\u201cAsk what I should give you.\u201d The Lord comes to Solomon in genie-like fashion soon after he has taken over David\u2019s throne. I remember preparing myself for versions of this scenario as a kid: what if God (or someone else) came to me and told me I could have anything I wanted? What would I choose? There was a time when what I most wanted was a life-size talking family dollhouse; a few years later, I wanted a baby sister, then a dog. Solomon was more sophisticated than I was as a child; he asks God for an understanding mind. God is so pleased with Solomon\u2019s request that God grants not only an understanding mind, but riches and honor to go with it. God is not likely to come to us in the middle of the night with an offer to grant wishes, but God\u2019s invitation to Solomon is available to us, too: \u201cAsk what I should give you.\u201d We, like Solomon, can imagine our own hearts and minds transformed by the wisdom and grace of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The final verse of Psalm 111 has always struck me: \u201cThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding.\u201d Until now, the psalmist has focused wholly on singing God\u2019s praises and marveling at God\u2019s amazing works. At the very end, the psalmist turns his attention to the reader, offering the directive to \u201cfear the Lord\u201d in order to gain wisdom and understanding. It can be hard to connect to instructions like this; what does it really mean to \u201cfear\u201d God anyway? When some read \u201cfear,\u201d they hear awe and wonder, but for many, this language is confusing and distracting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus\u2019 followers were familiar with accusations of drunkenness and debauchery. On Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit filled the hearts and mouths of the multitudes so that everyone speaking different languages and dialects could understand one another, skeptical onlookers accused the disciples of being \u201cfilled with new wine.\u201d In this letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul warns against excessive drinking, but he offers an exciting alternative: be filled with the Spirit, instead. Both passages suggest that to be filled with the Spirit of God can look as rowdy and slap-happy as being drunk. In our churches and faith lives today, it is hard to imagine an outsider confusing our worship with a lively bar scene, but we can seek ways to be filled with the joy of the Spirit that is invigorating and refreshing. Saint Paul identifies music and communal singing as a healthy way to express love and gratitude to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John 6:51-58<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some version of the term \u201ceat my flesh\u201d occurs half a dozen times in this short passage from the Gospel of John. This is one of those passages that makes me cringe, not because there is anything wrong with it\u2014I believe whole-heartedly in the beauty and life-giving power of the Eucharist\u2014but because it just doesn\u2019t make sense to non-Christians, or even to many Christians, for that matter. In a world where what it means to be a Christian seems increasingly fragile and complex, I find myself looking for ways to make Christianity more accessible to those who may struggle with how it is portrayed in the news or pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, the warning \u201cunless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you\u201d is not very accessible. In fact, this is the kind of passage that caused skeptics to accuse the early church of cannibalism. But if we can get beyond the living-dead-like tone of this passage, we encounter something unique and challenging about Christian faith: following Jesus is meant to be a visceral, embodied experience. There is something vitally important about taking on the person of Christ physically, in our bodies, through the most simple, everyday practices of eating and drinking. This may not be the best Gospel reading for a newcomer, but the invitation to experience new life through the power of Christ\u2019s body and blood is something we can all chew on (with apologies for the pun!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 \u201cAsk what I should give you.\u201d The Lord comes to Solomon in genie-like fashion soon after he has taken over David\u2019s throne. 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