Monday, December 21, 2009

Advent - When God is not with us.

Elizabeth was barren. At least somewhat wealthy, respected, and mature, Elizabeth had most of the things for which we tend to strive. But, she was missing the one thing that mattered most to her. She was unable to have a child, and everyone knew it. You have to imagine that she sat and wondered why. I haven't done anything wrong, why is God doing this or why did/does God allow this to happen? Why me? Why can't I have a child? Is there any meaning in this? Why is God so absent in this one place in my life?

Advent is the time where we prepare for the presence of God among us.

Most of the year we put forth the effort to see that God is with us everywhere, all the time, trying to see God in every moment no matter what may be going on. Advent is interesting because if it is a time where we are preparing for God to enter our world, then that means that it is the one time where we intentionally don't recognize God's presence here and now. In some ways Advent is where we experience God's absence. It's the one place where God isn't because God hasn't entered yet, we're preparing for that.
But the simple fact of the matter is that this absence is what we struggle with all year long. In the loss of a job, lack of direction, horrible breakup, tragic events, and terrifying diagnosis we sit and wonder, "Where is God in this?" At Advent we get the opportunity to be honest, to leave the toxic habit of trying to pretend we have a faith we don't have, and to recognize that there are places in our lives where God doesn't seem to be at work.

But, we also get the opportunity to hope.

Liz's husband was a priest. Zacheriah's rotation finally came and he got his once in a lifetime opportunity to serve in the temple, to go in and burn incense. An angel appears to Zach, tells him he is going to have a son, and when he emerges he is unable to speak. Everyone begins to wonder what is going on. Then, Liz becomes pregnant and has a baby boy. At the naming "ceremony," if that's what you would call it (there's a little procedure invovled), Zach suddenly becomes able to speak and everyone wonders what is going to become of this child?

Advent is the time where we prepare for God's presence among us, especially in those places where God seems most absent. Usually we spend the Advent season hanging lights, eating foods, rushing here and there, shopping for a bunch of stuff to give a bunch of people because we're supposed to. And if you hear a message during that season it's about Jesus being the real meaning of the season and how we can miss God during this time if we go too fast. But, if this is Advent, if we're preparing for God to be among us, then that means God's not with us here and now.

So maybe we have it all right even when we have it all wrong.

Maybe part of the point is to miss God here and now, to realize what it is like when you are spreading yourself too thin, when you are accruing debt up to your eyeballs, when you're not living into the ways of God. Maybe part of what we should do during this time is expose ourselves to the suffering of the world and to see what it is like when God is not among us because we're not allowing Him to be in some way, shape, or form personally or globally. Maybe the point is to sit in the places where God is absent and to recognize that God is preparing to come among us in those places where He seems to be the most absent, which should fill us with great hope. Maybe instead of Christmas marking the end of a celebratory season, maybe it should be just the beginning, because at Christmas God is with us, God is among us. Maybe Christmas should be where the party begins. If we were to do that, to celebrate the light that has come into the world after wandering in darkness, what we might just find is that God had been with us all along, especially in the places He has seemed most absent. Maybe it's only when we've experienced God's absence that we can appreciate God's presence among us. And maybe, just maybe in this time where we miss the reason for the season we will realize that there is a better way to live and live into that until the next Advent comes around. Perhaps that's why in the liturgical year Advent marks the beginning, because God is always moving us from darkness to light. God is always moving us forward. So we begin with God's absence and move to God's presence.

And we celebrate.

In the scriptures, intermingled with this story line of Zach and Liz, is another story of a young girl who also sees and angel that tells her that she too is going to give birth to a son. She responds that there is a certain type of interaction that has to take place for that to happen, to which the angel says, not this time. Then the angel does something interesting, he tells her that a sign that this is going to take place is that her cousin Elizabeth who was barren is having a child. If Elizabeth had not been barren, this would not really be a sign. So in the place where God seemed most absent God was actually most present. Her pain had a point, there was meaning in her tragedy.

It was all a part of something bigger than she had ever imagined.

So, may you miss the reason for the season, and honestly examine all the places where God appears to be absent. May you have a great hope that God is about to be birthed into those places. May you have a Merry Christmas, experiencing God like never before. May you see that somehow God was present even where he seemed most absent. May you pain take on meaning, and may you realize that you are a part of something much bigger than you ever imagined.

And that morning may the party begin.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Depths

I recently went to a training event. To be honest I was kind of dreading it. A strange place with no friends, and sessions that began at 8:00 and went to 5:00. I expected too much information, dryly presented, and coming back to the room afterwards exhausted and lonely. What I found was exactly the opposite. The presentations engaging, the dynamics such that I made friends. By the end of each day I was energized and would go out with new friends to share conversation and meals. But, the most surprising and impactful thing were the presenters. They were so committed to what they were doing. For them it was a calling that they had sacrificed for. They continued to improve as opposed to moving on to something else. They continued to care and work out of a place in the deepest depths of their being. What I found was that they had something I was missing.

I want that. I want to live out of that place, to have that fire in the belly. To live and move and have my being out of the deepest depths of who I am. I think most of us would like that, and yet I think most of us fail to do so. As I’ve sat with these thoughts many things have flashed through my mind. The first being, I wonder if there is that kind of depth to me. Most of what I live out of is so shallow and superficial, and I never even noticed it until I saw what I was missing in someone else. And, I don’t know how to manufacture it. You don’t just create a true depths of the being calling. You can’t suddenly add depths of layers to who you are. Then I began to realize that the deep penetrating things within me are the things I spend the most time trying to avoid. Or, I try to indirectly chip away at them through the shallow things. But, if you can keep it shallow enough, then you’re never really vulnerable. But, you also never truly live out of that place because you’re out of touch with it. I began to wonder why that is. I mean, I know part of it is that in going to the depths of your being is uncomfortable, you have to step into your deepest pains, your deepest disappointments, and your deepest fears.

