can trust the Holy Spirit to bridge any gaps.

Hidden Figures, Part 3: New Testament

This is the final installment of a short series that responds to the film Hidden Figures (2016).  The New Testament also contains a number of hidden figures, ordinary and even marginalized individuals who turn out to be essential to the moving forward of God's kingdom narrative.

Nativity Story

   Sometimes stories become so familiar that we don't realize that some of the figures in the Nativity story would have been overlooked or considered non-essential if recorded by a historian other than Luke, the evangelist.  As a Gentile and outsider himself, he seems to have an eye for the marginalized, including non-Jews, women, the disabled, and so on.

   So, how are shepherds "hidden figures" in this sense?  While we might imagine shepherds to be the gentle caretakers of cute and fluffy sheep, the society in which they lived did not consider shepherding a noble profession, despite the beloved Psalm 23 that compared God to a shepherd.  The time spent outdoors and isolated from town life led to perceptions that sheep-tenders stretched the truth and couldn't be trusted.  In fact, they were not permitted to testify in court even if they were eye-witnesses of a crime.
   It is striking that God decided to send a troop of angels to shepherds outside at night. They were chosen as the first visitors, the first witnesses of an event that changed the course of history.  The angels identified the child as "the Saviour, Christ the Lord," and the shepherds did not find ways to rationalize this message away.  Instead, they got up and followed the directions they were given! 
   After they had gone to worship the baby, they told everyone they met about this good news.  No doubt, many listeners shook their heads and dismissed the story as nothing more than a tall tale from no-good shepherds.  But anyone whose heart was prepared may have looked past the grubby messengers and received the news with wonder and hope.

Minors

   There are two distinct times when individual children in the New Testament are mentioned for their deeds.  The first, whose name is not given, plays an important role in a miracle that is told in each of the four gospels.  It is John, the Evangelist, who provides the detail of where the 5 loaves and 2 fish came from in the feeding of the 5000.  It was a particular boy who made his bread-and-fish lunch available to Jesus, providing the raw materials for a multitude to be fed.

   The second young man is Paul's nephew.  In Acts 23:16 and following, this nephew overhears a plot against the Apostle Paul so that he can be ambushed and killed before he can receive a proper Roman hearing.  Being in the right place at the right time, Paul's nephew is discreet and goes to the proper authority to tell what he knows.  In acting quickly and with wisdom, he played a part in preserving Paul's life and testimony until God's plan was fulfilled.

Patronesses

   Three short verses at the start of Luke 8 tell us something not commonly known among Christians.  The hidden figures in this case are wealthy women who provided for the needs of Jesus and his disciples over the course of their ministry.  During these years, ministry work was intense and could not be combined with making a living in the traditional way.  Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Cuza, Susanna, and "many others" accompanied the group of followers.  Jesus did not use miracles to provide for himself, as Satan had earlier tempted him to do in the wilderness.  However, these hidden figures did what they could behind the scenes, using their own means to make sure Jesus and his followers did not go hungry. In other places, Mary, Martha and Lazarus and Simon the Leper are named as providing hospitality when Jesus and his entourage are visiting the Jerusalem area [1].

Easter 

   The first ones at the tomb on Easter morning were hidden figures too, women distraught at the death of their Lord and eager to do what they could to respect and anoint his body with aloes and spices.  All four gospels confirm that they were the first to see that the grave was empty, although it took some time for all the believers to sort out exactly what this meant.  When they came with reports of the empty tomb, the first reaction of the disciples was disbelief, partly because the message was beyond what they considered possible and partly because women were not considered reliable.

   Again, we see that God exalts those that society has considered unworthy.  Women as the first witnesses of the resurrection would have been completely ludicrous in that culture if someone were fabricating a tale to convince the Jews that Jesus rose from the dead.  That all the gospels have women arriving at the tomb first and being vindicated that they had indeed seen angels gives compelling evidence of the truth of the narrative.

Conclusion

   As I have pondered the concept of "hidden figures" the past several months in relation to the Bible, I can see that one of Scripture's overarching themes is that the humble will be exalted and that the lofty will be shown their proper place.  One day before Christmas, the song of Mary is a fitting place to summarize:

   He [the Lord] has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers. [2]

[1] See John 12, Matthew 26 and Mark 14. 

[2] Luke 1: 51-55, NIV.

