George of Sylvania

Category: prayer meetings

  • The Salt and Light in Your Own Darkness

    The Salt and Light in Your Own Darkness

    The Gospel of Matthew’s recount of the infamous sermon that Jesus gives is my favorite. While it shows up most notably in Luke as well, it is in Matthew that I find my connection. It may be because when I first started reading the Christian Bible, I started at what I thought was the beginning, the New Testament, which starts with drum roll… the Gospel of Matthew.

    I only started referring to people as “salt of the earth” consistently a few years ago. One of my co-workers says it all the time about people she adores and has stuck through osmosis. These are the people that make me want to be a better, and more consistent presence in my life. It is such a weird tension to hold right now, trying to be the salt of the earth as the world is falling apart around us, and I mean that, almost quite literally.

    I am not just talking about the genocide still happening in Gaza, Palestine, Sudan, Myanmar, the Uyghurs in China, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The political violence we have seen in America over the past 10 years continues to rise to a crescendo with ICE abducting people off the streets and disappearing them to what an Irish immigrant referred to as a modern-day concentration camp. Not to mention murders of Alex Pretti, Renee Nichole Good, Gerardo Lunas Campos, and Keith Porter.

    The fact that all of this has this has led into the newest 3.5 million documents of the Epstein files that have been released, with still millions of pages to go has been more than overwhelming. Jeffrey Epstein has had his hand in more things that have shaped the United States in the past decade than anyone outside of his circles could have imagined. And it is horrifying. Absolutely horrifying. The cache of information that has come out about what he, other celebrities, politicians, and wealthy people have done to children, if 5% is true, should be enough to make every decent person in this world cry out in terror. It has been so disturbing following this story, I almost took out the prayer in the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation that I updated which reads, “The lust which dishonors the bodies of men, women, non-binary, and children, God Forgive.”

    So, when I sit and think about all of this, a very small portion of what is happening in our world right now, to think of being the salt is a bit overwhelming. Something that has helped recently I found few weeks ago, when I was reading the Essential Writings of Brother Roger of Taizé. On page 33, I came across this quote of his,

    “… always keep in mind that you are advancing with [God] toward the light, even in the midst of your own darkness.”

    The light that we shine forth, that we are not to hide in the bushel is helping light my way in my own darkness. It is helping me remember that salt we are supposed to be isn’t table salt, it is, for me supposed to be course, course and in your face. It is the kind that is brought out by the kitchen and given table side. It is what you see sitting on top of your meal that bring a blast of flavor. It is the people who continue to do their good works in a time of despair, as if it is water off their back.

    It is seeing the weight of the world, and saying to yourself, I think I can bring some flavor to this bland story that keeps being repeated throughout history.

    It is the same example of Jesus bringing liberation, and hope to the masses of people who are being held in oppression by the state.

    It is the story we find ourselves in the midst of now.

    It is who we are called to be in this world, now more than ever.

    My friends, may you find the salt around you, and if you can’t, please remember that the salt may be you.

  • Jude, the Saint of Despair

    Jude, the Saint of Despair

    John 15:17-27:

    Jesus said to his disciples, “I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

    “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world– therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’

    “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.”

    Saint Jude is the patron saint for lost causes, impossible situations and despair. It is a hard time for those of us who don’t believe empathy is a sin. When holding all that has happened in Minneapolis, thinking about Keith Porter Jr being murdered by immigration customs and enforcement, the horrific details in the newly released Epstein files, I needed to think about, and create space for despair for a bit.

    When I read this Gospel passage, which is specific in the lectionary to St. Simon and St. Jude (who both share the martyrdom on 10/28), it really had my mind going. See, when I read of Jesus in this passage talking about not being of this world my context, historically, of this passage is much different than what I believe now.

    For a long time I feared the idea of the day of judgment, specifically because of the language around it. I grew up around the apocalyptic concept of fire, brimstone, etc., but then I found out that apocalypse literally means uncovering in Greek, as in, learning something new. When I found this out, I dove deeper into the Jewish roots of Christianity. Because of this new information, I was deeply curious about what this day of judgment would mean. After some time, I became much more comfortable.

    The idea of the day of judgement, is the work of God setting things right, the way they were supposed to be.

