Category: community

Just A Thought…

Published by mhelbert on April 18, 2020

I follow several blogs and news sources every day.
Yeah, I like to keep up on what’s happening outside of these four walls that have become a sanctuary of sorts.
Most of the blogs I read pick up on some current event or news report. They share the parts that resonate with them. Then reflect or offer their opinion. Every one has an opinion!

This here blog thingy of mine generally follows a different path.
I share my thoughts and feelings about a lot of topics.
The reasons I do this are manifold.
First, I feel an obligation to counter some of the prevailing religious ideas and doctrines that have proven to be harmful. So many people have suffered, have found themselves in emotional and psychological bondage because of false and inaccurate interpretations of Holy Writ. For Christianity, a religion that speaks of Freeing the Captives, this is especially problematic. So, I write about it.

Second, I believe that by sharing some of the struggles that I deal with others may find it easier to share their own. Things that trouble us, our thoughts and feelings, can be extremely harmful if left hidden. People need ways to vent some of the pressure that builds from deep within us. But, because of shame or social stigma, we keep that pressure bottled up. Eventually, the chains that bind the heart may become too strong.
So, I share my story.
And, thereby, encourage others to do the same.

I also write these things because, well, words are what I do best.
My mind has a lot of things bouncing around in it. This is how I get them out so that I can see them and think about them. Because, until I do, I really don’t understand some of them myself. To put it simply, sometimes I don’t know what I think until I say it.
I don’t think that I’m alone in this. Until we hear or see our thoughts concretely, they are simply wisps of the æther flowing through the synapses in our brain. Allowing them to form a shape that can be seen is important for me.

That being said, I want to deviate a bit today.

There is something happening in the U.S. today that, I believe, is worthy of a brief report.
Yeah, I know, current events. Big deal.
No, really, this kind of is.
The Covid-19 crisis has shown me something that I think I knew was real. But, because of all of the polarization, hate, and mistrust that usually blankets the airwaves, it has remained hidden from view.
This thing is the heart and compassion of a vast majority of American people.
Folks have really stepped up to support the so-called “Front Line” workers in the medical field and all of our first responders. I can actually understand that a bit. These are the truly visible people who are trying their best to help, comfort, and heal the sick.
So, kudos to all of them!

But, then there are the unseen warriors in this battle.
Those who leave snacks for people delivering our food and packages because we don’t want to venture out into the wilderness ourselves.
The artists and musicians who draw on the concrete messages of hope and who stand outside the windows of nursing homes to encourage the scared folks who are trapped inside.
The educators who have had to completely change the educational paradigm in order to continue supporting and teaching our children. They changed direction on a dime! Way to go, Teachers!
Kudos to our state and local governments for getting into the trenches with us in order to ensure that we are adequately protected. Yeah, they get flack for not being quick enough to respond to the unemployment crisis that this pandemic brought on. They are trying, though, with limited resources and personnel.

I could go on to include others.
But, I think that you can grasp my point.
In a culture where violence and hatred seems to run rampant, there is a spark of hope.
This crisis has revealed that their is something good in humanity.
We are able to reach deep within ourselves and draw up empathy for others.
We can band together to support one another when we really need one another.

My true hope is that, when this current crisis passes, we can continue to do so.

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On A Positive Note…

Published by mhelbert on April 16, 2020

I have spent a lot of time over the years trying to expose the negative side of the Church.
The abuses of authority; the harmful theology; the elevation of ME above all else.
These criticisms are well deserved. People have been harmed by the Church. And, it really doesn’t matter what flavor Church. Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox are all culpable in the abuses.
The public results of these abuses, besides lives ruined, includes the loss of any claim to the so-called Moral High Ground.
In other words, the Church has destroyed her ability to be a Blessing to the Cosmos.

So, what should things look like?
Honestly, no one can say for certain what God has planned for it.
But, we can sketch a few things.
Things that, rather than tearing down, may reveal a way forward in Love and Faithfulness.

