God's Odd Benedictions, I: The Poor
February 14, 2024 • Christine V. Hides • Matthew 5:3–12
Ash Wednesday The third graders will also tell you that the secret to learning the unpatterned and unpredictable blessings of Jesus is to use these triangle memory cards which have a blessing on one side, the promise on the other, and when put in order become a mountain. When I asked them to tell me what it means to be “poor in spirit” here’s what the 3rd graders told me: ● It means being in humble ● It means you don’t have a lot of fancy stuff ● It is what you feel when something is really hard or sad They also told me that being blessed means that you can still feel happy and content if you are poor in spirit because the kingdom of God is here, still growing like a tiny seed that will one day be big enough for all the birds of the air to find shelter in its branches, and all creatures to find shade under its canopy. We should be proud of these young people who condensed 2,000 years’ worth of Christian interpretation of this Beatitude into 150 words! Well done!
Jesus' Grandmothers, II: Tamar
January 14, 2024 • Christine V. Hides • Genesis 38
Many have called Tamar’s tale scandalous. But focusing on the dicey details obscures the reason she might be included in Matthew’s version of Jesus genealogy: God will use what God will to accomplish God’s will. Tamar illustrates God’s definition of righteousness, which is concerned for the vulnerable. We see this unexpected kind of righteousness so often in Jesus' ministry we should expect it by now; Jesus talked with and ate with many whom society considers scandalous and unworthy. Jesus' righteousness is doubly inherited. First from his divine parent who cares for the least, the lost and the left out. And also from his grandmother Tamar, who shows us that God’s righteousness transcends our imperfect, human laws and systems. Righteousness is the trait passed through the bloodline of Jesus’ ancestry.
Joy Anyway, VI: Rejoice In The Lord
September 3, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Philippians 4:10–13
The leaders of last week’s anniversary event called it “a continuation, not a commemoration,”[1] stressing that the American dream of equality and God’s dream of justice for all are still works in progress. One of you said to me recently, “TV news makes me sad.” I agree. The endless list of intractable problems foments despair. But there are research backed practices for nurturing the hope necessary for living faithfully in a troubled world. According to the Science of Happiness Podcast, commemoration is key to the continuation of positive action. It's a two-step process. First write about something important that you hope for. The poet on the podcast wrote about climate change. He hopes that the ice can return and for the native flora and fauna to thrive again. He hopes for protected places and for nations and people to make needed change.” [1] https://www.npr.org/2023/08/26/1196190910/march-on-washington-mlk-dream-speech-anniversary
Joy Anyway, V: Again We Say Rejoice
August 27, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Philippians 4:4–9
Just like in the movie, Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is about how our wellbeing depends upon joy and sadness being able to coexist. Paul talks about joy 14 times, in the part of the letter I just read he adds love and peace to the mix, writing what I’m calling the very first Social Emotional Learning Curriculum ever. Paul knew something about what we are still teaching 2,000 years later: a healthy and meaningful life requires managing emotions, achieving goals, showing empathy, developing relationships, and making responsible decisions.#_ftn1 This life-long learning happens at home, at school, in our careers, and at church. #_ftnref1 https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/hot-topics/social-emotional-learning
Joy Anyway, III: Completed Joy
August 13, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Philippians 2:1–5
Paul desires this complete joy not just for himself, but for his beloved church at Philippi, and so he offers them a formula for joy: Unity, Humility, and the Mind of Christ. This same recipe points us toward God’s word for us today.