    It is creating justice in an unjust world, and for those of us who seek justice, who seek the safety of others, who seek after the words of Jesus, it really isn’t a scary thing. Sure, there are aspects of our lives where we are continuing to hone and align the way we believe with how we live our daily life, but on the whole, the setting of things in their correct manner shouldn’t be that scary.

    When we strip down the concept of wanting to live in a world where everyone is safe, no one has to worry about food, healthcare, being othered, bombs, and genocide as seen in Sudan and Gaza to name a few. These things that make us feel fear in our daily lives, these systematic issues that cause us to live into despair. As I sit with this, I feel connected to the despair that St. Jude is the patron saint of. It’s not hard right now to let those feelings consume us, but cynicism is easy.

    Then I remember, despair is easy.

    Hope, love, and taking care of one another in community is hard.

    It takes bravery to love someone.

    It takes bravery to stand up for someone.

    It takes almost nothing to cast someone aside, and not only deny their humanity, but the image of God that is interwoven through their very being.

    So when I read and sit with the part in Luke where Jesus says, if the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you, my mind goes to the lie that is christian nationalism. Those I have heard prosecution stories loudest, come from those that uphold white Jesus. And we know that they cannot be the people Jesus is talking about here.

    May you find some hope in these words my friends.

    Grace and peace.

  • St Thomas Aquinas and Reason

    St Thomas Aquinas and Reason

    Yesterday was the feast day for Saint Thomas Aquinas, who died in 1274. A Dominican priest, he came from a rich family and was the youngest of four boys. It was not uncommon for rich families to send their “expendable” children into religious orders at the time, and those same families gave heavily to the Roman Catholic Church. They supported monasteries where their kids lived, and it was also expected that they would rise to high points of leadership within the church.

    Thomas’s family had hoped he would also move up the ranks of the catholic church, and when he told them he was going to join the Dominicans, they were surprised. Well, surprised may be an understatement, because they kidnapped him and held him hostage in their family castle for a year. Even after that time, he still wanted to join so they let him go, and their dreams of an important child in the catholic church went with them… not. It’s a joke, get it, because today he is a saint!

    The reason why his family responded this way, was because the Dominicans were a newly formed group, barely 15 years older than Thomas was at the time. However, it was during the 13th century when Dominicans would start to be hand picked to replace judges and others, and the inquisition would be up and running. While Thomas wouldn’t be picked to find them, he started making a name for himself within the order because of how smart he was.

    What Thomas clung to during his studies, was reason, and he began to show his aptitude for reading various “heretical” works and working out how they fit within his religion. The greatest example of this, is Aquinas’ work Summa Theologiae, a large work he had started after he had a mystical vision but then died three months later leaving the work uncompleted. I have not spent a lot of time reading about the saints, after all, I’m a retired evangelical, saints weren’t our thing, they were idols. The irony of that, and the rise of the celebrity preacher is not lost on me.

    Since being received into the Episcopal church, I have made this a practice of mine, as we celebrate the saints and their lives of faith who came before us. Personally, it has been a fruitful endeavor as it has helped me feel more connected to the story of God. But what I enjoyed reading about St. Thomas Aquinas was the importance of reason to him. For those who do not know, the Anglican/Episcopal church rests on a three leg stool, one leg is scripture, one is tradition, and the final is reason.

    Using our brains to wrestle with the world in front of us is crucial, especially in the days we find ourselves. It is because of this that I personally struggle with understanding how self professing Christians can support the policies being acted out. What the Trump administration is doing is monstrous, and there is no way we can reason ourselves into supporting it while reading Jesus’ words. The federal funding for USAID being cut, to the violence enacted by the immigration and customs enforcement agency, and everything in between is cruel and monstrous. Reason forces us to confront the parts of us that seek power over one another, and give it over to God.

    There are so many things my soul cries to scream about, but instead of that, I will leave you with a poem from the hand of St. Thomas Aquinas. Found on page 127 in, Love Poems from God, by Daniel Ladinsky:


    The Mandate

    Because of my compassion, the sun wanted to be near me all night,
    and the earth deeded her fields to me,
    and all in heaven said,

    “We have voted you our governor; tell us your divine mandate.”
    And I did, and God will never revoke it:

    Nothing in existence is turned away.

    More tender is my Lord’s heart than any heart has ever been.

    So, when the divine realm asked me to govern it
    with one simple
    rule,

    I looked into His eyes and then knew
    what to say to any angel
    who might serve as
    a sentry to
    God:

    No creature should be
    turned away

    Grace and peace my friends.

