Politics. That thing that we’ve been told should never be discussed at Thanksgiving. That tool of governance used to dig up and till the soil of the electorate in order for this or that political whatever to plant its seeds of thought. Then, hoping that a constituent plant will grow and bear fruit.
According to the politicians, politics is what makes the world go round. They want everyone to believe that; to believe them.
And, we do! We place our faith and trust in whatever politics makes us feel good about ourselves. Whatever position allows us to feel safe and secure. So, we put up banners and lawn signs. We go to rallies and town halls to support what we think is good and right and proper for us and for everyone else. Then, after a time, we realize that those we support can’t come through on what they promised. Disillusionment. So, we modify our expectations and seek other people and policies that we can support.
And, the circle goes round and round and round and……..
As a follower of Christ I have a rather complicated relationship with politics. I’ve heard many say that if we truly believe and accept what’s written in the Bible we must be apolitical. After all Jesus never talked about politics. In fact, He stayed out of the politics of His day. He never railed against the Romans. He was not a vocal opponent about how the Jewish people should be governed. Yeah, He took issue with the abuses that the religious leaders poured on people. But, actual governance? No. He told His disciples that while they may live in this world, they were not part of it. The world in which they lived was a heavenly world where stuff about food and clothing were not to be worried about. Didn’t God provide for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field? Such a vision of utopia! A world without cares and worries! That’s what many think that Jesus was talking about.
But…….
That’s not our reality, is it? Nope. We live in a world where politics force us to act. Where we have responsibilities to do whatever we can to keep ourselves and our families safe and secure. We all gotta join the fray to keep our heads above water. Most of all, we gotta try to make sense of the chaos that our leaders create every day. I am pointing directly at the situation that we live in right now. Washington is nuts. There are so many voices coming from there that it’s hard to discern one from the other. The cacophony rising from the halls of political power is deafening. It hurts my ears. There is little sense being made by those we entrust with our well-being. While that discord and confusion seems unique, it’s not. Every political group and government has stirred up its own version of suspicion and mistrust. EVERY SINGLE ONE!!! Yeah, we do live in a tumultuous time. I talk with a lot of folks who live in fear of what tomorrow may bring. Will our rights completely disappear into fascist totalitarianism? Will our 401(k) survive the confusion? What about those of us who receive Social Security? Not to mention book bans and cultural genocide! “There’s too much!”, they say as tears flow and folks find themselves shaking in fear.
I wrestle with how to respond to the fear and anger that so many of my friends and fellow Christians feel. There seems to be no bridging the chasm between what the world demand and what Jesus seems to say. Trees have been felled in order to make the paper that folks and scholars use to argued about politics and the Church. To what end? (Spoiler alert : none. None at all.) Yet we keep jabbering on about how this view is right; that view is not. In fact, that view is likely sinful and dangerous. What view is that? Doesn’t matter. Whatever view is different from whomever is speaking. Amiright?
So, how do we respond? As leaders in the church we must respond. I recently read that a leader’s job in these chaotic times is to attempt to try and help people live and flourish where living and flourishing seem distant and impossible. So, what response can we make? There are a couple of ways, I think. Not everyone can accept them. I, myself, have a hard time wrapping my head around how to respond. But, one thing that I know with certainty, God’s world is not a world of confusion and discord. God’s world is where peace is reality. The question is, how in God’s Name do we get there? If we do, somehow, find our way, how should we live in such a place?
Please understand that I’m not one of those religious folks who advocate separation from real life. You know, those who move to the wilderness to escape the corruption that they say plagues our nation and our world. Nor am I one of the new monastics who, while living in the world, choose to cloister themselves and develop their own ways. They go to “christian” stores and theaters and schools. Their desire is not to be counter-culture, but to build a separate culture that builds barriers against the ‘forces of evil’ that rule the outside world. These are real reactions that many use to deal with, and insulate themselves from, the chaos and uncertainty of today’s world. In some ways I can’t fault them. However, this lifestyle is not the lifestyle that I see in the Scriptures nor in the Fathers nor in the Church.
