Covert Christians

This Sunday at Seneca Presbyterian Church, the Narrative Lectionary will lead us to a consideration of the story of Daniel in the Lions' Den. Now, if you're checking the calendar and noticing that Sunday is December 2, and also checking our church calendar to discover that we are celebrating our annual Christmas Dinner this week, you might wonder what Daniel and lions have to do with Christmas, or better said, with Advent, the season of preparation for Christmas.

 The book of Daniel is all about living in exile. The kingdom of Judah had been destroyed. The very best and brightest of its citizens had been taken into exile by the nation of Babylonia. Everything that gave life meaning had been taken away: land, Temple, and king. The prophets had said it was because of their unfaithfulness. The exile was God's great act of discipline - an act of love that embodies teaching and learning and growing in faith.

Our Hebrew brothers and sisters needed time to figure it all out. They had to learn how to live faithfully in a foreign land. They had to craft ways of worshiping God without the glory of God's Temple and festival celebrations. They had to re-discover their faith.

The wonderful stories that make up the first six chapters of the book of Daniel speak of faithfulness to the ways of God even when those ways seem foolish, and even when they are dangerous. Our heroes - Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - are wise and faithful and brave. They rise to power without compromising their faith. When threatened by those who are jealous of their success, God protects them even in the face of certain death. And the kings of Babylonia and Persia come to believe in the God of Daniel - the almighty One, the King of all nations.

There are many in our day who believe that Christianity is on its way into "exile" as well. A Gallup Poll released last July says that only 44% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in "the church or organized religion." That rate has been falling steadily in the last thirty years. However you may interpret the fact, America is not the "Christian nation" we used to be. We see something of that in the drive to secularize Christmas. We love the holiday but many have problems with the faith from which it comes. So perhaps the story of Daniel and his challenge to maintain his faith in the midst of exile presents a learning opportunity for us.

As we prepare to contemplate Daniel and lions, consider:

• How do you experience the world's holiday of Christmas? 
• How does that differ from your quest to find meaning in what we believe as Christians about Christmas? 
• What are the most significant traditions, meanings, and truths for you? 
• If all of those traditions were taken away, how would you still believe and remain a faithful Christian?

The Making of a Prophet

Marc Chagall, the Prophet Isaiah, 1968

Last week, as we follow the Narrative Lectionary,  the saints of Seneca Presbyterian Church explored one of my favorite biblical stories - that of the highly reluctant yet highly effective prophet Jonah. Unfortunately for me, it was in my absence! This week, we turn to Jonah's exact opposite: the prophet Isaiah. Jonah's pride and narrow-mindedness caused him to run from God, and the mercy he knew would be extended to his bitter enemy. Isaiah's faith and devotion to God caused him to recognize his own sin and the sin of his people. He sought forgiveness, and readily accepted the call to serve God.

When we turn to the "major" prophets like Isaiah and away from the earlier ones like Elijah, we find ourselves with far more words and far fewer stories. Yet how magnificent are the words of Isaiah. The Jewish Study Bible calls Isaiah the "best loved of all the prophetic books." It is sighted more often than any of the other prophetic books in rabbinic literature and it is recited more often in synagogue worship as well - which might explain why Jesus seems to have been shaped by these words and why he so deeply embodied their vision.

No wonder many Christians consider Isaiah "the fifth Gospel." It is inevitable that our faith sees Jesus as the fulfillment of the messianic vision found in the words of this amazing prophet. It is like a door that once opened simply cannot be closed. Yet we must guard against the temptation to see only that, for these words were spoken centuries before Jesus in the world of our Hebrew ancestors. They spoke the truth of God's unceasing concern for and involvement in the world of His creation. In that light, they are the "gospel" - the good news - that God will not leave us to our own devices that serve our own interests while destroying His. Nor will God leave us in the failures and crises that come from them. God is both judge and savior, challenger and comforter - challenging us in our comfort and comforting us in our despair.

This Sunday, as we gather for worship at Seneca Pres, we will consider the vision that called Isaiah to his prophetic ministry. You can read it in chapter 6, verses 1-8. It is a magnificent encounter with an amazing God. As you read it, consider:

• How does this image of God compare with your experiences? Does anything come close? 
• Is the image comforting or disturbing to you? 
• Where can we receive the same sense of power and majesty that ignites our confession and compels our devotion?  

Saints to Each Other

St. Elijah, from a Serbian fresco

October has been a crazy month, and I've been negligent in my postings. Ironically, November should be better. Since last we spoke, the saints of Seneca Presbyterian have stopped to contemplate God's promise to David to build him a house (a dynasty) and Solomon's house for God (a temple). Kings have been the focus of our attention, but this week we will begin to focus on a king's fiercest foe: the prophet. Elijah is a great place to start.

The united kingdom ruled by Saul, David, and Solomon has broken in two. David's sons continue to rule the southern kingdom of Judah. A succession of kings rule in the north - in the kingdom of Israel. The books of 1 and 2 Kings tell the story of all these divine rulers - with a sharply critical eye. In 400 years of kings, only two win the seal of approval - Hezekiah and Josiah - and they both come from the southern kingdom of Judah.

In this Sunday's text, Elijah appears suddenly on the scene as the "troubler" of King Ahab and his queen Jezebel. We will be considering the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, but no one should miss out on the other stories of Elijah. You can read them in 1 Kings 17-21 and then 2 Kings 1-2. They are amazing! If you've ever wondered where the phrases "fire from heaven" - "a still small voice" - and "swing low sweet chariot" come from, you'll find them in the stories of Elijah.

Yet this Sunday offers another amazing figure. We know her only as the widow of Zarephath. She is a foreigner living in Phoenicia, Jezebel's home territory. She as the unexpected honor of hosting Elijah as he waits out the drought sent by God as judgment on Ahab, who slipped up by building a temple to his wife's god Baal in his capital city of Samaria.

As we contemplated this text together, the Wednesday night Adult Study Group at Seneca Pres was amazed by the faith of the widow. She exists on the edge of starvation and death. She is approached by a total stranger who asks for her last bit of food. Yet when the stranger tells her "Be not afraid," she trusts him.

This week, we will also celebrate All Saints Sunday at Seneca Pres. We will remember saints in our church family whom we have lost in this past year. We will give thanks to God for them and seek to remember other saints in our lives.

As you prepare to worship God, I invite you to contemplate:

• When have you lived on the edge of starvation and death - whatever that means to you? 
• Where has God entered your life unexpectedly?
• What saint offered the gift of life to you?