   

Hidden Figures, Part 2: Old Testament

   The 2016 film Hidden Figures follows in the footsteps of The Help (2011) and The Butler (2013) in telling the stories of people that were not considered worthy of telling in the 1960's because of deep and systemic prejudice.  These movies resonate with "ordinary people" and show that human dignity and ability are not restricted to those in the limelight.
   As more stories surface about instrumental but overlooked individuals, I asked myself if there are stories of foreigners, women, children or servants in the pages of the Bible.  Indeed, they are there, but it is sometimes our summary retellings of these stories leave them out.  Let's take a closer look at some Old Testament characters that God includes in his story.

In the story of Abraham: Eliezer of Damascus

   Abraham is a wealthy man of the Middle East who was called by God to be an exemplar of faith and whose faith would pass on from generation to generation among a tribal group known as the Hebrews or later as the people of Israel.  Our summaries of Abraham's life tell of his remarkable journey without a clear roadmap, the promises made to him, the miraculous way he became a father at the age of 99, and his obedience in offering Isaac on an altar at God's command.  After these events, we would add that Abraham got a wife for Isaac so that the line would continue.

   The Scriptures, however, devote a full chapter to the agent God used to secure a wife for his son.  Although he isn't named in Genesis 24, he appears to be the same "chief servant" Abraham mentions nine chapters earlier as Eliezer of Damascus as the one who would inherit all Abraham's wealth if no child were to be born of his body.
   Eliezer's task was daunting: he was to take a significant journey, find Abraham's relatives and find a suitable bride for his master's son.  The weight of the transaction was not lost on Eliezer, and he himself becomes an exemplar of faith.  His bold prayer seeking God's guidance in finding the right woman for Isaac is moving and full of wisdom.  He asks for a sign that will point out the right young woman.  One who would offer him hospitality at her family home and offer care for a stranger's camels was someone with a heart of kindness and patience.  Each camel can drink 200 litres in a short time, but drawing water from a well a bucket at a time would have been time consuming!

   When Eliezer returns with Rebekah, it is clear that his mission has been successful.  Isaac takes her as his wife, and the promise moves forward.  It does so through the faithfulness of a servant. 

In the story of Moses: Miriam

   One could say that Moses was a hidden figure that God brought out of obscurity to lead his people, but my focus here is on his older sister Miriam.  When Moses was an infant, she stood by to watch as his mother desperately floated him on the Nile River in a papyrus basket, hoping to keep him alive despite the Pharaoh's edict that all male children be drowned.  One might say, "What was the use of watching the basket?"  The likelihood of the baby surviving crocodiles or hippos was remote.  Even if the basket was untouched by beasts, how long could a baby survive without human care?
   But Miriam's task was indispensable as the story unfolds.  When Pharaoh's daughter sees the basket, she recognizes a Hebrew baby within it.  Instead of hostility, however, she has pity.  Instead of observing the rules of the Egyptians, she follows a higher norm that considers the arrival of the basket as a gift of the Nile god, one which she will not refuse.  Miriam's quick thinking and shrewd negotiation with Pharaoh's daughter has the result of Moses being nursed by his own mother and for payment.  Thus, Moses in his most formative years is taught the ways of the God of Israel before he enters the palace and its treasures of learning because his sister Miram was on hand.

In the story of Joshua: Rahab

   Conquering the Promised Land fell to the leadership of Joshua, after Moses passed away.  On the other side of the Jordan River, fortified cities and well-equipped armies are not about to surrender to a band that had been wandering in the wilderness for about 40 years.  Joshua sends out scouts to learn more about the people of Jericho, the nearest settlement.  Somehow these two found an inkeeper named Rahab.  In that culture, an innkeeper doubled as a prostitute.  The Israelite men may have shocked Rahab in that they were seeking only information, whereas the "pagan" Rahab certainly shocked the men by knowing so much about the LORD and by her reverence for Him.  She hides them when local intelligence determines that foreigners have entered the city, and she boldly requests  a promise of rescue when God will grant them victory over her people. (See Joshua 2.)

   A hidden figure of ill repute and her entire household are all that is spared of the city of Jericho.  They become part of the Israelite people; Rahab herself is married by Nashon, who may well have been one of the unnamed spies.  Rahab remains unhidden in the New Testament, where she is mentioned three times: once in the family tree of  Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus of Nazareth, once in the Hebrews 11 list of faith heroes and once in the book of James.

