Abel, the Blood Brother: Do the Right Thing

During our visit in New Mexico last week, I was struck by the views of beautiful mountains and vast open spaces. 

a view from the tram station on sandia mountain (msg)

Then as we rode the train across the desert, it occurred to me that many of those open spaces were dedicated to raising livestock.  I began to imagine the cycle of life that the ranch animals experienced – cattle and sheep born and raised in the open space would eventually be herded into the smallest opening to be exchanged for the money that all their body parts are said to be worth.

concept of sheep on a ranch (gemini.google.com)

This year we will consider the stories of people mentioned in Hebrews 11. This chapter of the Bible is widely referred to as the faith chapter and the faith hall of fame. The first two verses read: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

The first “ancient” mentioned in the chapter is “Abel.” Abel was the son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:2). He was the younger brother of Cain, who is the first child of Adam and Eve introduced in the Genesis record (Genesis 4:1). Eventually, Abel was murdered by his brother Cain. (See the full story in Genesis 4).

It is unclear to me exactly why Cain chose to kill his brother. Cain brought the vegetables. Perhaps he thought that he had taken the moral high ground by presenting an all organic, plant-based, vegan offering? Perhaps he was surprised – and angry – to be told that God does not accept people based on their vegan lifestyle? Perhaps he thought that he should always be in good because he was the oldest brother? Whatever the reason or lack thereof for his action, the end result was killing his brother.

Which brings us to his brother. Abel brought the meat. He brought the blood. He brought what had been born and raised for this very moment – not unlike the livestock in the New Mexican desert – but not for money. Abel’s livestock were raised for blood. And the blood was and is the larger point. The blood was the right thing to bring.

concept of Abel with an offering (gemini.google.com)

With the understanding that the blood was the right thing! We might be tempted to look superficially at the circumstances and say that doing the right thing was what got Abel killed…and who wants to get killed…so let’s avoid getting killed by less attention or no attention to doing the right thing…

Alternatively, we could examine the matter more deeply and find that bringing the blood, i.e. doing the right thing, is exactly what God is looking for in our decision making. Abel probably knew this from Day One. Surely, his parents told him (and Cain) the story about the serpent…how they (Adam and Eve) had been duped by the serpent…how they had gone from being unashamedly clothed in light to having to shed blood to cover their shamefully naked bodies…how the childbearing would be a bloody business…how that childbearing would ultimately result in their lives being saved by the shedding of much blood – i.e. their Son’s (Jesus) heel would be bruised but the serpent’s (Satan) head would be crushed

Abel knew that bringing the blood was the right thing. Even his death, however unfortunate, still testifies to the rightness of doing right:

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground (Genesis 4:10).

And the writer of Hebrews confirms this rightness:

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead (Hebrews 11:4).

What all of this means for us is that Abel is a type (a prefigure) of Jesus Christ, who is our blood Brother. Jesus was born and raised for an offering of His own blood. It was His right thing to do. It was His only thing to do in order for us to be saved (Hebrews 9:22). As such, we learn from the experience of Abel that Jesus offering, His sacrifice, cries out to God on our behalf. 

It is only for us to exercise the faith that God gives us – not faith that we somehow have to manufacture ourselves because faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8) – and that exercise of faith is our act of bringing the blood. In other words, we claim the blood of Jesus as our salvation. That is the act of doing the right thing.

On Calling and Getting the Call

On Calling

Of all the conversations I have had with young people over the years about career options, one option has never been discussed: tax collector. In over 30 years of working with my own children and students at every level of schooling, not once has someone approached me with the question: “What do I need to do to be a tax collector?” Nor have I ever asked a student, “Have you considered working for the IRS?”

Don’t get me wrong, I am not hating on tax collectors! I am sure there are many persons of integrity and upstanding character who make a decent living working with the tax agency. However, it just does not seem to come to mind when thinking about one’s calling. Who wants to be called to do the tax collector thing?!

With that in mind, I wonder how Matthew ended up working as a tax collector. What’s more I wonder how Jesus ended up picking Matthew out of all the tax collectors to be in the starting line up for the Kingdom of God team. What’s more, everyone around Jesus seemed to be surprised that He not only picked him for the team but also was chilling at Matthew’s crib…

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  (Matthew 9:10-11).

The disciples were actually kind of caught out there…I can imagine some of them being like: “Hmm, never thought of it like that…tax collectors…sinners…what in the world is Jesus thinking…glad it’s not me…all I ever did was catch fish…i don’t mean no disrespect…I’m just saying…” And while they were trying to justify themselves, Jesus jumped in.

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13).

Getting the Call

So Jesus set up a kind of paradox with that last bit about “…I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Most folks think you have to be righteous to be eligible for the Kingdom Team. But Jesus says just the opposite…it’s sinners who get the call. Some people may have gotten the call and thought it was because they were righteous. Once again, Jesus says…it’s sinners who get the call. This last group – the think-they-got-the-call-because-they-are-righteous folk – that’s probably who Jesus was referring to when He said, “Many are called but few are chosen.” They are the many, not the few.

My last thought is this: I got the call. What does that say about me? Have you gotten the call? (I already know the answer.) What does that say about you? Here’s what I know – It says that you are greatly loved. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8).