If I was asked my opinion on such things I’d have to start with the fact that everything in Scripture was written by and to real people in the real world. Folks trying to get by on what they knew about life and God. Then, I would have to tell anyone who was bored enough to listen that God, Godself, did not just sit by twiddling His thumbs watching corruption and death have their way. God never said, “Oh well, that’s none of my business. Please pass a croissant.” No! In the face of injustice and cruelty God acted decisively. He sent Messiah Jesus to put an end to the power that the world and the world’s systems held over the entire world. If God was willing to act, so should we who say that we are followers of God in Messiah Jesus.
What would this action look like? Sorry, I don’t have a comprehensive list to give you. There are lots of lawful ways to stand against injustice and corruption. In the U.S. we can vote our conscience. Some Christian don’t because, again, that separatist thing. To that kind of thinking I call BS. We absolutely should vote and participate in the democratic process. Not everyone in the world has such a choice. Don’t squander it! We can protest and march. I march and take part in Pride activities as a matter of conscience. We can write to and engage elected officials at town halls to speak about our ideas and feelings regarding various legislation. These things and others are ways that we can give voice to the voiceless and strive for justice in our world.Actions are great. We should feel comfortable with them.
What about our peace? I mentioned that many are suffering anxiety and fear these days. This is an issue that’s not easily dealt with. I feel that it can truly be addressed by the Good Grace of God through the Holy Spirit. Peace in the knowledge that what we experience in the world is not necessarily our true reality. I’m talking to followers of Messiah now. Our reality is in the world of God’s Good Presence. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world. That’s true. We who walk in the Way of Messiah know this. God is our Way. We own our lives in this world and are not owned by it. Speaking for myself, my peace does not depend on what the latest executive order is. My serenity is not broken by the roller coaster of Wall St. I see things as they are, not how they appear. I’m clear eyed to help the oppressed, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and the homeless. If I am not under the circumstances, I can work to effect change on the circumstances. In a word, I am free. This is why Messiah lived, died, and was resurrected. That we might all be free from those powers that seem so driven to destroy us and others.
So, have hope! God is alive and well. We can be also.
Hello Joanne! I have desired to write to you for many years. Ever since I read the first Harry Potter book. Admittedly, I was not part of the target audience. I was in my 50s. Still, I was hooked by the magical world that you created. I and my daughter, also an adult, waited with bated breath for each new episode as you wove strands magic from that Great River of Creativity that flows through the universe into a new magical world where the impossible becomes, not only possible, but reality. How could I not be captured by that? For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also want to note your works of charity and benevolence. I was adopted at the age of 6 months. During extremely important first months I was in an institution. Of course, I don’t remember that. However, not having the love and nurture that a child requires during those months did leave its mark. Some things cannot be undone. I was fortunate. I was embraced by warm and caring people who were unable to conceive their own child. So, became the first of two blessed souls who would live with a new family name, a new history, and a new hope. I do hope and pray thatLumoscontinues to work and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Weaving together hope and unity in families is a truly noble work. Your conceiving Volant Charitable Trust is also a mark of your warm and caring heart. Those who are the most vulnerable and at risk need the support of people with means, like you. Thank you so very much for these and other works of benevolence that find their root and home in your heart. I, like you, think that every child, every life, has a right to live, thrive, and find joy. Our lives on this planet truly are too short. To acknowledge and allow others who don’t have our privilege to continue in disadvantage is a grievous sin. That’s why we work to tirelessly to give these others hope. Isn’t it? All of this leads me to scratch my head, Jo. (You don’t mind if I call you Jo, do you?) Yeah, scratching my head at your apparent lack of knowledge about humanity and the human condition. You seem to see many things that are good and