In the story of David: an Egyptian slave 

   Before he ascends the throne, a "hidden figure" plays an important role in the life of David, a one-time shepherd and youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem.  Perhaps because of his own humble beginnings, David does not scorn a man found half-dead as he pursues a band of raiders who have burned his city and taken all that was dear to him and his men--their wives and children.  There is reason to pause and dish out scarce supplies for this foreigner in order to hear his story.  Great dignity is given to the helpless man in this account: he is an Egyptian slave of ruthless Amalekites, who left him behind when he became ill (1 Samuel 30).  He is willing to guide David and his followers to the camp; his only plea is that they do not kill him or hand him back to his masters.  David's reputation of integrity to this point assures the readers that the silence on this point means that David did indeed keep his word to the slave and did him no harm. Due to the help of this slave, David recovers everything and everyone that had been taken.

In the story of Naaman: a servant girl and other servants

   Naaman is a foreigner to the people of Israel, an army general for ancient Syria.  Despite his status in worldly terms, we would hardly expect to find his story in the pages of the Bible.  Syria and Israel were military rivals, but Naaman does not receive mention because his tactics were a threat to the people of God.  Instead, he comes to Israel because he seeks healing from leprosy.  Now, Naaman would never have come up with this plan on his own.  Leprosy was by definition incurable at the time; it was a death sentence.  However, an Israelite girl who had been taken captive by the Syrian army and who worked as a domestic servant for Naaman's wife suggests that he see the prophet Elisha in the land of her birth.  Despite Naaman's prestige, he listens to the advice of a hidden figure.

   As the story unfolds we see that Naaman still would not have received healing from leprosy if left to his own devices.  The instructions of Elisha, given by a messenger, seem undignified to Naaman so that he is ready to refuse and return to Damascus in the same diseased and hopeless condition.  It is his servants who convince him to see reason and overcome his pride.  And thus Naaman dips seven times in the Jordan River and catches a glimpse of the glory of Yahweh, the God of his enemies.

These examples are just a few of the "hidden figures" that God does not overlook in the story of redemption.  Feel free to leave a comment about any other Old Testament characters that fit this category.

   

Christmas Inferences

 

 As accounts of a person's birth go, the story of Jesus contains minimal details.  Of the four gospels, two of them do not refer to the circumstances of Jesus' arrival on earth, and the two that do talk about the nativity focus on somewhat different aspects.  Due to the brevity of both accounts, we have made inferences by taking the details that are mentioned and then filling in the gaps based on our best guesses of how things must have been in those days.  Those inferences we make are based on our cultural practices as well as traditional ideas passed down over the centuries through religious songs, art and habits.  Many of these traditions are rooted in Western Europe before much archaeological study was done about the Middle East and the way of life in Palestine.  For example, the Christmas poem by Christina Rossetti entitled "A Christmas Carol" (1872) makes assumptions about the weather at the time of Jesus' birth based on the climate of the United Kingdom in December:

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Today, we are quite certain that Jesus' actual birthday was not in December.  No matter what the season, there would not have been snow and ice due to the moderate climate of Bethlehem.

The Manger

   Besides being in Bethlehem, we know very little about the place where Jesus was born.  It is stated in Luke 2:7 that "there was no room for them in the inn," so we know he was not born in a lodge or guest house.  The details that the baby was "placed in a manger" has led to an inference that most people may not realize is absent from the text.  For many, the word "manger" and "stable" are synonymous, but this deserves a second look, according to Dr. Kenneth Bailey.  This man of God passed away in 2016, but he left a significant book entitled Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.  By living in the Middle East for forty years he became familiar with customs and practices that made him see the reference to Jesus being placed in a manger differently.

• When we hear about an animal's feeding box, we automatically think of a barn, where animals live separately from humans.  However, Middle Eastern families in small villages shared space in their home with their small herds of sheep and goats.  Therefore, access to a manger could have been close to where people were living.  It is not inconceivable that Jesus was born in a private home that had one wing where animals could get shelter when needed.  The resourcefulness of using a manger to house a baby does not mean that there were donkeys, cattle and sheep surrounding the birthplace of the Lord.
• Middle Eastern hospitality is extreme.  Welcoming a stranger, especially one who is about to give birth, is expected in Middle Eastern culture.  When we imagine the innkeeper offering a stable to Mary and Joseph, such a thing is unthinkable to the Palestinian person.  If the shepherds had found the infant Jesus in a place we see depicted on Christmas cards, cold and dark and smelly, they would not have left rejoicing as they did.  Instead, they would have taken Jesus to a better and proper location or petitioned home owners nearby to have compassion and welcome the holy family.  Recently, a children's Christmas play was shared in which the child playing the innkeeper breaks character and calls after Mary and Joseph, "You can have my room."  If a child would offer them her bedroom, would not someone steeped in the culture of hospitality have opened his home to those displaced because of the census?