The problem is, I don’t think we know how to do that. We live in a culture inundated by the superficial. We’re bombarded by advertisements and constantly told to solve deep problems with quick fixes - food, clothing, shopping, stuff, self-help, television, movies, entertainment, etc. And by and large the church doesn’t help. We’re so concerned about crappy things that don’t matter like cussing (the mere fact that I didn't use an expletive there says a lot). How can you get in touch with your deepest pain when you’re not allowed to convey it in a way that has the raw reality of what’s truly going on inside of you? When you’re not allowed to be dysfunctional enough to act out against your deepest pains. Instead we tell people to give whatever our problem is to God. Which can be a good thing when done well, when we’ve done the hard work of wrestling with it and with God about it, finally coming to a place where we can really let go of it. But, it can also be more avoidance, another way to deny what’s really going on inside of you. So, we dress up, put on our smiles, and give all of our problems to God or so we think. What we actually do is lay them down at the alter, then secretly leave the back door to the deepest part of our soul open for them to crawl back in without us even realizing. We secretly carry them around, avoiding the fact that they’re there because supposedly we gave them to God. And we go on, with our shallow and superficial lives wondering why we haven’t found that calling that enables us to live out of the depths of our being.

I think this is also the story of Jacob. Finally he confronts his biggest mistakes and deepest fears, and as he does so he wrestles with God and with man (himself). On the other side he finds a new identity and becomes a patriarch of the faith. Maybe living out of these depths is what Mother Teresa meant when she said you can do no great things, only small things with great love. But, small things done with great love change the world. My hope and prayer is to do this hard work and get in touch with the deepest parts of me. To find the fire in my belly, and fan the flames to where I hear the clear specific call of God on my life just as I have seen experienced in others. May that also be my prayer for you.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Lent = Long


First an update. Things are going well. I have been working at a local community outreach organization. It really feels like something special that God is involved in, so I'm excited about that. I'm loving getting to know the community better. It's needs, who's doing what to fulfill those needs, what needs that leaves unfilled, etc. I'm loving the schedule of keeping the kids a day, working a day. I'm getting to work with some old friends and I'm getting to make some new ones, so I'm really enjoying it. Last weekend a friend came to visit, and we went to visit another friend who has moved into the general area. He's leading worship and really thriving, so visiting him and getting to experience what he's doing first hand was a really amazing experience. So, things are well.

Over the last several weeks I've been asked to do some teaching on lent. I've heard people claim disappointment in missing it, so I thought I would share some of those thoughts in an abbreviated form (although sorry, it's still going to be quite long). While I realize that they may have simply been being cordial, it does seem to be an itch that people I have been in contact with want scratched, so here we go.

Christianity began as a movement. Like most any movement that exists for a while it begins to become institutionalized in some way, shape, or form. But, even before that happens it begins to develop practices. The Christian tradition inherited practices from Judaism from which it emerged - things like prayer, fasting, study of scripture, tithing, worship, etc. One of the practices it inherited/developed was the arranging of time in such a way to keep us grounded in the things that really matter, the things of God, because if we're not careful we can easily let ourselves become too busy to live in an awareness of the things that matter most. For the Jewish people this was done through seasonal festivals (think passover), prayers (think temple prayer times), and fasting. The first Christians (who were Jewish) lived in these rhythms, and through faith in Jesus, they began to develop them to take on new meaning in coordination with their new faith. It's a sort of way of going beyond simply reading the scriptures and living into them. So, around this idea has developed the idea of the liturgical year. In more traditional denominations you'll notice a change of colors in the worship space as the year progresses, they are symbols of the season in which we find ourselves. This year begins with Advent, the time before Christmas, where we prepare for the coming of Christ. This leads into Epiphany, the season of light. Then comes Lent.

The word comes from the Latin for long. Generally it is the forty days leading up to Easter. Different denominations celebrate lent differently. Some simply go the forty days leading up to Easter while others do forty days not including Sundays leading up to Easter (because Sundays are considered little Easter's because it is the day on which Jesus arose). This is a time of contemplation and reflection. It is a time of preparation and repentance, where we wrestle with the dark things deep inside of ourselves - fears, sins, anxieties, addictions, etc. - and prepare for the time of crucifixion and resurrection. It begins with Ash Wednesday and is also a time of our wrestling with our own mortality. A common practice during this time is that of fasting and/or abstaining. The hope is that through giving up something we find a greater understanding of ourself as well as a fresh relationship with God. Some people go all out and actually fast (do not eat) for this period, while others give up something they enjoy (television, chocolate, meat, etc). Hopefully, through giving up something you depend upon you discover a greater reliance upon God to provide as well as a deeper trust that God will do so. It is an identification with various stories in the scriptures where people fasted for forty days. Moses did this on Mount Sinai before receiving the ten commandments, Elijah did this when fleeing from Jezebel prior to hearing the "still small voice", and upon Jesus' baptism he is led into the wilderness to be tempted. It is this story that becomes the central framing text for what the season of lent is about. And it really all revolves around one question, "Can God be trusted?"

Feel free to look the story up (Matthew 4), but for the sake of space I'm going to paraphrase. Jesus goes into the wilderness and fasts for forty days, and quite obviously he is hungry. It is in this moment that Satan appears tempting him to turn stones into bread. And he opens this temptation up with some form of if you are the Son of God, then you could. Now there are three temptations that take place - turning stones to bread, throwing himself off the temple, and bowing down to satan - however underneath the surface there are really all kinds of temptations happening here (as most of our temptations are a mix of a lot of different things). One of the things going on here is the temptation for Jesus to prove himself - to himself, to those in whom proving himself would most advance his cause/purpose/calling/career, and to the world. First he could be wanting to prove himself to himself. In the scriptures he has not yet done any miracles. Here is a private environment where he could test out his powers (how embarrassing to get in public and the miracles not be working). Remember when he was baptized there was a voice from heaven declaring his identity, but will he trust it? Second, if he jumps from the temple, it will prove to the religious establishment who he is, thus making his job much easier. And third, he could prove to the world who he is, thus fulfilling the every knee, every tongue thing. Now, I think we can all relate to this in that we all want to prove ourselves and believe that in doing so we will find self worth. But, there's also much more going on here.