So, let’s start.
In the beginning….

The writers of Holy Scripture were people just like us. They lived in a particular time, place, and culture that colored the words that they wrote. So, for them such things as a cosmos that was created Ex Nihilo was just the way things were.
These writers presented their readers with a problem. The problem was, God created the Heavens and the Earth. In God’s abundant Love humans were made for the expressed purpose of caring for the Earth as God’s Special Envoys. The intent was for humanity to embody God’s glory as Eikons of God. They would rule jointly with God over the creation.
But, there was a problem. Humanity could not live up to God’s calling. They were, after all, made of the same stuff that the cosmos was…dust.
Soon the problem came to a head when humanity took it upon themselves to listen to and embrace other creatures. Idolatry and the corruption that comes with that began to mar the Very Good Cosmos that God had made.
But, God was still convinced that humanity MUST be a part of God’s plan for guiding and caring for the World.
So, God ‘elected’ a family.
For those who know a little about the story of Israel, you will have heard of a guy named Abraham. God chose Abraham and his descendants to become the agents of God’s blessing for the Cosmos. The story continues through Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, to the selection of a community, Israel.
Israel’s history was checkered at best.
But, God had made a covenant with Abraham that, because of Abraham’s faithfulness to God’s promises, stated that the entire Cosmos would be blessed.
God took that Covenant seriously and was faithful to it in spite of Israel’s inability to live up to its calling.
In time, God, who had chosen Israel as the people through whom the blessing would come, raised up One Person from Israel.
This One Person became God’s own Image-bearer. An image-bearer who would do what the original humans, nor Israel, could.
Through the death of Jesus the problem of humanity’s inability to live up to God’s Glorious Calling at the beginning was solved. The resurrection of Jesus from the grave proved God’s faithfulness to set things right.

Ok, nice story.
But, so what?

God had done something that no one expected.
Because of the faithfulness of Jesus, all of humanity had the opportunity to share in Jesus’ faithfulness. We, in fact, have been joined together into the family of God’s Promise to Abraham. We are benefactors of God’s Covenant with Abraham.
God, in God’s own love and Being, put us into a Community.
A living Community where God’s own Spirit lives and brings life.
We are not a bunch of individuals going about our own personal business. Living in our own personal salvation.
No.
We are, as Peter wrote, ‘A royal priesthood and a Holy Nation.’

We. Belong. Together.

Together we are to be a blessing to the whole Cosmos.
Together we reflect the Glory of God to each other, to God, and to the World.
Together!
Together!

That is our hope and our calling.
And, that’s a good thing.

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The Rugged Individual

Published by mhelbert on April 15, 2020

One of the hallmarks of life in the U.S. is the ideal of the “Rugged Individual.” While it seems that this image had been brewing ever since the birth of the nation, it really didn’t take off and become a mark of American exceptionalism until after the Second World War.
We have become a nation where everyone considers their right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is a personal guarantee that no one, especially not the government, can tell me what I can do, when and where I can do it, or ask me why I’m doing it. After all, the Constitution says so.
Of course, when the Constitution says that I can do something that you want to do and there’s a conflict, my rights always supersede yours. And, if you don’t like it, we’ll see you in court. Because, you know, my rights are given to me by no lesser authority than God!

What escapes most people’s attention is that those so-called ‘God given rights’ are not in the Constitution.
They appear in the Declaration of Independence. And, as I have said in many other places, Context is everything.
The Declaration, besides being a rallying point for the nascent United States, was first a notice to King George III that the American Colonies would no longer put up with British rule. The inalienable rights part, especially the God given wording, let George know in no uncertain terms that God was the only source for these rights. The crown was not.

So, there was a war and a new nation was born that began a long experiment in democratic government that is still under way today.

Soon, individuals began trekking into the wilderness of this land. They fought and worked and died in order to provide for themselves and their families.
It didn’t matter what obstacles lay in their path toward this inevitable destiny. They had a God given right to this land and its bounty. So, facts like the land was already populated by Indigenous people were tossed aside.
“God gave this land to us. Not to you.” (But, that ‘s another post.)