  • Prayer Meeting: The Decent Way

    Prayer Meeting: The Decent Way

    Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:13-17(NRSV)

    This past Sunday, Episcopalians across the world reaffirmed our baptismal covenants as we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus. For me, it is always a special occasion when I get to stand with my fellow faith siblings to say out loud who we are, how we show up, and who we hope to be in God’s creation. However, there is something about this passage that has stuck in my crawl for years. In verse 6 it states, “and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” At one point I wrote a series of blog posts I can no longer find about Jesus attending and participating in a baptism for the forgiveness of sins as it states in Mark 1:4 and implied here in Matthew. It is something I had never hear about in church, and I seemed to gloss over in my readings.

    Having grown up evangelical in America, there are some hooks that are still in you that you are unaware of, and for me this was one of them. I cannot imagine how many times I had heard that Jesus was a the only perfect human to live, sinless in every way, which is part of the reason why he “didn’t need training” to preach, teach, and make disciples. But after reading these passages and letting it sit I had a few questions.

    • If Jesus was sinless and perfect, then why participate in such a baptism?
    • If Jesus participated in this type of baptism in good faith and not needing it, wouldn’t that make him a bad person?
    • If Jesus didn’t need to be baptized because of his stance with God, then why did he do it?

    I drove myself around in circles with this, and argued about it whenever I got the opportunity because I wanted answers that were satisfying. In her book, The Immerser: John the Baptist within Second Temple Judaism, Joan E. Taylor writes on page 262:

    That Jesus was baptized by John has been a problem almost form the beginning of Christianity, and not only because his being baptized indicated that he might have been subordinate to John. Jesus apparently turned away from sin and, as Michael Grant notes, this “set the theologians of subsequent centuries a conundrum. For how could Jesus have been baptized for the forgiveness of his own sins, when according to the Christology which developed after his death, he was divine and therefore sinless?” Often the solution is given that he wished to humble himself by participating with the sinful in this important ritual. As A.M. Hunter has stated: “He [Jesus] discerned the hand of God in John’s mission, and by His acceptance of John’s baptism identified Himself with the people whom He came to Save.” Some scholars have sought to deny that John ever baptized Jesus…

    [In the Gospel of Matthew 3:14-15] Jesus comes forward to be immersed, but John tries to prevent him and says, “I need to be immersed by you, and you come to me? Jesus calmly reassures him, “let it be so for now, for it is right for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Jesus therefore does the decent thing, but he does not really need to do it.”

    When I read that for the first time I just sat and scratched my head. Then I read it again.

    And again.

    And again.

    And, yet, again.

    Finally, it started to sink in for me personally, that it does not really matter why Jesus was baptized, sin or no sin. What matters in the end is that Jesus did the decent thing. Following his call, Jesus did what was right. This argument that I had developed within myself, and thought so much rode on did not matter, because at the end of the day, it was an excuse to keep Jesus at arm’s length.

    It is the same argument we always make to get out of doing the decent thing, that we are sinners, or are prone to fail and mess up. When we do that, we keep the Jesus of the gospels at arm’s length.

    When we yell at our kids and don’t apologize, we keep Jesus at arm’s length.

    When we spend time bickering on social media about how we are right and “they” are wrong, we keep Jesus at arm’s length.

    When we standards that are supposed to be universal, but we make exceptions for people because we like what they stand for, we keep Jesus at arm’s length.

    When we see injustice in the world and wait for someone else to act or say something, we keep Jesus at arm’s length.

    When we ignore the plight of our fellow image bearers living in Palestine, Yemen, Congo, and Sudan, we keep Jesus at arm’s length.

    On Thursday and Sunday of last week, I attended two protests to abolish ICE. I am compelled by my faith to act in times of injustice when innocent people are killed. In the same way I am compelled every Sunday morning to wake up early and cook food for the unhoused and marginalized. It is the everyday act of doing the decent thing where we can be the hands, feet, and voice (at times) of God in a world where it is so easy to choose hatred, or as I have seen it lately, “intolerance.”

    By walking the path and getting covered in the dusty road of Jesus’ teachings, may we find the decent way to be in the times when others need to be served before ourselves.