The Magi

   While the gospel of Luke tells about humble shepherds coming to see the Christ child, Matthew's account tells of Magi from the East.  Our inferences regarding the Magi have led to fanciful speculations:

-The song "We Three Kings of Orient Are" names Melchior, Balthasar and Gaspar/Caspar, based on a traditional text dating to about 500 A.D and considers that they were kings of Persia, Arabia and India, respectively.

-Because there were three gifts, it is presumed that there were three Magi.

-Nativity scenes place the Magi around the manger with the shepherds.

-The mode of transport was by camels.

   A few corrections to these ideas can be found by better understanding the times. Magi were not royalty, but they were a class of people who were well educated and influential.  Perhaps the title of "professor" helps us better understand who they were. In fact, this word is used in the Chinese Bible to designate these men of the East.

   Any long journeys to be undertaken by men of rank like the Magi would have involved a complete entourage of servants.  Three men travelling this distance would want others with them to provide security, food, animal care and other logistics.  They may have used camels, but we don't know for sure.

   If we believe that the Magi and the Shepherds both came to adore the infant Jesus together, we would note that Matthew 2:11 says "On coming to the house..."  Jesus was staying at a house when the Magi arrived.  As I suggested earlier, he was also likely staying at a house when the shepherds came.  

   The fact that Herod decreed that all infant boys below the age of 2 years were to be killed to ensure the baby Jesus, the one "born King of the Jews" would be among the victims seems to suggest that Jesus was no longer a newborn when the Magi came to see him.  However, the ruthlessness of Herod that is documented in other history books means it would not be surprising if he chose the round number of 2 years of age as the cut off just to be sure this threat to his throne would be disposed of.

Conclusion

   My notes here about the manger and the Magi are not meant to dismiss all of the traditions and songs based on questionable inferences.  However, I hope that was we read and hear the accounts from Matthew and Luke, we can remember that they happened in a time and culture different than our own.  When we read between the lines of Bible stories it is good to be informed about what the original readers would have understood by them.  I am grateful to scholars like Dr. Kenneth Bailey, Dr. Paul Maier and Joe Amaral who have most recently enlightened me in this way through their books and published interviews.

Models of Radical Hospitality

   In the West, Hospitality has become an industry rather than a a trait of home owners.  Even though North American homes have many rooms, they are rarely made available to someone from outside. The recent trend of airbnb, by which people can share space in their homes for a fee, may be more of a manifestation of disruptive capitalism than hospitality.
   To find models of radical hospitality, opening your home to someone lacking shelter in a way that does not seek kickbacks, we must go back.  In the contexts that I share, radical hospitality was not offered by scattered individuals, but it was a community ethic, a way of life.

Abraham and three guests

   This story is told in the Hebrew Bible, Genesis chapter 18.  Three guests come to Abraham, a nomad living apart from any settlement.  The location given refers to the landmark of "great trees of Mamre."  If you read this narrative carefully, you will notice that the word "hurried" is used to describe Abraham's activity in greeting them, selecting a choice calf for dinner and instructing others to prepare meat and bread for the guests.  Whatever this elderly man had on his agenda that day was displaced by the visitors who came to him.  Caring for them with the best of what he had to offer preceded small talk; Abraham stood nearby while they ate and waited politely for them to finish before finding out the purpose of their visit.

   The welcome and hospitality he showed to these visitors was typical of the Ancient Near East. Travelers relied on residents to assist them with basics of food, water and shelter for survival;  it was understood that everyone will sometimes be in a position to receive as well as to give.  This was reciprocity extended to a wide community, paid forward because it was the right thing to do.

John Calvin's Geneva 

   At a hymn festival I attended this week in honour of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, various historical anecdotes were shared between songs.  One item mentioned that I found striking was that John Calvin fostered radical hospitality in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. For those unaware of details of Calvin's life, he was forced to flee his native France and found refuge in Geneva.  It was his adopted home, but as he found himself a religious and civic leader there, he encouraged the care and reception of refugees from all over Europe.  When single and also when married he allowed people to board in his home.  When members of his congregation were expanding their homes (often by adding another story on top of the house), it is said that Calvin encouraged them to include a bit more room for refugees to be housed.  Geneva in the 1500's was truly a haven to those displaced by religious persecution because its citizens en masse practiced radical hospitality.