As I began to deconstruct the Ziggurat that was my protestant, evangelical life, I started to wonder about this.
To explain a bit…
In Protestantism individual faith is paramount. After all, Jesus died for me. Yeah, he may have died for you, too. But, that’s between you and God and doesn’t effect me at all.
It’s all about Me and Jesus! Hallelujah!
In the church that I was a part of at that time this was absolutely the underlying ethic to their theology. It was no more apparent than when, once a month, we had Communion. We asked that the head of each family, or family unit, would come and take the bread and cup back to their individual clan. There the elements would be taken. I questioned the leaders about this. Because, to me anyway, it seemed that the celebration of Communion should be a community celebration. Not an individual family thing. This seemed more like a fracturing of the Body of Christ than a joining together in communal Thanksgiving.
Silly me for thinking such things!

Eventually, I did leave that church. There are many, many reasons why. But, that idea of fracturing the Body of Christ is near the top.

Here, in an admittedly compressed version, is what I have learned, and am convinced of, since my departure.
The church I left, and all of those churches that think that same way, follow a modern version of Reformation theology. Every individual is a sinner in need of grace. Ok, so far so good. This thinking also leads to the idea that every individual is responsible for how they live that faith. That pretty much means that I can do what ever I believe God wants me to do.
Of course, there are the big ‘Sins’ that must be avoided. But, if it’s not listed as sin, then I’m good to go.

That idea has driven much of our Western culture as it formed over the ensuing 500 years. It led, inevitably, to our old friend the Marlboro Man. It is readily displayed in the people who yell about their own rights. Just look at the churches that are openly defying stay at home orders during the current Covid-19 crisis. Their rallying cry?
“No government can tell me what to do! My God is bigger than you. And, My God has given me the inalienable right to gather. So what if the virus is spread among the congregation and then back to their homes and friends and family.”

And yet, the very Bible that these people tell us that they believe in and follow is clear.
“Consider others above yourself.”
“Anyone who tries to save their own life will lose it.”
All of the letters written by the Apostle Paul are attempts to build communities who live their lives sacrificially in order to display God’s mercy to the world.
The idea that we are all just individuals who should live our lives in isolation from one another would be totally foreign to the people who actually wrote the Book.

As I wrote before, the in the Body of Christ there is no room for me; my; mine. It is always “Us.”
We are a community.
We must live like it.

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Palm Sunday…Virtually

Published by mhelbert on April 5, 2020

Today is Palm Sunday. This day marks the beginning of the holiest week in the Christian calendar. Today commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Less than a week later, we will remember His betrayal and crucifixion.
What began on such an exciting day in which Jesus was hailed as the King of the Jews, that signaled to the people living in occupied Palestine that all of the promises of God about their deliverance were finally going to be answered, fell so far off the rails in a matter of days.

It seems that the old saying about, ‘the best laid plans…’ is all too accurate.

But, as the story continues, all is not lost. God will get the final Word and Jesus will be exalted above every other.

As I reflect on the events of this week as we remember all that happened way back when, my thoughts wander to the final result of all of this.
The Exalted Messiah Jesus was the fruition of God’s plan for humanity from the very beginning. God had commissioned humankind to partner with the Divine purpose to be stewards and care takers of the world in which we live. God declared this arrangement to be ‘Very Good.’
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was the final proof that God’s plan was finally enacted.
And, through Jesus, humanity can both know God and be known by God.
We have been given the means to become a community of people who are empowered by God to be light in darkness and to give hope to the hopeless.
It’s our job description as God’s eikons; God’s image-bearers to follow in Jesus’ footsteps in order to fulfill God’s purpose here and now.

The reason this all came to mind today is because we appear to be fractured at this moment in time. Our collective reaction to the current health crisis has forced us to remain separate from one another. From outward appearances it would seem that our task has suddenly become exponentially more difficult, if not impossible.