    Amen

  • Prayer Service Reflection

    Prayer Service Reflection

    Jesus said to his disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you– that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

    Luke 24:44-53

    Every other week, I have the privilege of leading a noon prayer service. This week I decided to use the Ascension of Jesus early, and this is what you get.

    Jesus has a way of revealing to us what is already present, but we, like the disciples at times, are unaware.  In the Sermon on the Mount, he drills down on the underlying feelings that we can harbor until they become too much and come out in various ways. Whether that is anger that turns into murder, lust that turns into adultery, or praying and giving money to the poor so we can be seen doing it. When he speaks about the kin-dom of heaven in Matthew 13:47 and speaks of it as a fishing net that is full and brought into the boat, then the bad fish are discarded. Something that makes sense when we realize that in a new heaven and earth, where love and justice reign, those who continue to choose and seek power over others would not be happy there.

    In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower, where the different seed falls on various terrain, and the plants that grow reflect wisdom and following his teachings, or the rejection of it. These are people that the disciples would have experienced first-hand but presented to them in a new way. We all know the Parable of the Prodigal Son where we are confronted with our own internal conflicts of being the younger son, older son, and parent in that position. However, what Jesus does here is something kind of new, but what their ancestors would have wrestled with. While God sends the power of the Holy Spirit to the disciples, that power is all around us. It is easy to forget that at the time God showed Godself to Abraham, religion was regionally based.

    When the Temple was destroyed and the ancient Israelite’s found themselves enslaved in Babylon, they believed God left the temple and went to dwell with them. When they moved back to ancient Palestine and rebuilt the temple, God went back to dwell in it. Even in parts of Christian theology when the temple curtain is ripped from top to bottom, it has been said that was when God left the temple because of Jesus’ sacrifice. The idea being, there was no barrier between God and God’s people anymore.

    But what Jesus points out in this part of Luke’s gospel, is that Jesus’s students will be sent what was promised. The power of the Holy Spirit will come to the disciples after Jesus ascends to be with God. While the delivery may look differently, Jesus is telling the disciples to expect something that has always been around them. While I cannot remember if I had read it, or was told this, but there was an idea that the burning bush Moses found himself in front of had been on fire or generations. This bush that was on fire but not consumed by fire was just sitting there for who knows how many years just waiting to be noticed, and it wasn’t until Moses came along that it was. Similar to Jacob waking up after seeing the dream of the ladder and realizing God was that place and he did not know it.

    What comes to mind when I find myself in this dichotomy is the ending of the Obi-Wan Kenobi television show from Disney+. Kenobi has just completed a mission and re-found his purpose in a new way. Through the season, Kenobi is desperately alone and calling out to his old Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn for guidance. It is believed that the living force can bring those from beyond to the present. When we think the series is over, out in the desert, we see an image appear. A blueish ghost of Qui-Gon appears, and Kenobi is surprised. In his reaction to seeing his old master, the Jedi responds with, “I was always here Obi-Wan, you were just not ready to see.” It is easy to compare spirituality of today to Acts 1 and forget that the same Spirit Jesus promises his students here, is the same that is alive and well today.

    Friends, may we remember that, although some of us don’t speak in tongues, we do have the ability to awaken to the spirit around us unrealized.

    Amen

  • Quick Trip to D.C.

    Quick Trip to D.C.

    Our team with Cindy Buhl

    This past week a few of us from the church I work at, Trinity Episcopal Church, went to Washington D.C. to share our concerns with a few people. These people were Rep. Jim McGovern’s Legislative Director Cindy Buhl, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, and Senior Aid to Sen. Jon Husted, Sean Dunn. Unfortunately, Sen. Bernie Moreno’s office could not supply someone to meet with us. We also met up with members of the Episcopal Public Policy Network; Susie Faria, Lindsey Delks, and Troy Collazo, wonderful people doing incredibly important and hard work.

    At the end of our meetings we provided a summary of our talking points we were able to get to, and some we couldn’t. Below you can read them, along with some pictures from our trip. We look forward to going back in the fall and following up with these concerns.

    EPPN and our team

    LGBTQIA+ support

    The Trevor Project has been an incredible safety net for the LGBTQIA+ community, and the current administration has called to defund this. Trinity Episcopal Church is if not one of, then the most open and affirming Episcopal congregation in Toledo. We see first-hand people who walk through our doors that have been affected by gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination. Removing funding for this lifeline is not only unthinkable but cruel. The administration’s push of a “traditional family structure” as a source of stability and the lament for the lack of childbirth, coupled with the current administration wanting to cut programs like head start is not only confusing but shows they do not actually care for the American family. Queer families have been here from the beginning and will not disappear because this administration chooses to ignore them. With wages low, student and medical debt, cutting programs like head start continues to burden families of all kinds.

