Presby-Musings

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — Albert Einstein “When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’” — John 1:38 According to John's Gospel, these are the first words Jesus speaks. And they're a question. “What are you looking for?” I love that. Jesus could have begun with a declaration. A command. A sermon. Instead, he asks a question. What are you looking for? It's a question worth sitting with. What am I looking for? Security? Meaning? Belonging? Peace? Purpose? Answers? God? Maybe we spend too much time thinking Christianity is primarily about giving the correct answers. Jesus seems remarkably interested in asking good questions. “What do you want me to do for you?” “Who do you say that I am?” “Why are you afraid?” “Do you want to be made well?” “Which of these was a neighbor?” “Do you love me?” Jesus asks questions that invite people to look beneath the surface. Maybe th...

“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.” — Paul Tillich “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands...I will not believe.” — John 20:25 Poor Thomas. For two thousand years we've called him “Doubting Thomas.” That seems a little unfair. Thomas wasn't there when Jesus first appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. Maybe he was on a food run, or just needed some time to himself.  The Scripture doesn't tell us why he was gone.   Everyone else saw Jesus, though.   Thomas didn't. So when they tell him, “We have seen the Lord,” Thomas essentially says: I need to see for myself. Can we really blame him? If your friends told you that someone you watched die had walked into the room three days later, you might have a few questions too. Thomas says, “Unless I see...I will not believe.” Then something beautiful happens. Jesus comes back. For Thomas. Jesus doesn't shame him. He doesn't say, “Sorry, Thomas. You had your chance.” He says:...

“There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” — John 11:21 Martha doesn't greet Jesus politely. She confronts him. Her brother Lazarus is dead. And Jesus could have prevented it. At least Martha believes he could have. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” In other words: Where were you? I suspect many of us have prayed some version of that prayer. Where were you when the diagnosis came? Where were you when my marriage fell apart? Where were you when my child was hurting? Where were you when I begged you to help? Where were you when the person I loved died? Where were you, God? Jesus' response to Martha is striking. He doesn't shame her. He doesn't say, “You shouldn't talk to me like that.” He doesn't correct her theology before acknowledging her pain. He stays.  He steps into the grief with her.  Later, when Mary comes to Jesus and says ex...

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.” — Rainer Maria Rilke “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be?’” — Luke 1:34 In Luke 1, Mary receives astonishing news. She will have a child. Not just any child. The angel tells her that this child “will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.” Mary responds with a question: “How can this be?” I've always appreciated that. She doesn't simply nod and pretend everything makes sense. She asks the obvious question. How? And here's what I find significant: The angel doesn't scold her. Mary's question isn't treated as faithlessness. It becomes part of the conversation. Eventually Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord.” But notice the order. The question comes before the yes. Sometimes we imagine faith means understanding everything before we move forward. But Mary doesn't understand everything. She receives enough to take the next step. I thin...