necessary. But, only in part. Please, if you will indulge me for a moment. Perhaps I can explain. We both read and accept the Holy Bible as Sacred Writ. The stories and tales that were written so many centuries ago still have a hold on our hearts and minds. They tell us of God’s relating to the Cosmos, in particular, humanity. I love the arch of God’s faithfulness to the World from the beginning of relationship through to the culmination in the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah Jesus. How wonderful is that? Truly a story of hope for all people. Have you ever read Psalm 139? In that psalm are some of the most beautiful words ever written. The psalmist wrote, “For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” Aren’t those words beautiful. They inspire awe at the Majesty and Goodness of our God. May His Name be Praised! The thought that God sees us as we are secretly formed in the darkness of the womb. That God Most High is Present as the knitting takes place creating from nothing a true work of art and beauty! Who can comprehend such a thing? My daughter is an avid knitter. She concentrates on the task with the focus of a surgeon, fingers moving deftly. Each stitch given a purpose and place within the whole. It’s truly a joy to watch the magic happen as strands of yarn become a whole piece composed of countless thousands of such stitches. Sometimes, however, a stitch may be dropped. Or, perhaps, that ‘knit one; pearl two’ is transposed to ‘knit two, pearl one.” It happens. Or, maybe when one color gives way to another, this new color is added one stitch too soon or too late? That, too, happens. How would that look in our psalmists view? A dropped stitch? Perhaps that would result in a child born with Downs Syndrome or cleft palate. Starting a color in the wrong place? A child born without a limb or a brain that never developed. Does that make that child any less a work of wonder? Have you ever looked into the face of a Downs child? Truly you are looking into the face of God! We cherish these folks. They are truly God’s Children. No less than you or me. I’m sure that you agree. Did you know that there are children who are born truly androgynous? Born with two complete sets of genitals, one female, the other male? What happens to such a child? Well, usually the parents and doctor make a decision. They choose one gender over the other. But, what if they choose wrong? Will not that young girl grow up trapped in a body that is not hers? Is their no hope or respite for her? I’m sure that you can see the injustice of such a thing. Such a person, fearfully and wonderfully made must be able to sprout her wings and fly freely among the clouds! But, Jo, what if that dropped stitch involved a persons heart and mind? What if the person is born with differences in the unseen realm? I’m quite sure that a person with a fertile imagination as you can visualize such a thing. Perhaps a different way that hormones work their magic on the development of the person could result in a person who has the character of a saint. Or, not. Could not such a fearfully and wonderfully made person be born whose affections are different than yours or mine? What if that young girl’s body doesn’t produce estrogen as it should as she grows and matures? She, too, might find herself trapped in the wrong kind of body. One which denies the reality of who she KNOWS that she is? Are we so omniscient that we can see and understand and render judgment on such a person? That we can judge with impunity her own experience? My dearest Joanne, I can’t imagine the arrogance that it would take to be that person. And, yet, you have deigned to be that judge. Even with all of the gifts that you have been given, intelligence, imagination, wealth, and privilege, you cannot seem to see that these other people have received different kinds of gifts. Where I live, many Native American nations consider these ‘Two Spirit’ people. They are revered and honored because they have the gift of seeing things in two worlds. I like that, don’t you? I guess, Jo, that my point is who are we to judge that which has been created in the image of God? What right do we have to deny the reality that so many millions of our fellow humans live? Does a trans woman in Mexico really affect you? Are we not fellow passengers in this life? I suppose the bottom line is, Please, Jo! Knock this shit off. You are consciously hurting others. Other human beings who are simply trying to live their own lives. Affectionately, Mike
Last Thursday was Maundy Thursday. That’s the day that Christians around the globe commemorate the Last Supper that Messiah Jesus ate with His disciples before His crucifixion. I had the joy of preaching at St. B’s that night. Some said I may have been a tad harsh. Others that I was just preaching to the choir. You can make up your mind on where my mind may have been.