<3

Pastrami Sandwich, Anyone?

From John 4

The Set Up

Jesus posted up by Jacob’s Well for the better part of an afternoon…with a woman…not exactly rappin`…more like doing therapy…

The woman listens for a while, speaks and, in a manner of speaking, tries to excuse herself…as Jesus words reach her ears she hears the chorus to “Killing Me Softly”…

The convo continues…sister lady tries to flip the script on Jesus…she name drops…”Messiah”…to Jesus…she says, “Mister, you pretty smart but Messiah…His game is next level…”

Jesus: “Yup! That’s me!”

The woman [with a bug-eyed look] sets her water bottle down, and says, “I’ll be right back…”

As she turns to leave, Jesus’ homies come thru with sandwiches from Samari’s deli up the street from Jacobs Well…surprised that Jesus is talking to a woman…but they don’t say nothing…clearly, it is Jesus’ business to talk to whoever he wants to talk to…

The Punchline

As the homies pull up on whatever rock they can find and greedily tear the sandwich wrapping paper, they start to greasin’ as only the homies can [mayo and hot sauce dripping, lips smacking, fingers licking]…one homie reaches out to hand Jesus a pastrami sandwich…

Homie: “Rabbi, eat something…”

Jesus: “I have food to eat that you know nothing about!”

Homies [kinda side-eye]: “Who brought Him food before?”

Jesus: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.”

A Thought
There are two indictments in this story that I pray we avoid: 1. It is possible – as was the case with the woman – to hear Jesus speaking and not know who He is. Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice.” May we know the voice of Jesus and respond positively to his invitations. 2. It is possible to know Jesus voice but not recognize that His call – the actions that we should make in life – that those actions are food for life. More important that our daily bread, doing the will of God is all that matters. May we know God’s will and do God’s will. Be not only hearers of the Word but doers also. (James 1:22-25).

Wade In the Water

Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water
God’s gonna trouble the water

This is a song that I grew up with. I do not know when or where I first heard the song – I suppose it was sometime in the 1960s at Emmanuel Temple in Buffalo, New York. That being what it might be, it seems like I have always known the song…all my life.

I feel like this song is one of the songs that links me – us – most closely to our ancestors. I know they sang this song. I know they moaned on the melody. I know they cried and called out their best wishes in the verses. I am sure they had this hope burning in their hearts – 

God’s gonna trouble the water

It is one of those call and response songs with what I think are called, “wandering couplets,” (or is it a “wandering quatrain – perhaps our resident poet could enlighten us on that point) that are sung as both verse and coded message in many contexts across our culture.

I look over Jordan and what did I see
God’s gonna trouble the water
A band of angels coming after me
God’s gonna trouble the water

You can hear the ancestors’ voices in Pops Staple. Now an ancestor, himself, he was a 20th Century bridge between us and all the Old Folks. His moanin’. His guitar. His humble, yet sure stance. Pops embodied the message and gave the message, as the Christ would have it given, along with his children to the world –

By and by
You will be healed
Just wait
God’s gonna trouble the water

I imagine that somewhere, somehow this song comes from the account of John of healing at the pool

Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

This is God’s prayer-song-message for you today, for this Sabbath. From me. From Pops. From Emmanuel Temple. From the Old Folks. From John. From Jesus. Just wait. Wade. Wade in the water. You will be healed. God’s gonna trouble the water.

The Best Is Yet to Come

In my YouTube journey today, I stumbled on this recording from when we moved to Michigan in 2019. The first thing that I remember about this is not the music – in fact, I had not remembered this music at all. The first thing I remember is the album artwork. The background of the artwork is an acrylic painting on a small 4” x 4” canvas. The painting was made at Washington Park beach in Michigan City, Indiana. 

I remember being on the beach on a sunny, warm, and windy April day, looking at people walking on the lighthouse pier.

I remember looking out on the vast blue sea that is Lake Michigan, thinking about the ongoing search for a house to call home.

I remember thinking that this lake is my home; that is why I am here, painting my impasto feeling that I have finally arrived in the place that I need to be and at the same time wondering, ‘what am I doing here?’

Five years later, I know what I am doing here. I am doing what needs to be done for you. I am working the work, painting the pictures, making the music that God gives me to give to you. To you to navigate the vast blue sea life that is your home away from home on the way home to that home where you live on and on and on.

The best is yet to come!

While you are here…

be patient with yourself
be patient with people
“endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

If God had not been faithful
We would not be
It is only by the grace and mercy of God that we are here
Cling to God
He will “never leave you or forsake you.”

The best is yet to come!

Do what you do…
As the old people used to say, “Keep on living…”

Work
Wonder
Write
Paint
Draw
Love
Laugh
Learn
Cry
Pray
Teach
Design
Sail
Photograph
Text
Study
Lead
Follow

God will never leave you or forsake you
Trust Him who gave His life and took it up again and ascended into Heaven and will return to bring you home.

The best is yet to come!

Blossom and Rejoice

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.

–Isaiah 35:-13

From the Rising of the Sun

Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised

Psalm 113:2-3

More Than Anything

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

–Matthew 13:45-46

My Life Is In Your Hands

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

–John 3:16-17