But, (you know there’s always a ‘but’), this morning I logged into the Facebook live feed of a service from the church that I attend.
There was no congregation present to process waving palm fronds. We had no sharing of the Eucharist or even a friendly glance from others. We were all in our own shelters weathering this storm.
Yet, we shared in a few moments of prayer and reading. We used the same words and the same texts. We were, in effect, together while apart.
Yeah, that seems contradictory and paradoxical. Well, it is, actually.
One of the things about following Jesus is that our lives are mostly spent IN the paradox.
In the “Now,” but “Not Yet.”
In the Completion of the story, yet still on page one.

So, together we shared in the Communion of Saints as we, unified in purpose and spirit, worshiped our God and gave thanks for all that God accomplished during that most important week so many years ago.

May you all experience the unity that is in God.
And, may we all realize that, even though we may be separated by ‘social distancing,’ we are still truly inseparable in our shared humanity.

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Breaking Out To Become Light

Published by mhelbert on February 25, 2020

I’ve written before about the use of the word “Metamorphosis” in the Gospels and Paul’s Epistle to the Church at Rome. How it’s translated as “transformed,” or “transfigured.” I’ve also written that those words really seem to lack in nuance. Compare the image of transformed, like water when heated transforms into steam, with the image of Metamorphosis, a beautiful butterfly breaking free from its previous form.

This past Sunday the lectionary selections were from the Gospel according to Matthew and 2nd Peter. Both shared the story of Jesus’ transfiguration.
In that story we see Jesus going to the top of a mountain with his three buds, Peter, John, and James. While on the mountain Jesus was transfigured. His face shone brightly and his clothes became radiant. The Light that Is God filled Jesus and He shone as a source of light, not a reflection of it.
Stop here and think about that.
Visualize it in your mind’s eye.
What did that look like?
I’m just thinking, Wow!

As I listened to our parish priest talk about this, suddenly gears began falling into place.
I saw something beyond the exegesis that I shared at our Bible study that morning.
Our priest alluded to what I began to think.
That the Church, AKA the Body of Christ, may be the only Light that many people see. He went on to encourage us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Helping the poor, the outcast, the Other, and leaning into humanity just as God did in Jesus.

I get that.
That’s how we who follow Jesus should not just act, but should BE to the world around us.

I saw something else, though, in these texts.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told his followers, “You are the light of the world.”
Ok, cool. How do we do that? How do we become that Light that Jesus talked about?

Paul wrote to the Church at Rome and told them, “Hey, folks…don’t follow the ways of this world. Don’t let your life be formed in that mold. But, rather, allow your mind to be renewed so that you may Metamorphosize.”

I think that if we who follow Jesus truly desire to walk that path, we too, must experience that Transfiguration that Jesus experienced.
Somehow, our minds are capable of renewal and we are capable of experiencing transformation that will, in fact, make the Church a source of Light in this world.
A beacon of love and hope where all are welcome.

Unlike many who claim to be christian, who choose to remain in larval or pupate form, who eat and eat and eat, and take and take and take, we are asked to grow beyond that narrow life. We are asked to look to a Big God Whose Light may course through us a shine from deep within.

Let us seek God’s renewal.
Let us BE transformed.
Let us BE LIGHT!!!

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What Will It Take?

Published by mhelbert on January 17, 2020

Sitting in the quiet darkness of early morning.
That time of day when the gentle, white lace of frost
Caresses the grass and paints with delicate strokes upon windows.

My mind wanders paths strewn with the blown litter of oak and maple.
The creaks and cracks of the naked branches above as the gently breezes
Flow among their gnarled fingers.

And, I wonder…

Where does the sand in the glass go when it completes its task?
Time leaks into time with no direction other than Onward.

At what point do we stop and look around at our purposes and desires?
See! The Indigenous Peoples of the Earth have stories to tell.
Destroyers appeared on the horizon.
Pestilence, life Passes, Peoples Perish.