In response to every temptation Jesus quotes the book of Deuteronomy. This is Moses' final farewell address to the Hebrew people before he dies and they enter the promised land. Each one of these quotes is a reference to a way in which the Hebrew people failed while wandering in the wilderness for forty (there's that number again) years. Jesus' response to the temptation of turning stones into bread is a reference to God's giving the Hebrew people manna from heaven. His response to the temple temptation is a reference to the event of the water from the rock at Massah and Miribah. And, his response to bowing to Satan is possibly a reference to both the golden calf incident and/or the turning to other Gods once in the promised land. So, there is this sense that Jesus, if he overcomes these temptations, is succeeding where his ancestors did not. But wait, there's more.

Some people claim that all of our temptations fall into one of the categories that each of these temptations create. And they all revolve around the question, can God be trusted. The first question is, "Can God be trusted to provide for my needs?" I feel like this is an extremely relevant question in this day and age, with unemployment and the economy the way they are. Jesus has been in the wilderness (most likely desert) for forty days. He's hungry. And up till now, God has not provided. Will he now take matters into his own hands, or will he continue to trust that God will provide? I imagine thoughts going through his head like, "if God really loved me He wouldn't put me in this situation," or, "if God were going to provide it would have happened by now." But, Jesus sees through the lie, and sees that it is in God that we find life.
The Second temptation is that of presuming upon God. Usually when we do this we use phrases like, "God always," or, "God would never." It the think fast situation where someone throws something valuable and makes you catch it. It's the tail wagging the dog. It's the kid that prays for the grade when he hasn't studied, but puts God on the spot in his prayer talking about how he would be a bad witness if he got a bad grade. It's that question of can God be trusted or do I have to force/trick/manipulate God into doing what I want so that things turn out o.k.? Again, Jesus does not fall for the lie. God will not be manipulated, and we are not to put God to the test.
The third temptation is to go about the right thing by the wrong means. Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and says that he will give Jesus all authority if Jesus will only bow down to him. Now, the book of Matthew ends with Jesus' great commission. But, the great commission begins with Jesus saying, "all authority on heaven and earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28) So, Satan is offering to give Jesus the thing for which he came and to get it more quickly and easily. It's the temptation of the shortcut, to achieve the thing to which God called you, but to go about it the wrong way. The question is, "Can God be trusted to carry out what God has called me to do?" It reminds me of when David spared Saul's life in the cave despite the fact that the circumstances seemed to indicate that God had given Saul over to David to be killed. But, David knows that God commands against killing the anointed king. The simple fact of the matter is that when we go about achieving the purposes of God, but don't go about doing so by God's ways we put the calling above the one who called us. It is a form of worshiping something other than God. And Jesus sees through that lie as well and responds with worship and serve only God.

And so that is the point of Lent. To identify with the temptations of Jesus, to wrestle with our own mortality and the things that lie within us. To go through a process of self-examination where we wrestle with all the ways we are tempted to put our trust in our own ways of taking our lives in our own hands, providing for ourselves, advancing our careers, and fulfilling our callings. It's a time where we prepare for a kind of death as we get ready to examine the cross, and we make ourselves ready to embrace a new life that comes with the death of self as we celebrate the resurrection.
For more information on a brief history of the church and how it has developed I would recommend Phyllis Tickle's The Great Emergence, and for more on fasting I would recommend Scott McKnight's book in the ancient practices series aptly titled Fasting.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Disney and Disciplines



Well, last weekend Katie's parents took us to Disney World. It was a lot of fun, especially watching Cari as she's now beginning to get to being old enough to kind of get it. She loves the Dumbo ride, the Teacups, and Small World. But, we all had a great (exhausting) time. Cari not only got to ride her favorite rides, but also met Bolt, Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle. So, all in all fun weekend. Also, it looks like I'm going to have the opportunity to work at the Circle of Care doing some different teachings. It will only be part time, but I'm enjoying getting my feet wet and looking forward to what lies ahead. And, now, on to the other stuff.

First a quick word about a book I recently read. The Blue Parakeet by Scott McKnight is a book about how we read and live out the bible. I had heard the name, but never read anything by McKnight. Much of it was review for me, but it is so well written that it was a joy to read. It is a fast read, he has some incredible insights about tendencies in reading the bible and the best way to go about reading the scriptures. It's the type of book that anyone who asks me how the bible should be read I would recommend this book. Fantastic!

Second, since I'm not having to concern myself with church duties, I'm enjoying some of the thinking I'm getting to do without being consumed with that stuff. Some of this revolves around churches, how they function or dysfunction, what it could be, etc. One of the things that I've been exploring is spiritual formation. Much of "church" revolves around institutional support - paying bills, receiving tithes, etc. Much of this relies upon keeping people coming or getting new people to attend. Without having to spend time on church techniques, I find myself getting to explore more the realm of spiritual development and formation. I'm fascinated with the last several years of information intake that I've been doing. Constantly having a message looming upon the horizon gave me a sense of a need to constantly be bringing in new information to share. Now I look back and wonder how much of the information has really sat with me, stuck and brought change. I see that I am quite different than I was when we last lived here. Some of that is due to experiences, some is due to things I've learned. Some of the ways I've changed I think are good, others may not be. I'm enjoying the opportunity to let insights and information marinate as I shared before. I'm enjoying sitting with concepts, ideas, and passages, and as opposed to moving on letting them take root within and hopefully bring transformation and growth that would not otherwise occur. But, I'm also becoming fascinated, and have been for a little while, with spiritual disciplines. I believe that these help shape and form us, and for the most part, since these things being done on a personal level don't really help further institutional needs, they get hijacked for the church or ignored. There is a group who is putting out a series of books on spiritual disciplines called The Ancient Practices Series. I believe Phyllis Tickle is the mastermind behind it all. Brian McLaren wrote the first one which was an introduction that I read I believe last summer. I'm now reading one of fasting which was also written by Scot Mcknight. It's very insightful. He does a great job of looking at cultural and sociological dysfunctions that have led to misunderstandings and misuses in fasting. I'm thoroughly enjoying the book. I'm really hoping during this time to move from a place of knowing a lot of stuff about God to once again really connecting with God, knowing God personally on deeper levels. My hope is that letting some things marinate, and engaging in some spiritual disciplines will aid in that endeavor.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Snow, Vineyards, and Stones (oh my)