Netherlands and Denmark during World War II

   Radical hospitality was apparently in the DNA of many Christian people in the Netherlands and Denmark who shielded Jewish people in their homes to protect them from enemies in the Third Reich. The acts of Corrie Ten Boom and her family, popularized by the book and film The Hiding Place, were not exceptional in their minds.  Great networks existed of those willing to risk their lives to provide hospitality to the oppressed.  In Denmark, likewise, a resistance movement enabled hundreds of Jewish people to be hidden and then successfully smuggled in fishing boats to neutral Sweden until the war ended [1].  The crisis of the time required courageous hospitality, and many in these nations rose to this challenge.

Today

   There are some people who still practice radical hospitality in our day.  My parents come immediately to mind.  Even though they have now downsized to a bungalow, they still have two rooms for guests. Since their home is just steps away from a large high school, they were approached by parents of a young man wondering if their shy 9th grader could eat lunch at their home once a week for the year. Those weekly visits filled a need for the boy and eased his transition to secondary school.
   A man in my city who has been an advocate for the poor and giving them tools to better their lives was recently featured in the newspaper for suggesting "tiny houses" might be a solution to homelessness.  One of the outreaches he oversees is a lunch cafe in which at risk individuals are trained to prepare and serve food, where the tasty vegetarian fare is affordable even to street people and where there is ample space for people to socialize, read or play a piano.  This is a way to offer radical hospitality. Learn more about it at https://www.theworkingcentre.org/
   During the refugee crisis (which continues even when the news media have moved on to other stories), Pope Francis urged every Catholic parish in Europe to host a family of four as a realistic solution.  If they did this, the needs of refugees would be well provided for.  That his suggestion (and his own example of receiving displaced persons at the Vatican) was considered remarkable, shows that believers have room to grow in this area.
   May these examples inspire you to do what you can to show that you care more for others than for your own comforts. After all, that's what the Gospel's radical message entails.
 

[1] A fictionalized account of this Danish resistance can be found in Lois Lowry's novel Number the Stars (1989).

Inquiry and the question "What is Truth"

  
   Using "inquiry" as a teaching method has become trendy in recent years.  "Inquiry" in this sense means using students' questions and interests to drive instruction.  In fact, using questions to teach has been a natural part of human development.  Think of any personal experience you've had with a curious pre-schooler and the barrage of questions she asked.  The Greek philosopher Socrates used questions to teach the young people of Athens, while Jesus asked and was approached with hundreds of questions recorded in the Bible.
   One of the questions that Jesus was asked came from the Roman governor Pontius Pilate during Holy Week.  When Jesus told him that he can come into the world to testify to the truth and that "everyone on the side of truth listens" to him," Pilate asks, "What is truth?"
   We are not sure if Pilate was trying to make light of the serious topic, as in "What does truth have to do with anything?"  He may also have been moved by Jesus' succinct and non-political aims. Either way, Pilate does not expect an answer.  In our world today people may wonder about truth but they don't expect to find it.  This is the dilemma of the agnostic.  For those who teach "inquiry" from that worldview, I imagine it must be unsettling at times to appear to be leading students to truth even when one does not believe there is any absolute truth.
   So, even though Jesus does not address Pilate's question directly, we can find 25 special declarations of truth in John's gospel that Jesus introduces with the formula "I tell you the truth" (or as we may remember from the KJV "Verily, verily, I say unto you").  Here is just a sample of things to take particular notice of:

• Before Abraham was born, I am!
• Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
• Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am my servant also will be.
• The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
• Whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

Something to think about: Why is truth so important?