My mind sees a shadow on the plains.
Millions upon millions of stamping hooves.

Silenced.

People, lives, cultures…Gone.

I see the dense canopy of a billion leaves swaying in the wind,
Dripping the Elixir of Life, Water, onto the world of myriad creatures.

Fire; destruction; Death.

Everyday I see the result of greed and lust in vacant eyes and bleached bones.

When will we learn?

As the poet wrote,

any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.
John Donne Meditation XVII

I wrote the above as I considered our headlong leap into environmental disaster. Many people give no credence to the alarms sounded by people in the scientific community and elsewhere. We really don’t have to look beyond the Indigenous Peoples of the world. When the colonists came and destroyed their habitat, the cultures perished. Even as some Indigenous nations attempt to recapture their cultures and languages, they will be forever changed. And, not necessarily for the better.
What makes us so arrogant as to think that we will escape unscathed as we destroy our own environment?

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Thanksgiving: Some Thoughts

Published by mhelbert on November 27, 2019

Yesterday I shared a bit about the stress and anxiety that I experience during the holiday season. Like I said, I try to take steps to mitigate those things. I try to get necessary rest, take vitamins and other meds, use a Happy Light, and try to focus my thoughts and energy on things that may redeem this season and create a positive from the negative.

I have to admit, Advent and Christmas are much easier for me to grasp the redemption stories. They are all about Christ and the preparation for us to receive Him.

Thanksgiving, however, poses a bit of a conundrum.

After all, the holiday seems to be an homage to gluttony and self-serving individualism.
A far cry from the ideal that we say we celebrate.
And, I think we may be hard pressed to find too many Native Americans who are thankful that their land and cultures were invaded and destroyed as a result of that first meal.

What, then, can we take from this particular holiday that brings life and blessing for everyone.

Let’s take a look at what we consider the first celebration with the Wampanoag and the Puritans. Maybe there are a couple take aways that can help make this holiday more meaningful.

One of the first things that jumps out at me is the contrast of how that feast was celebrated.
Today, we usually gather with our own family. When I was growing up that included the extended family on my Mom’s side. We usually had about 20 or so. That is, until we kids grew up and started adding to the count with kids of our own.
The point, though, was that we were isolated in our own, comfortable familial cocoon.
Contrast that to how our forebears celebrated.
Theirs was a community feast where everyone gathered to celebrate a successful harvest. They shared whatever they had with the everyone in both the Puritan community and the Native American community.
Theirs reached beyond the doors of their houses and touched the lives of everyone.
Each brought to the table what they had. There were most likely the Three Sisters of Maize, Squash, and Beans. The hunters supplied meat. Those who plied the waters brought fish.

The point is, it was a communal celebration, not a private one.
Perhaps we may find something redemptive in that kind of sharing.

The were welcoming of the “Other.”
This may be the biggest redemptive act of the entire holiday.
As I was looking for something to help me wrap my head around this holiday, I got out my Book of Common Prayer and read the prayer for Thanksgiving.
Part of that prayer is,

” Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name.”

Notice that the prayer asks God to make us Faithful Stewards in order to provide for our own needs as well as those of All Who Are In Need.
The Native Americans did that very thing.
For reasons of their own, they chose to help these “Others” who had sailed across the sea and landed in their backyard. The Native Americans were Faithful Stewards of Creator’s bounty.
Note that the reason for this stewardship and sharing is to bring Glory to the Name of God.

Perhaps we, too, can not only be mindful of our stewardship of the resources we have been graced with, but can find ways to welcome and support those people who are looked upon as “Other” in our culture.

Maybe, just maybe, this holiday has some merit besides over-eating and falling asleep with a football game on the tube. Perhaps there is hope that God’s Good Grace may use this day for God’s Glory and our continued metamorphosis into the Image of God in Christ.

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Confirmed!

Published by mhelbert on November 25, 2019

Well, it’s official.
I am now a confirmed Episcopalian.