Believe it or not, it actually snowed!! Yes, in Alabama. It happens on occasion, but most of the time they threaten snow, then nothing happens. Even when something does happen it's not enough to actually stick, or it's only a light dusting that only lasts till the sun rises. But not this one, oh no. This amazing miraculous phenomenon occurred mid day in broad daylight. Two days before it was sunny and 70 degrees. The day before it was warm and rainy. Snow began in the morning, but was chased by rain midmorning removing any accumulation on random things like trampolines. We thought it was over, all hope was lost, but then as we ate lunch it began again. Only this time it snowed harder, and the temperature continued to get colder. Over the course of about an hour and a half we watched a couple inches of the beautiful white stuff accumulate not just on trampoline mats and plastic chairs, oh no, actually on the ground. And it was the good snow. You know the stuff, the kind that is perfect for packing into snowballs or rolling for snowmen. It was quite unbelievable. Now it's the following weekend and once again in the 70's. Alabama global warming weather, you just gotta love it. You never know what to expect. It had been ten years ago we would have blamed it on El Nino. Now, on to thoughts.

I recently finished a book by Brad Young - Jesus the Jewish Theologian. It's an interesting book that looks at Jesus through the lens of the jewish theology of his day. This type of work should have been going on for millennia, but with Christianity's distancing of itself from Judaism long ago we have robbed ourselves of this type of work. It brings new layers of depth and insight into the life and teachings of Jesus. I have been fascinated with this type of perspective for quite a while, and I had already read one of Brad Young's book on Jesus' Parables. So, some of this book was repetition and reinforcement. But, I did want to share an insight from one of his chapters.

In one chapter he discusses the parable of The Tenant Farmers, which he says should be called the parable of The Only Son. You may be familiar with the story. There are these tenant farmers who are working for an absentee landlord (a common practice of the day). When it's time the landlord sends servants to collect his portion, but the farmers beat them up. Then the landlord decides to send his only son, thinking surely they'll respect him. They see it's the only son, who would be heir to the property and think, we'll kill him, then when the landlord dies we'll get the property to ourselves. Then Jesus finishes the parable with a statement about the stone the builders rejected being the cornerstone and how it will smash anyone it falls upon and anyone who falls on it will shatter. Now, I've always understood this parable as having something to do with a rejection of the religious leaders of Jesus' day, but that was because of the focus (on the tenant farmers and the property). And, quite honestly I never really got the whole thing about the cornerstone, just that it somehow represented Jesus who is the foundation or cornerstone of our faith. But, Brad Young puts it into a context.

First, Jesus is moving toward his crucifixion. Second, there is a context to the parable. First Jesus is quoting Psalm 118 (the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The rabbis believed this referred to King David who was rejected by his father Jesse as well as Samuel at first, but then went on to become King and cornerstone of the kingdom. Then, there was also actually already a parable that the rabbis told about a stone and pots. How if a stone falls on a pot it will break the pot, but if a pot falls on the stone it will also break the pot. This parable was about the Hebrew people, saying that no matter what happened to them they would continue to survive regardless of attack.

So, Jesus tells this parable about the only son, who is killed. But, then he attaches these sayings about being rejected and yet surviving. Jesus in this parable may actually be referring to himself, the only son, the cornerstone (reference to himself as son of David) who would be rejected, referring to his crucifixion (the only son is killed), and referring to his resurrection, because despite being killed he will still survive (no matter what happens to him he will survive - the stone falling on and smashing and things falling on it being shattered.) I found that insightful and quite brilliant. So I thought I would share. But, Zoe's crying so I'll try to edit and make it a little more coherent later.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Marination

First an update. Mom came down this weekend, so we got to spend some time with her which was nice. We used the opportunity to visit Church of the Highlands in Auburn which was good. Now I sit with a sick little girl. Cari has not felt well and has been running a fever, but beyond that there are no real symptoms. So we're treating her with a little tylenol and lots of fluids and love. Now on to thoughts.

I love to learn. I think I'm addicted to information. We live in an information age, where you can find out anything you want to know by simply going online. Just Google It. That should be their new slogan, but it would probably infringe on Nike copyrights. Anyway, I love to hear messages from people where some sort of new insight is going to be brought. I'm always wanting to learn something new. I'm constantly on the lookout either in a message, a book, or wherever I can find it. But, it raises a question. How much really absorbs and becomes transformative when you encounter so much?

I feel like I get a lot of information that only goes surface deep. We need to find ways to sit with insights and let them penetrate a little deeper. It's kind of like a good steak. You can put the marinade on there, but if it doesn't have time to sit it doesn't really penetrate and fill the entire steak with the flavor. A little marinating makes all the difference, so it is with good insights. If we move on from them too quickly they don't stick with us, flavor our lives, and transform us. Which brings me back to the parable of the Good Samaritan.

I don't know why, but the parable of the Good Samaritan has really been sticking with me, kind of marinating. Rob Bell spoke on it I guess about a year or so ago, and when I shared about this parable recently many of the insights came from him. Then it was a central text at the COH service we went to, and a phrase really began to stick out to me, "when he saw him". The text tells us that the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan saw the man. All of them saw him, and yet the Samaritan saw something different, he saw him with different eyes. And it raises the question, "what do you see?" Hurt people hurt people. When someone is hurting, when someone hurts you, when you're cut off in traffic, when someone annoys or offends you, what do you see? Do you see someone who is hurting and needs compassion, or do you simply see a jerk that you want to attack back at?

I think the Priest and Levite saw the threat of becoming unclean or a hindrance that would make them run late in their busy schedule, whereas the Samaritan saw a person who was hurting and in need. I read a while back that when we objectify others it actually makes us less human, less of what God intended when He created us. Likewise, when we see other people as human we become more human, we become more like what God intended when He created us. The eyes you see with makes all the difference. We tend to think that the more information we're exposed to the more clearly we'll see, but it is kind of the dilemma between knowledge and understanding. We can know all sorts of things about God and yet not have an actual relationship with God, not actually love God.