Surprising Contrasts in the Nativity Story

   The well-known details of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem are repeated in the carols that are played through sound systems in shopping malls and sung in churches during Advent.  We know of mangers, and shepherds and wise men and a star they followed.  It's familiar and comfortable to many of us. I'd like to point out some surprising contrasts in the nativity story that might help make it fresh and new for you this Christmas.
1)  The first contrast is the sign the shepherds were given.
   When the shepherds were told to look for a child, they were given two things to look for: the babe would be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.  We imagine Jesus' birth taking place at a cold time of year if we live in the West, so it would be obvious to us that a newborn be clothed.  However, what we know of Mary and Joseph is that they were poor.  Not all Hebrew parents could afford clothing for their babies. Yet somehow, clothing was provided for their son so that he could "wrapped snugly in strips of cloth," as the New Living Translation puts it.  The shepherds would have heard these two descriptions of the baby and wondered at the contrast.  If the child was clothed (indicating a level of wealth), why would he also be in the feeding trough for animals?  When the shepherds found baby Jesus, the story they spread about a newborn well dressed but kept in an animal's feeding box would have caused their listeners to marvel as well.  What would become of a child like this? One who had attributes of wealth and humility at once?
2) The second contrast is in the reactions of King Herod and the Magi
   King Herod's palace was not far from Bethlehem, about 3 miles away.  In fact, Bible teacher Ray VanderLaan points out that Bethlehem was literally in the shadow of the sizable building called the Herodian, one of Herod's palaces [1].  The child Jesus was born close to the man who ruled as king, but went unnoticed by him until "Magi from the East" came to Jerusalem asking for one born "King of the Jews." Some Christmas songs have led us to think that these men were "kings," but they were educated people (sages, familiar with the stars).  The Chinese word used for the Magi is the same word that is used for "professors."  These learned men from the East probably came from Persia or modern-day Iran.  The sheer distance they were willing to travel in order to honour a royal child contrasts sharply with the short distance Herod sent his soldiers to try to destroy a royal child.
3)  The third contrast lies in the three gifts the Magi brought
   The gospel writer Matthew tells that the gifts the Magi brought were gold, frankincense and myrrh. In our modern day, the value of just one of these gifts is readily apparent.  We know that gold is a commodity of great worth and that it does not deteriorate the way some other metals do.  But what of frankincense and myrrh? Incense was used in the Jewish temple as a form of worship; its aroma represented the prayers of the people rising up to God; however, the Magi may not have known of this specific aspect of Judaism.  Myrrh was an oil used in embalming the bodies of those who died. Could it be that this gift of myrrh hints at the final purpose of Jesus' birth: that he would die for the sins of the world?  These distinct gifts were all high in value, yet the gift of myrrh seems to highlight something of Jesus' mission in a way that the other gifts do not.

I encourage you to look deeper into the Nativity story yourself and look for other surprising elements and contrasts.  Imagine you are reading it for the very first time, and it will never get old.


[1] Article by Ray Vanderlaan https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/in-the-shadow-of-herod-article

Pitching a Tent near Benton Harbor

   From the body language of the folks we met in a church foyer in St. Joseph, Michigan, the adjacent town of Benton Harbor was considered to belong to "the other side of the tracks."  We already noticed that it was an impoverished community with run-down homes, shabby looking businesses and streets in need of repair as we drove from our camp site to the church on the Sunday morning. We received a warm welcome as visitors but the looks became curious when we told them we had camped the previous night in Benton Harbor.  We may as well have told them, "We pitched our tent near Sodom" because of Benton Harbor's reputation for crime. The conversation quickly became uncomfortable.
   The phrase "Lot pitched his tents near Sodom" is used in Genesis 13:12 as a criticism of Abraham's nephew.  He chose to live near the city renowned for wickedness because he coveted the fertile land that could be found there.  Over time, he adapted himself more and more to its mindset and became comfortable in the city itself.  His daughters were married to men from Sodom, and when the warning came from angels that Sodom would be destroyed imminently, Lot had a great deal of difficulty taking action.  In fact, the angels had to take him and his household by the hand to lead them out.
   Our decision to spend a night at Eden Springs Campground in Benton Harbor was made even though we had heard some negative things about the city.  However, we had a richer perspective because of one of my classmates at a summer course I took in Iowa.  She was the principal of a Christian school intentionally planted in Benton Harbor.  She and a group of Christians did not "pitch their tents" in Benton Harbor because they were lured by worldly values.  Rather, they saw the great need of the mainly African-American population and endeavored to provide Christian education to families regardless of their financial situation.
   The River of Life School reflects the ministry of Jesus, who entered our broken world.  When John 1:14a says, "The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us" (NIV), the original Greek word translated as "lived for a while" is the same one that means "pitched his tent."  When the Old Testament was translated into Greek 130 years before Christ (the Septuagint), the exact same word is used for Lot's action and that of Jesus.
   Our motives for living in close proximity to the broken people and places in our world make all the difference.  With the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can live faithful lives no matter where we make our dwelling.