    This suggestion of funding cut not only hurts at a federal level, but Ohio House Bill 616, is a slap in the face of history and decency. While we know you work at the federal level, we encourage you to reach out to your fellow legislators at the state level (as will we), to encourage voting against it. We believe reconciliation can only happen when people are willing to have open and honest conversations, and what HB616 offers leads to more pain and ignorance. Our children deserve to know the real history of America, this includes our queer siblings and how we have treated them and people of color, warts and all. Our Christian community is called to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to recognized and serve the dignity in all peoples. Our children deserve better than to be told they do not belong.

    A very tired version of me at the end of the day.

    Medicaid cut concern

    Medicaid makes up 93% of the non-mandatory spending and cuts to this must happen to reach the $880 billion according to the non-partisan Congressional Spending Office. President Trump says Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security will not be touched. How are we to trust this when in a recent interview with Meet the Press he stated he wasn’t sure if he is responsible for upholding the constitution? The truth is, cuts to Medicaid threaten the viability of hospitals, nursing homes to name a few. Every week, we serve a free meal to those who live on the margins to get to know our neighbors. There are real concerns about medical coverage from those who attend, and they run the spectrum of age and race. Part of the baptismal covenant we recite in the Episcopal Church is that with Gods help, we will seek and serve Christ in all peoples. Cutting medical coverage to the most vulnerable amongst us is unacceptable, and we are pleading you to help us uphold this covenant by standing against Medicaid cuts.

    Our team with Rep. Kaptur

    USAID concern

    Ohio Farmer’s Union President Bryn Bird, who farms in Licking County, underscored the importance of USAID’s food commodity purchases on prices at the farm gate:

    “USAID plays a crucial role, not only providing food aid to millions around the world but also directly purchasing grains from Ohio farmers. Our farmers deserve predictable, fair market conditions to plan and grow their businesses. A pause on these programs will only add more uncertainty and volatility to an already challenging marketplace, leaving many Ohio farmers facing an unpredictable season. Ohio farmers are more than capable of rising to the challenge of feeding the world, but they need stability to do so.”

    A shutdown of USAID would also have devastating consequences for the people of food-insecure nations that rely on USAID’s food assistance programs. These programs provide vital nutrition to millions of human beings.  To end these USAID programs with no replacement in sight will at a minimum, lead to increased hunger, malnutrition, and disease in the affected countries, cause the deaths of huge numbers of people worldwide, and could trigger political instability in countries that are already facing food crises.

    As previously stated, every week we host a free meal and see the effects this would have stateside. Prices continue to go up and as we seek to make this breakfast ministry sustainable, it becomes harder as more people cannot afford groceries.

    Future POTUS

    Gun violence concern

    In the summer of 2023 our deacon, the Rev. Meribah Mansfield and Mike Linehan (Community Mission Team Leader at Olivet Lutheran Church in Sylvania, OH) formed the Northwest Ohio Multifaith Coalition to Reduce Gun Violence. This coalition helps to enable faith communities to work collaboratively to reduce gun violence through education, advocacy, and healing. Since its formation, it has grown to involve 41 congregations and more than 200 people throughout the Toledo area. Mike and Meribah met while marching with Moms Demand Action in a community festival parade in June 2023. It was there that the idea of a multifaith coalition began to take shape. Soon after, they began organizing a series of gun violence reduction forums. 

    Five faith-based forums have been held so far on topics including survivor testimonies, legislative action and advocacy training, safe gun storage, and updates on efforts of the City of Toledo’s Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE). Coalition members worked with MONSE to develop Peace in Motion, Toledo’s 5-Year Comprehensive Safety Plan. It includes 42 targeted recommendations to reduce gun violence by fostering safer neighborhoods and creating opportunities for all residents. Gun violence not only continues to be an epidemic in Ohio, but nationwide. 

    Celebration after a long day.