Back in January I wrote a post about the suicide death of the sister of a co-worker. That particular death struck hard at my heart and mind. I shared my anger about it. Why this death? A person I never met. I still hurts to think about it. I’ve realized that my anger wasn’t/isn’t directed at the single loss of innocent life. It isn’t even about the feelings of loneliness and desolation that ended in this final act of desperation. I wrote a second post about the I call the “Human Condition.” In that I argued that the question of theodicy, or why a all powerful and loving God can allow evil to remain in the world. I stated that what we call “evil” is simply the Human Condition that our species has always lived in. Deal with it. Today I want wrap this topic up. I want to define the anger that I felt then, and continue to feel now. I will expose the ultimate object of my anger. But, first a short digression about God’s actions, or inaction. The story that the Bible tells reveals the way in which God chose to deal with the Human Condition. It describes the condition in terms of sin and disobedience. Although, I think disobedience is simply a result of the Human Condition. Anyway, it seems that God wanted to identify for us what we were dealing with. An all powerful drive toward, well, self-destruction. Through war, greed, poverty, seeking power, and all sorts of mean, nasty things that humanity perpetrated on itself and the world, God pointed out our inability to do much, if anything, to change that. Enter Messiah Jesus. The Gospel story tells us how God changed the trajectory of humanity. Through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Messiah God, somehow, destroyed what the Bible calls the Power of Sin and Death. These, according to the text, are the driving force behind the Human Condition. In doing this God also created a community. Some call it the Church or the Body of Christ or whatever. Jesus in the Gospels, particularly the Sermon on the Mount, described life in this community, or the Kingdom of God. This community has trusted in Messiah Jesus. It accepts and proclaims the resurrection of Jesus. It lives in selfless service to one another and the world at large. Until it doesn’t. And, it hasn’t since its birth. This community of faith continues to struggle within the Human Condition rather that to be a voice of hope. That it should offer an alternative to that litany of mean, nasty things I mentioned earlier. We, and I mean “We,” have more than dropped the ball. We intentionally kicked it into the woods and walked away. The mandate the Jesus gave us on the night that He was betrayed was, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. I have loved you in order that you also love one another,” (John 13:34, my paraphrase). The Church, at least the variety that I spent more than 30 years in, has looked at this verse and said, “Ok. I can love my sisters and brothers just fine, thank you. That doesn’t mean that I have to love those foul vermin on the outside, right?” Wrong. Jesus never limited His love to those inside the club. In fact, He reserved some of His most cutting condemnation on them. Yet, we still keep our eyes firmly on our collective navels and clutch our pearls so tightly that we nearly choke ourselves when someone on the ‘outside’ tries to knock on the door. This, my dear readers, is the definition of Failure! I don’t care if we discuss the fundagelical world that I escaped, the Roman Church, the Episcopal Church, or any other incarnation of Orthodox or protestant ‘Members Only’ club out there. We have ALL failed! Period! End of discussion! My heart is genuinely broken at the loss of my co-worker’s sister. The loss to her family is greater than I can imagine. And, I am angry at the Systems that backed this beautiful, young person into a corner that she could not escape. My true anger is directed at the Church. Where were we when this girl needed help? I know, we can all say that unless she asked, what were we supposed to do? (Shrug.) That’s not the point. My emotions run hot about this because the Church has been neutered. By it’s own doing! Our voice has been silenced because we have chosen to follow the and embrace THE VERY SYSTEMS THAT ARE KILLING PEOPLE!!! How can we claim to be a voice of hope in a hopeless world when we, ourselves, are hopeless? How are people to know that the Church is here for them unless we prove trustworthy? Unless we have shown by our love and praxis that they can come to us when they are in need? I don’t know. I’m ranting. But, that’s what I’m good at. Sue me. If we don’t embrace our calling as a Peculiar People who stand with the people of the world and against the Powers that Be, we are above all people to be pitied. For, then, we prove that we have truly lost our way.