The difference, that moves us from where we are to where we need to be may lie in changing our eyes, and changing our eyes might just lie not in acquiring more knowledge, but in letting the information we have marinate, sink deep into our hearts and transform us from the inside out. Maybe it begins with simple questions like, "what do you see?"

Sunday, February 15, 2009

A Theology of Doing




So, there’s this guy. He’s an expert in the scriptures, and he wants to test Jesus, so he asks, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Now, first there is the issue of the question of whether there’s anything we can actually do to be able to inherit eternal life, but that’s not the real problem with the question here. What this guy is wanting to do is debate theology, but that’s not the way he frames the question. He doesn’t ask what the scriptures teach on inheriting eternal life, he asks what must I do.

Jesus, knows his intent, and as a good rabbi answers his question with a question, “What is written in the Law?” “How do you read it?” Jesus brings the question back to this guy in the form that the guy actually intended to begin with. Jesus doesn’t come back with what do the scriptures say you must do or what do you think you must do, but what is written in the Law, how do you read it? Jesus makes it a theological question.

The guy answers, “Love the Lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Maybe this was his own take, or maybe he had heard Jesus say this before. Maybe for him this is part of his setup. In whatever case, he knows the right answer, he gets the theology question right.

Jesus responds, “You have answered correctly,” “Do this and you will live.” Did you notice that, Jesus then brings the conversation back around from the theoretical to the practical, from what do you think, to what must I do, which was the original question by this guy to begin with.

Now, one of two things could be going on here. Or, I actually think both are taking place. It could be that he’s got Jesus right where he wants him; here comes the test. But, I think more is actually going on. This guy has the right answers. He’s an expert in the scriptures, he’s studied them for years. And yet, despite his study and vast knowledge something is missing. It’s an itch he can’t scratch. He knows there must be more that what he has, but he has the right answers. Here he could ask a number of questions, for example, he could ask, what is love, what does it mean to love. But, he doesn’t instead he asks the question, “who is my neighbor?”

Now, there were two major popular schools of thought during this time based on two different rabbi’s Hillel and Shammai. Shammai was known to be more strict. Born from wealth he believed in literal interpretation of scripture, a conservative fundamentalist type. Hillel on the other hand was raised poor, and known for a more liberal approach, trying to get at the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law, as well as a more compassionate demeanor. Interestingly in most every debate we see Jesus in he sides with Hillel except in the matter of divorce. I bring this up because for the house of Shammai only fellow Jews were to be considered your neighbor. For Hillel, everyone was to be loved with the expection of one group, the Samaritans whom he considered half-breed disgraceful dogs. So, even the compassionate Hillel had a deep hatred for this particular group of people.

So, Jesus begins to tell a story of a man beaten, stripped, and left for dead who is rescued not by Jewish religious leaders, but by one of these deeply hated Samaritans. It’d kind of be like a story where an Al-Kida member plays the hero. You just didn’t do this. Now, if this guy has been beaten and stripped, you can’t tell who he is, what group he belongs to. So then a pastor, a priest, and a rabbi walk by. Sorry, a Priest walks by “on the other side”. On the other side of the road to Jericho? That’s like saying he walked by on the other side of a two foot wide alley. I mean to walk by this guy he probably had to step over him. It’s the same with the Levite. These guys are probably busy. They may be on their way to the temple for worship. They can’t touch blood or else they’re unclean. They may be in a rush. It makes sense that they wouldn’t stop for this guy. But then a hated Samaritan stops. He doesn’t know who the guy is or his background, and yet he’s overly generous. And it says that he bandaged the wounds and poured on oil and wine. Oil and wine, that’s the stuff that the priest and the Levite would use for Temple worship. Is Jesus making a statement about the true nature of worship here? The Samaritan takes the guy to an inn pays some money and promises to return to pay any additional charge owed. Jesus ends the story with a question, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replies, “The one who had mercy on him.” Notice this guy hates Samaritans so much that he can’t even bring himself to say the word, instead it’s, “The one who had mercy on him.” It’s almost as if Jesus is asking the question who is it that you hate so much that you wouldn’t want them to save you, even if your life depended on it? What if it’s in coming to love them that your salvation lies.

Jesus responds, “Go and do likewise.” To which I want to say, that wasn’t the question. The question was, “who is my neighbor.” But, actually the question was, “what must I do to inherit eternal life.” In telling the story Jesus doesn’t directly answer the question preceding it, rather he answers the original question, the real question that was brought to him.

Now, there’s another story where Jesus encounters a hated tax collector. As Jesus is passing through all kinds of people are trying to closer to him. But, in their efforts they effectively shut out this wee little man, forcing him to climb up in a tree (something you don’t commonly see, a grown man climbing trees). First, this begs the question of whether our pursuit of a relationship with God is helping others connect as well, or effectively shutting others out. But, the story continues. Jesus spots the man in the tree, tells him to come down, and has lunch with him. Something happens during this exchange and this wee little man changes. He commits to living a different type of life and Jesus says that “salvation has come to this house.”

So, we have two people. One an expert, knows all the right answers and yet something’s missing. The other knows relatively little in comparison, but is ready to jump into action. It’s easy to study, to learn, to wrestle to find the right answers. It is a much more difficult thing to take the risk to change your life because of your faith. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe the same is true for knowledge and action. And it’s not that our deeds save us, but as James puts it, the deeds are the evidence of our faith. Hebrews 11 beautifully connects the ideas of faith, action, and the crediting of righteousness. Because the point isn’t to know all the answers, because the more you know the more you realize you don’t know. Rather the point is to seek to live out this way of Jesus. Not to debate, but to do, to love.

I have become increasingly convinced that we will become consumed by one of two polarities: either being right, or being a force for good in the world. There are many who work very hard at having all the "right" answers and they are convinced that they are right. Yet, there seems to be little to no doing, there seems to be very little love. As Andy Stanley likes to say, it's not just about information, but application. The people that knew the scriptures the best in Jesus' day were also the ones who brushed shoulders with him never realizing who he was. Jesus at Gethsemane doesn't pray that we'll get all the answers or that we'll have our theology right. And it's not that those things aren't important, we find other scriptures telling us so, but it comes in second, to our doing, to our loving. Which will you focus your dominant energies on, being right, or being a force for good?