Two Minority Reports from the Hebrew Bible, VIII : The Inescapable Tasks of God
July 16, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Jonah 3
Haven’t we all been in a situation where speaking up could make us look foolish, or worse? Colleagues hesitate to question a doctor’s prescription error. Engineers are pushed to meet deadlines even when there’s a faulty part. Students do social calculus before deciding to stand up for someone being bullied at the next lunch table. In The Out-Laws movie that’s popular on Netflix, Owen, played by Adam DeVine, weighs the risk of losing his fiancée if he tells her “Your parents are bank robbers.” Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson names this the voice-silence calculation. It turns out that remaining silent is often easier, because the almost certain and immediate benefit provides safety from retaliation and being wrong. On the other hand, speaking up benefits the group, often at some unknown and less likely point in the future.[1] Can you blame Jonah for choosing to run away rather than speak up? The Ninevites get the benefit of God’s mercy, while Jonah’s doomsday prediction makes him look less reliable than a soapbox preacher yelling on the corner. [1] Hadley, Constance et al. “Make It Safe for Employees to Speak up - Especially in Risky Times,” Harvard Business Review, 2023 Accessed online: https://hbr.org/2023/04/make-it-safe-for-employees-to-speak-up-especially-in-risky-times
Two Minority Reports from the Hebrew Bible, III: Friendship
June 11, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Ruth 2
We need friends who stick by us when we are at our worst. Yes it is true that Jesus is just such a constant and faithful friend, we know the hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Yet it is our human friends, whom we can see and touch, who are often the most tangible evidence of God’s unconditional love. Faithful friends come with a meal when we lose a loved one and a coffee when we are overwhelmed. Faithful friends hold our hands in waiting rooms. They will fetch our kids from school when we need to pull ourselves together. They listen to us talk about the mess drinking, betrayals, and overwork make of our lives. They are there for the celebrations too: weddings, babies, and acceptance letters. Our besties get our quirky humor and will join us for a spontaneous adventure. The best part? Friends show up even though they don’t have to. They aren’t related to us or legally bound in any way. Love in action holds these relationships together.
Packing for the Journey
May 21, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Deuteronomy 6:5–9
I believe that the Sunday School teachers who came up with the Kenilworth Union Church Third Grade Bible lessons 90 years ago also thought of life as a journey. They wanted third graders to be prepared for the trip of a lifetime with God. So they made a scripture packing list so that children in this church would know that God was with them wherever they went and so they would be able to remember God is present in every situation. For generations third graders have learned 'The Ten Commandments', 'The 23rd Psalm', 'The Beatitudes', 'The Lord’s Prayer' and 'Jesus’ Greatest Commandment'. The 1950’s version of the packing list also included Psalms 19 and 100.
The Unnamed, IX : The Quintuple Divorcee
March 12, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • John 4:4–42
I believe there is another way to interpret this text, one which recognizes the role she plays in illuminating the full arc of the gospel, where Jesus reaches across the vast chasm of unbelief separating humans from God. Jesus doesn’t offer Photini abundant life in spite of who she is or what she’s done. He offers it to her because of who she is… A Samaritan. A woman. Ordinary. Imperfect. Human. By my count there are more important things about the Samaritan woman than the number of husbands she’s had. In fact she’s a record holder in John’s Gospel: She has one of the longest theological discussions with Jesus.[1] She is the first person to whom Jesus directly identifies himself. She’s the first to go to tell others who Jesus is and what he does. This is why Byzantine chants sing of “Photini: Equal to the Apostles”[2] [1] Woman’s Bible Commentary, 522. [2] Coloe, Mary. Wisdom Commentary: John 1–10. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2021, 121.
The Unnamed, V : The Witch of Endor
February 19, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • 1 Samuel 28:3–25
Smart, reasonable people can and will reach different conclusions about the consequences of historical events and God’s involvement in them. This is why some of you won’t agree with me that God’s word for today is a call to be like the Witch of Endor: Become an agent of God’s mercy in an unfair world. This text brings us up against the limits of our human intellect and points toward wisdom that lives on the margins and edges. Could it be that knowledge might one day be needed by the very people who, like Saul, banned it? Throughout history there have been people, many of them women like the medium at Endor, who possess a kind of wisdom or insight that puts them in conflict with the establishment.
Through Earthly Forms and Folds
January 8, 2023 • Christine V. Hides • Matthew 3:13–17
It is persistent, persuasive grace that sustains our baptismal identities as beloved children of God, called to new life in the divine flow, becoming part of God’s living, liberating, life sustaining work in the world. On our best days, we behave as though we know the truth that we are beloved. Other days, the never ending hustle leads us to three wrong and harmful conclusions about who we are. Theologian Henri Nouwen names them:[1] I am what I have. I am what I do. I am what other people say or think about me. Every new calendar year we are faced with the same pressures. We pledge to save more, achieve that work goal or school award, read more books, get more followers, and organize our messy homes and lives. All of these things can be good and helpful. But they are not who we are. We are more than the schools we went to, the teams we will cheer for during tomorrow night's NCAA football final, more than the job title we hold, more than our GPA and we are more than our bank account balance. Thank God for that. [1] Nouwen, Henri. Spiritual Direction, 25.