Yesterday I was one of 10 adults who stood in front of the Church where a bishop laid hands on us and welcomed us.

It was a bit weird.
Part of the Confirmation was that we state our intent to take Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Well, that’s something that I did nearly 50 years ago.
So, I guess this was more like a re-commitment to follow Jesus within the context of the Anglican Church.
Ok, I’m good with that.

What is significant for me, though, is that I am now accepted into a tradition that is ancient, yet modern.
It is larger than me, yet as small as my faith.

I have searched for nearly a decade for a Church community that I could embrace, and would embrace me.
A Church Home that is welcoming and inclusive.
A place where the Spirit of God lives and gives life.
Somewhere that diversity is sought and celebrated.

I have found that, and more, at St. Barnabas.

So, here I am, old and feeble, with yet another new beginning.

What will the future hold?

I haven’t a clue.

But, in this moment I am glad to be walking with these people, at this place, in this hour.

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The Work of the People

Published by mhelbert on November 12, 2019

The Divine Liturgy. Damaskinos, 1579-1584.

In just under two weeks I, and nine others, will be confirmed or received into the Episcopal Church at St. Barnabas. This will be the next step for me in a long journey as I searched for a community of people with whom to share life in Christ. The past few weeks we have been meeting for Episcopalian lessons, better known as confirmation classes. Last night we spent the entire two hour class going through, and celebrating, the Eucharistic Liturgy.
I want to share a bit about that.

Those of you who know me understand that I hold traditional liturgy in high esteem. Attending St. Barnabas was initially my attempt to find a liturgical church where I could fit in. I’m not entirely sure what was the draw to liturgy for me.
Was it the history of the tradition?
Perhaps, some.
Was it the ceremony and symbolism?
Yeah, probably.
Nothing really, though, stood out as my Must See Moment.

I have studied the liturgy ever since I was in seminary. I learned all about the theology behind the ceremonies. I delved into the history of the various actions and found out the reasons that certain words were used and when to use them.
As a student, I was enamored by all of these things.

That is, until last night.

Last night our priest walked us through the entire process from preparation and vestments all the way to the dismissal.
And, my eyes were opened to something that I had probably heard before. But, it had never really taken root in my heart.

Many people think that liturgy means some kind of ritual or tradition that people simply follow. However, the word “Liturgy” comes from the Greek word “leitourgia.” That word literally means “work of the people.” For the Liturgy truly is a group effort. It is not a spectator sport.

I saw during our class the substance behind the actions. These words, prayers, and actions were put into the Liturgy with Intent. They aren’t there just because some guy 5oo years ago thought it would be cool to bow here or cross yourself there. Each movement is a neatly choreographed piece of an intentionally constructed whole.

To be sure, the Liturgies that we now have are not prescribed by the Bible. The only parts of it that are found in Scripture are the Eucharist, which Jesus instituted, and Baptism. The prayers and readings and actions are extra-biblical and are not essential for either faith or salvation.
The Liturgy is, however, an effective help for the Church. It is a means by which a diverse group of people can gather with one voice and one objective.

The Liturgy is constructed in such a way that it focuses the intention of the community on the only worthy Object of our worship: God.
This isn’t a social gathering where we are obligated to maintain relationships with the other people.
It is far more significant than that.
We gather as a community for the expressed purpose of worshiping God: Father; Son; Holy Spirit.

I came out of a tradition that does things quite a bit differently.
In that tradition, the leaders were routinely called Shepherds. We, the faithful, were called the ‘flock,’ or ‘sheep.’ All apt metaphors found in the Bible.
But, therein also lies a distinction that many folks seem to overlook.
In my old tradition we were treated like sheep. We were herded into our sheep pen on Sundays where the shepherds would dutifully feed us whatever the sheep food of the week was.
The form that this took was, we got together to sing some songs so that we could feel good. Then, we got to sit and listen to a lecture telling us how to live and vote and stuff like that. All of this was done so that we could grow and mature as good church members.

Am I harsh? You bet. And, with good reasons. But, that’s a topic for another post.