It reminds me of a talk I recently heard by Dwight Pryor which was excellent. In it he shared the story about a man to whom God had spoken deep in his heart that he can go no deeper or higher in his relationship with God until he went wider, sharing God's love with more people. I think there is a lot of truth to that.

So, go and do likewise. Go wider and in so doing go deeper and higher. Like Zacchaeus rather than the expert in the Law concentrate your energies on being a force for good in the world rather than being so concerned about being "right". Learn to love the one you hate the most, you never know, your salvation might just depend on it.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Heresy





Well, the update section of the posts are probably going to start getting smaller, which is a good thing. Things have begun to stabilize, so each week is not quite so eventful. Katie is finishing her 8th grade sub job this week. Her 6th period class is kinda tough, but she's really been enjoying 8th grade. Next week she'll being her long term sub for the gifted teacher which will take her almost through the end of the school year. Besides that we took Cari to see the Imagination Movers on Saturday. We had gotten her tickets for Christmas, so the day finally had arrived. It was a long drive, but they did a great show and it was lots of fun. Cari didn't really sing or dance or jump around. She mainly just stood there with her mouth open overwhelmed that they were actually there in front of her as opposed to being on TV. They dropped balloons from the ceiling which she absolutely loved. She caught a blue one, and it took everything we had to pry it away from her long enough to buckle her in. She had a great time.

Now on to heretics. For some the word heretic is a dirty word. I grew up with the idea that if someone was called a heretic by anyone else, you just didn't listen to them. I mean being called a heretic was like a scarlet letter, it was worse than being called a cotton headed ninny muggins (which funny enough all those words must be legit since spell check didn't underline any of them?). But, I'm beginning to wonder if being a heretic is the worst thing in the world. I know it can't be fun carrying the stigma, but I'm no longer sure that if you're deemed a heretic that you're necessarily wrong. For instance, I've been reading in the book of Acts. This book begins with Jesus' assention and the Holy Spirit episode of Pentecost then it leads into the beginnings of the Church and it's spread. Now, one of the central issues becomes how to deal with this faith moving beyond Judaism. Jesus was Jewish. His theology was Jewish. This means his faith system was built upon living out the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures of Old Testament. The tradition is that God gave Moses these books on Mount Sinai, so these are the words of God teaching us to live in harmony with Him. Now, I could go into a long rant on shmikah, olam habba, tikkun olam, and fulfilling the Torah, but if you want to learn about those it would be easier for you to just go out and get a copy of Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis (a fantastic book you need to read anyway). So, Jesus is Jewish as are his disciples.

So, when Pentecost happens you have people from various places hearing the disciples speak in the tongue native to the listener. Also, the Church is persecuted and begins to spread out from Jerusalem. By chapter 10 you have Peter, a good little Jewish boy, having his whole understanding of what it means to live right with God blown apart. He begins baptizing people who aren't Jewish because when he told them about Jesus they received the Holy Spirit. Then Paul begins bringing the message to Gentiles as well, and they don't know what to do with it. If they're a part of The Way (what Christianity was called then) does that mean they have to be Jewish. By chapter 15 this is a huge issue. Paul has included these non-Jewish people and now these other Jewish believers are telling them that they now have to have a little procedure, if you know what I mean. Don't worry squirming at this point is quite natural.

So there's this big Church meeting. You may have been a part of one of these once. People on both sides are quite convinced that they are right, and they are arguing to get their point across. Paul, Barnabas, and Peter at this point are heretics. But, they share stories of what God has been doing and somehow manage to convince the meeting that this is something God is up to, and they shouldn't stand in the way of it. So, they send a letter to these people who have been told that a "minor incision" will be necessary. " It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things." (Acts 15:28-29)

Peter and Paul were heretics. So was Jesus. What I love about this letter is that it "seemed" good to the Holy Spirit and to us. They didn't claim something as solid with a lot of arrogance. Rather they spoke in humility about how they saw the situation, and not just how they saw it, but how they thought the Holy Spirit was involved. Often for one reason or another we want to act like we're sure about things whether we are or not, and often we're so busy with our way that we're not even paying attention to what God is up to. So, I find the opening of this letter quite brilliant. And the amazing thing is that in the end they side with the heretics. Now sometime heretics have destructive teaching, sometimes they're wrong and we need to be on our guard. But, sometimes the old party line is wrong as well. Sometimes the old party line is incomplete. And sometimes there are people who aren't being deemed heretics who are bringing destructive and dangerous heretical teaching.

See, we often want to think of faith as a destination rather than a journey. If you believe this, this, and this, then you're in. If you don't believe in line with our doctrines or dogma, then you're out. But, one of the major lessons of scripture is that God is taking us somewhere. God is constantly taking us from darkness to light. The central metaphor for faith and life in the scriptures is journey. And, when we quit moving, when we quit changing then we miss the new thing God is doing. So, just as much as we need to read the heretics with a critical eye we may need to do so just as much with the ones we think are safe. I noticed in a certain bookstore a few months ago that they began putting disclaimers on certain books that you should read them with discernment, as if you didn't need to do so with other books. It is the heretics of today who will bring the common understandings of tomorrow. When it was first proposed that the Earth was not the center of the Universe, it was deemed heresy. People were actually excommunicated from the church for holding to that belief. Now, we know we're not even the center of our own solar system, much less the universe. The scriptures didn't change, but our understandings of them did. Luther was deemed a heretic for challenging the authority construct of his day, and yet he helped give birth to protestantism. Something I have learned over the years is that what we consider traditional or biblical is actually usually newer than we realize, and sometimes the heresy we criticize is something we lost along the way that needs to be picked up, dusted off, and examined again for today and tomorrow. So, if you hear someone deem someone else a heretic, don't be too quick to shun. God may just be doing something among them and their heresy may just be tomorrow's common knowledge.