    Immigration and deportation concern

    As of this week, CBS reported the current administration seeks to put into place deals with Angola and Equatorial Guinea to accept migrants. Everything that is going on with this administration’s handling of migrants, legal or otherwise, goes against one of the core tenants of Christianity. To watch over for one’s neighbor, to help the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner, is critical to living out our faith. Not only that, but the way the administration has been going around the courts, and not providing due processes, a constitutional right, flies in the face of what it means to uphold American ideals. 

  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

    Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

    Prayer meeting reflection from 4/9/2025:

    Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?”

    Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.”

    Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace heated up seven times more than was customary, and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.

    Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.” Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them.

    Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

    Daniel 3:14–20,24–28

    There was one question as I was reading this passage from Daniel that I do not have just one answer to.

    It is also really hard for me to read this and not think about the political environment of the past decade. The amount of comparison done between King Nebuchadnezzar and President Donald Trump is at this point, is almost exhausting. I have known and read of so many Christians that have excused voting for him, or his political actions using Nebuchadnezzar saying that God can use sinful people to move God’s will. In 2020 author William Henley released his book titled, Two Men from Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar, Trump, and the Lord of History.

    Henley walks the reader through the creation of the city of Babylon starting in Genesis 10 where he points out the mighty hunter named Nimrod that subdued the neighbors around him and forced them to submit to his rule. In this excerpt Henley writes:

    Centuries later in 620 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, a successor to Nimrod, became the ruler of Babylon and would demonstrate that founders of a nation inject their spiritual DNA into their offspring. Nimrod himself bore the DNA of the “giants,” the “mighty ones” who descended from the Nephilim (Genesis 6:4). The Bible reveals that at the core of the Nephilim spirit was self-pride and a passion for self-exaltation. This is the essence of “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16).  This also is the essence of Babylon in all its forms. Nebuchadnezzar, in his time as Babylon’s ruler, would pursue these lusts extravagantly— until, in a chaotic period in his personal life…[1]

    In this Daniel passage, Nebuchadnezzar has built a statue of gold and expects everyone to bow down and worship this image. If any of you have been on social media since January when President Trump regained power, you may have seen a gross AI video of his view of Gaza. There were no Palestinians, but instead glitzy hotels, a casino, Trump and Netanyahu relaxing by a pool with drinks, and a tall golden statue of Donald Trump.

    This AI golden statue of President Trump had peaked the comparison between the two, and I remember sitting in almost stunned disbelief. Disbelief not only of my surprise of this video, but that I was surprised by it. But here is what sticks in my crawl with this comparison, I do not believe that Trump could ever be as humble as Nebuchadnezzar.

    In chapter 2 of Daniel, at the end, we see that Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a statue that Daniel interpreted. After the interpretation, the king then fell on his face to worship Daniel and give him a grain offering. He then makes Daniel a ruler of parts of Babylon, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are placed in positions of power. However, we find out in the full context of this chapter, that these three Israelites refuse to worship the gods of the king, and to bow down at the golden statue to worship as well. The king had no problem doing this himself, because it was the god of all gods for him. However, if we know our history, Israelites are forbidden from worshiping graven images and other gods. If we remember, it did not go very well for the ancient Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai during the exodus.

    Now, something Nebuchadnezzar said to Daniel in chapter two was, “truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

    Two questions about the golden statue:

    1. Why was Daniel not forced to kneel and worship the statue like his friends?
    2. Who was the statue of?

    I am of the mindset that the statue was of Daniel.

    After all, the king worshiped Daniel as God at the end of chapter two, and it is not like Daniel can stand down and worship himself. This for me, is why the argument of President Trump and King Nebuchadnezzar will always fall apart. Humility, when we unharden our heart, will always breakthrough in unexpected ways. Pharaoh did not have to unharden his heart, not because God was allegedly doing it, but because he was never affected directly. That is until the commerce of Egypt was affected by the plague of hail.  

    Today is the last Wednesday in Lent, and this has been such a long journey to Palm Sunday. Citizens have been snatched off the street for voicing their dissent of the current administration and its stance on Palestine. Saturday, some of us participated in the almost 5,000 strong Hands-Off protest in Toledo. The city of ancient Babylon may have fallen, but it does not mean that people don’t want to return to it. Like the Israelites in the wilderness groaning that they could have died slaves in Egypt with pots of meat instead of wandering.