The main difference that I see between these traditions is that the one from which I came out all of the emphasis was on Me. Was I fed? Did I get anything out of it? Was I touched by the Spirit? Me; My; Mine.
This could all be done in any motivational setting with similar results.
Were MY needs met?
Does this help ME grow as a person?

In a liturgical setting, like I mentioned above, the Only Object is God.
Everything about the Liturgy points to God. From start to finish; front to back, it’s all about God. Period.
Whereas the place I came from was always searching, searching to find a way to build Community, in the Liturgy we ARE community. We gather with one heart and one voice to come into the Presence of God and bow before the Divinity and Worship.

That’s it.

That’s plenty.

I have much to learn, yet, about the Liturgy and how it can be a real way to experience God’s Presence and Grace.
I have much to learn about how to set my intention, coordinated with the intentions of all who gather with me, on the only Object worthy of our Intention…God.

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A Head Really Does Need A Body

Published by mhelbert on November 3, 2019

Those of you who have visited here regularly, or who know me otherwise, know that I have a really passion for the Christian scriptures.
Maybe, not for reasons that some may think.
It’s not because the Scriptures themselves tell me to love them and meditate on them day and night.
It’s certainly not because I think that all of the answers to life’s questions can be found in them. (Spoiler alert: They can’t.

It’s because they hold so much stuff in them!
And, it’s fun to search them and mine for nuggets that I can take and put in my pocket.

Like today in our Bible study at St. Barnabas.
One of the lections for today was from the book of Daniel. It was from one of the visions recorded that Daniel experienced.
There were beasts and talking horns and a great throne with a white haired Guy sitting on it. There were flaming wheels and a molten river flowing from it.
There were at least a bazillion angelic attendants around the throne.
It was all quite a scene. Something from the mind of Spielberg, maybe.
We discussed how the genre of this passage is something called Apocalypse. It was a genre used to help people who were oppressed or otherwise persecuted get a glimpse behind the curtain in order to see that God was still with them and working on their behalf. It had nothing to do with actual beasts or kingdoms or some kind of obscure prophecy that simple minds like Hal Lindsey and John Hagee could come along and exploit for their own profit.
And, it was great fun to discuss this with folks.

One of my favorite things about reading the Scriptures, though, is when the writers agree with me.
Yep! That’s pretty cool.
Today I learned that the apostle Paul agrees with me on some things.
In fact, I think that if Paul was alive today, we would agree on a lot.
After all, he was a pretty smart guy.

In today’s New Testament lection, we read from Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.
He wrote about inheritances and calling and riches in glory. Good stuff!
But, what struck me was the last part of today’s passage.

Paul wrote about Jesus,

“And He put all things in subjection under His feet,
And gave Him as Head over all things to the Church,
Which is His body, the fullness of Him
Who fills all in all.”

If you read that carefully, you’ll notice that Paul seems to imply that the Church, or the Body, is somehow the fullness of Christ.
Christ appears to need the Church in order to be complete.

Now, I know that there are folks who are gonna stop and say,
“Whoa! Christ IS complete in Himself! He is Deity in human form.
He has NO NEED for anything else to complete him!”

Ok. I can get behind that.

But, what then is Paul talking about?

I’m glad that you asked that question. Because it gets right to the point where Paul agrees with me.
A Head with no body is, in fact, incomplete. A head can be a cool thing. But, actions like walking and touching and eating and such are pretty difficult without legs and hands and a stomach.
Let me paraphrase what one person said,
Christ’s love for the Church is so great that He can’t envision Himself as being complete without it somehow connected to Him, even as His own body.

We are needed and necessary to the plan of God’s redemption of the Cosmos. As I wrote before, we are co-workers with God as God establishes God’s reign on the Earth and in the Cosmos. We are not passive observers, fully fledged fellow laborers with Christ in the Garden of Christ’s redemption.

So, cudos to Paul for getting this right!
I always knew that he had it in him!

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