On a parallel note, Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, MI celebrated it's 10th anniversary Sunday. I have been tracking along with them for several years now. They are an amazing church, and if you are not familiar with them you really should become so. Their webpage is www.marshill.org They are doing great work around the world, and their teachings have continued to challenge and inspire me week after week. They more than anyone else continue to shape what I believe church could and should be. My congrats to the Tribe of Mars Hill. Grace and Peace.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Human Too

Ok, first, for an update. This week Katie has had steady work which is great. She is filling in for a maternity leave all next week, then the following week she's supposed to fill in for a different maternity leave throughout the rest of February, through March, and I think into April. So, while it's substitute pay, so it isn't much, it's going to be steady. So, it will be something. As for me, I'm learning to play as Katie's brother Will calls me, Mr. Mom. So, we're adjusting, but it's really not going too bad. For Christmas we had gotten Cari tickets to see the Imagination Movers, so we go to do that tomorrow, which we're excited about.

Now, on to the thoughts for the day section. As I've been reading various things I've been forming this idea, but it's still really fresh for me, so it's not well packaged and polished. But, I figure this is a blog, not a book, so it should be ok. I just hope there's enough to kind of follow the idea.
I finished rereading a book by Mark Kurlansky called Nonviolence 25 lessons in the history of a dangerous idea. To say it's thought provoking is a massive understatement. It challenges me in a lot of ways, but those are the kind of books that are so much fun to read. In any case, in it there is a quote from Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu from the funeral of Steven Biko. He said, "Pray for the leaaders of this land, for the police - especially the security police and those in prison service - that they may realize that they are human beings too." Now, I know that Jesus said to pray for your enemies. I try to trust that prayer can work wonders in both us doing the praying and the enemies for which we are praying, but what he is asking people to pray for is odd. I mean it seems like he would encourage people to pray that these "enemies" would see that the people they are oppressing are human beings too, something like "pray that they would see that we are human beings too." But, no he says pray that they, "realize that they are human beings too."
Now, I'm also re-reading Rob Bell's book Sex God. Which is quite an odd name for a book in the "Christian" genre (but it makes for a lot of fun to call bookstores and ask about copies, "Do you have a Sex God?"). But, this book is about the connections between our sexuality (much more than simply sex) and its connection with our spirituality. At one point he begins talking about how whenever we treat other people as things or commodities, it doesn't just do something to the person being objectified, but also to the person doing the objectifying.
See, the idea is that the Garden of Eden Creation story shows us how we were created to live, what it looks like to be truly human. Part of that is the connection with each other. When we see the "fall" take place, the two lose their connection, their ashamed of their nakedness, hide, and begin to play the blame game. To be truly human is to see the divine image in those around us and to connect on a deep level because of that. When we objectify and abuse, when we fail to see the divine image in those around us, something happens not just in them, but within us as well. We become less human, less than what we were created for.
But, what if your "enemy" was to begin to, "realize that they are human beings too"? Connecting with the divine image within themselves, "they" would also begin to see it in you. If "they" can become more human, then this is good news for you as well. If "they" can become more of what "they" were created to be, only then can "they" begin to see the divine image within you as well. Now, you may be wondering why all the quotation marks around the word they. One reason is that I'm not sure that an us/them mentality is actually helpful because really in the end there is just us, everyone is we. We all have this divine image no matter how scarred or fractured, we are all human. But, the other reason is that if we have an enemy, then chances are that we in some situations also are a "they". So, suddenly the question becomes flipped. Who is it that I am likely to miss seeing the divine image within? Who is it that I villainize, demonize? Maybe it's time that we turn around, face up to where we lack, return to the garden state, to what we were created for, and in so doing see the divine image within our enemies.
We need to pray for our enemies. Maybe we even need to pray that "they" see that "they" are human too. But, maybe we also need to pray that we see that we are human as well. Because, when we objectify others we lose a part of who we are. We lose a piece of our true humanity.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Ananias and Sapphira

As I write this the month of January is winding down. It's hard to believe that 09 is already 1/12 done. I don't write tonight because I have some special insight of inspiration that I simply have to share, although I have a few thoughts I will share. Really, for me it's more of trying to develop a discipline of blogging. I've started a couple others in the past, then let them fall away. I'm really hoping to keep from doing that with this one. Bear with me as I continue to try to work toward getting the design to where I want it.

As far as things go with the family, we're beginning to get adjusted. We're getting into some rhythms, which is great (especially for the kids). Since the positions we were hoping on for Katie have fallen through we've been a little bummed about that, but she did some substitute teaching this week, and she's been given a long term sub position for a maternity leave beginning mid February, so we're excited about that. She'll be working with older gifted kids, so she's really excited about this opportunity. And, believe it or not, we got to go out on a date last night. We divided the kids among family and went to see Paul Blart Mall Cop. So, that was a lot of fun. Also, this weekend is a youth weekend at the church, so it's been fun being a part of that this evening.

Now, my spiritual thoughts for the day. I've been re-reading Velvet Elvis (something I like to do every year/ ever other year or so) and Mark Kurlansky's book on Nonviolence. As a "secular" author he sees Jesus as the introducer/creator of the concept of nonviolent resistance, which is an aspect of Jesus' life and teachings that I think most churches tend to ignore or spiritualize to make it not about nonviolent resistance. But, as I've been re-reading this book and just turning it over in my head while reading the gospels I'm beginning to see all kinds of dimensions to the crucifixion event that make it even more meaningful and powerful. I think there's some significant things going on there from that perspective that are really helping me get a deeper handle on it. I'm also reading N.T. Wright's Following Jesus, and through it rediscovering books of the New Testament. His insights on Colossians and "forces" are brilliant. I'm also enjoying rediscovering Matthew through this book.

Now, in devotional life I'm now working through Acts. One of the big things that stand out to me is the boldness we see. They know what the Jewish leaders are capable of, and yet they still speak boldly and unafraid. I guess when you follow a guy you saw rise from the dead you figure they don't really have anything on you. I really admire their boldness, and personally struggle to find ways to be bold while at the same time being humble. There's also this theme of caring about what God thinks rather than men, you see Jesus talk about it some in the book of John, then Peter and John really get in on it when they're told not to teach in Jesus' name anymore. Then it carries over to the story of Ananias and Sapphira.