    But what happens in Babylon and the wilderness for the ancient Israelites? God shows up and teaches God’s people a new way to live. To paint with a broad brush, in Babylon they reconstructed what it meant to worship God outside of a Temple, and in the wilderness, they learned reliance and trust.

    So, as I read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, one question kept coming to mind that I have no answer to:

    What golden statues are trying to be built now, that we must deny so we do not lose our foundation in God?

    [1] https://www.christianpost.com/voices/two-men-from-babylon-nebuchadnezzar-trump-and-the-lord-of-history-book-excerpt.html, pulled 4/9/2025

  • Lemon, it’s Wednesday

    There is a good chance that if you’re reading this, you’re aware of the Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin meme from 30 Rock. If you don’t, look it up, I don’t want to ruin the fun.

    It has been a long week, and the year is just getting started.

    Over a decade ago, I was given the book, The Sabbath, by Abraham Joshua Heschel because I was leaving paid ministry. The person who gave it to me had the unfortunate position of letting me go due to financial problems created by the previous senior pastor. There was no longer any room for my position in the budget, and as one of her first acts as the new senior pastor, she had to let me know.

    In the twelve years since that conversation, there have been a lot of ups and downs. Many dark nights of the soul, and bright shining mornings. But one thing I will always be grateful for, is her gift of that book. The Sabbath changed my life in ways I had never imagined. But something else that I have come back to time and again, is the blessing she copied and placed in the book as well. This is a week that we all need encouragement, and I’d like to share this blessing as it has continued to help me down the path:

    May you listen to your longing to be free.

    May the frames of your belonging be large enough for the dreams of your soul.

    May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart that something good is going to happen to you.

    May you find a harmony between your soul and your life.

    May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place.

    May you know the eternal longing which lives at the heart of time.

    May there be a kindness in your gaze when you look within.

    May you never place walls between the light and yourself.

    May your angel free you from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment, and despair.

    May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you, mind you, and embrace you in belonging.

    Right now it is easy to be cynical. It is easy to look around and see the abuse, violence, and greed that rule and get lost in the natural response of despair. But like Mr. Rogers always said, look for the helpers, you’ll always find people who helping.

    Be the helpers, we need you now more than ever.

  • Welp… it isn’t much

    I took that picture on my way into work Monday. What a nice view.

    This week, I do not have much to say. The writers block has been very present these past few weeks, and it is what it is. It doesn’t help we said so long to the interim priest we have been working with for over a year, and everyone’s favorite staff member is on tour for the North American production of Dirty Dancing.

    So what is blocking the ideas from flowing? Well, we are less than a week away from another nightmare of a presidential term, and I am nervous for friends and loved ones. And if the confirmation hearing of Hegseth that occurred yesterday is a taste of what is to come…

    Speaking of cabinet picks, I will never forget when my wife and I lived in West Michigan, and the first Tr*mp administration had been going for a little while. The church we had attended the majority of the time we lived there was Mars Hill Bible Church, founded by Rob Bell. Bell had been long gone by the time we had gotten there, and the place was changing under the newly called pastor. Things started off well, but the moment Betsy DeVos, who had been the Secretary of Education for a few months, came over to me during the passing of the peace. She gave me the most uncomfortable hug I have ever had in my life, and while she was trying to make small talk, I just kept reminding myself that the person standing in front of me was a child of God. We left the church pretty soon after.

    The look on my wife’s face though, seared into my memory. One of shock, horror, and concern about what was going to come out of my mouth. I was in such shock at what was unfolding before me that I was pretty much frozen.

    Scraping the barrel but still showing up is strength in its self, and that is what I wanted to remind everyone of today. So, to close today, I want to offer up the closing prayer I lead every other week during the Wednesday intercessory prayer services. It was introduced to me by a dear friend who passed away almost a year ago called, The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation. Because it is me however, I tweaked a few things to make it more inclusive.

    The Lord be with you my friends, never forget you all are loved, and not alone during this dark time to come.

    An updated version of the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation:

    All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

    The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
    Lord, forgive.

    The covetous desires of people and nations to poses what is not their own,
    Lord, forgive.

    The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
    Lord, forgive.

    Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
    Lord, forgive.

    Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the unhoused, the refugee,
    Lord, forgive.

    The lust which dishonors the bodies of men, women, non-binary, and children,
    Lord, forgive.

    The pride which leads us to trust ourselves and not in God,
    Lord, forgive.

    Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.

    In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.