You have this great Pentecost moment, 3000 people join the movement that day (a reference to the Golden Calf debacle?), they hold everything in common and we're told people are added to their number daily and there was no one needy left among them. So, this couple sells some land and they give some of the money to the Way/Jesus Follower Community/Church/whatever you want to call it at this point, and they keep some of it for themselves. Peter confronts them, and they die on the spot. Hopefully, you can understand why I've struggled with this passage. I mean, is the message here not to give some of your money to the church and keep some for yourself or else you'll die? I mean, I don't give everything I have to the church, and I don't know anyone who has. Even Rick Warren only gives 90% (and yes I meant only sarcastically, although I think it's fantastic that he reverse tithes). I mean they die on the spot, what do you do with that? Is the moral don't mess with Peter, the church, what? See, the tendency is to think it's because of what they did to the church, but Peter gives a different reason. He says it's because they lied to God. And this is something that I think is more common than maybe we'd like to admit.

I remember going to this funeral and there was this person there who was very close to the deceased. So, I went and asked them how they were doing and they said that they were doing great, that they know their loved one was in a better place. And it was as if they felt like they weren't allowed to mourn. Like if they did they would show a lack of faith or something.

And there was this other time when I was flipping through the channels one day and I happened across a TV preacher who informed me that when I'm having a bad day I need to smile and act like everything was going great because as a Christian I'm representing Christianity and I'd be doing it a disservice if I was honest about how I was feeling. I mean who would want to sign up for a religion where someone who followed it had a bad day?

It's like there is this lie out there that we have to be super spiritual. It says that we can't doubt or question, we can't mourn, we can't be honest about our faults, and whatever we do, whatever the circumstances we have to do it with a smile acting like we've got this super faith through which we're trusting God with whatever is going on, lying not only to everyone else, but also to ourselves and ultimately God. I mean I couldn't count the times I've heard people say, "you can't question God." To which I say if you can't question God then your God is too small. See, God is bigger than our questions. Actually it's through honestly exploring our doubts and questions that we draw closer to Him, gain insight and understanding. If we don't grieve, we don't find healing. If we're not willing to admit our faults we wind up isolating ourselves, cutting ourselves off from community. And guess what, when we have a bad day, people see through the fake smiles and cry impostor (although hopefully not to your face, despite how funny of a skit that might make). In my experience, whenever you can admit your pain and struggle and at the same time not give up on your faith or on God because you're still working on it, or He's still working on you, in you, even in the midst of this, people take notice. They appreciate the honesty.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ananias and Sapphira were the fake super spiritual couple. They wanted everyone to think they were something they weren't. They wanted everyone to think they were super generous, even though they weren't there yet. But instead of saying we're just not there yet, we don't feel comfortable giving all of it they kept some and told everyone that they did give all of it. Peter explanation for their deaths are that they lied to God. And I think maybe the point for us is that when we pretend to be super Christian what we're really doing is lying to God, which in many ways kills us. When we refuse to mourn we miss the opportunity to connect with God in a special way, we miss the growth that comes through the process, and all the stuff that we won't admit to hides and festers inside of us. It's the same with doubts, questions, and the lying with the smile that we're just trusting God, when we know that we're really struggling. See, being super spiritual isolates us. It cuts us off from others and the world around us. It places us in denial with ourselves, separating us from both ourselves and ultimately God. Which, if you notice parallels the consequences or "curses" in the Adam and Eve Genesis story.

So, I guess the point of this story might be that we're all on a journey, and none of us have arrived as followers of Jesus. We lose loved ones and we grieve, we have bad days, we struggle with doubts, questions, the future, and with becoming who God created us to be. But rather than pretending to be something we're not we need to be honest about it and have real faith, the faith to continue on the journey. Because this is how we continue to become who God created us to be. This is the direction toward life, the other kills us from the inside out.

On a personal note, maybe that's part of the key to the boldness with humility thing. Caring more about what God thinks than others we should simply speak honestly and be willing to listen in case we're wrong. I mean isn't most of the super spiritual stuff because we want others to think certain things? And whenever we're bold and arrogant isn't it usually because we want to convince someone we're right and they're wrong? And if we're being super spiritual, if we're faking, if we're lying, doesn't God know it, even when we've convinced ourselves? So maybe, just maybe if we could learn to care more and more what God thinks rather than what everyone else thinks we could grown more and more in this direction.

But, I'm not there yet.
Nonetheless, I'm working on it.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Quote God and Salvation of the World




Well, yesterday was a big day. We’re trying to sort through job opportunities and see what happens there, so pray for us on that and, there was a little ceremony that you may have heard about bringing in a new president.
Now, I’m not one much for politics, and I think that the Church getting mixed in with politics has proven to be a horrible idea since it first started doing so with Constantine (thank God Christendom is finally falling or has finally fallen depending upon who you’re talking to). The Church tends to lose its ability to speak truth to government when it gets too involved in government. But regardless of political spectrum it’s amazing to see a black person become president considering where we were as a nation not so long ago. But, while I’ve got a lot of thoughts swirling in my head regarding civil religion right now, what I really want to do is share a quote. The last part of last year I reread Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christian Series, and toward the end of the last book The Last Word and the Word After That a quote was given that has stuck with me. I will admit that I have not read the book that McLaren quotes, so like with so many things the quote may have more going on in it because of what’s outside of it than I realize. But I post it because I found it in and of itself quite intriguing.

“To believe in God is to believe in the salvation of the world. The paradox of our time is that those who believe in God do not believe in the salvation of the world, and those who believe in the future of the world do not believe in God.
Christians believe in “the end of the world,” they expect the final catastrophe, the punishment of others.
Atheists in their turn . . . refuse to believe in God because Christians believe in him and take no interest in the world . . .
Which is the more culpable ignorance?
. . . I often say to myself that, in our religion, God must feel very much alone: for is there anyone besides God who believes in the salvation of the world? God seeks among us sons and daughters who resemble him enough, who love the world enough so that he could send them into the world to save it.”
- Louis Evely, In the Christian Spirit (Image, 1975)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

New Year New Blog

Happy New Year Everybody, my intent is to begin to capture various thoughts for discussion in this blog and simply kind of share my world and what's going on with me. At the moment the kids are asking for Cheeze It's, so I'll wait until later to post something more substantial.