5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Php 2:4–11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
For most of us, this moment in time is a bit, well, unsettled. There is more uncertainty swirling around in the world than there usually is. Coronavirus; Politics; Economy; Find Waldo, er, Kim Jung Un.
You get the point.
We are frustrated and, if we’re honest, a bit afraid. Not necessarily afraid of Covid-19. We’re afraid of the uncertainty.
This is completely understandable. Especially, in a society that prides itself on being in control and self-sufficient. A culture where the idea of the Individual is elevated to near god-like stature. It is disconcerting to feel alone and, perhaps more importantly, not in control. So, yeah, I get it.
People need to vent their frustrations. We see this in the protests over stay at home orders. We see it in people ignoring those orders to open businesses and churches. There is a wave of ‘righteous indignation’ flowing over us.
None of us can see the ramifications of these actions.
That’s the problem, though, isn’t it? None of us can see…….
We can, however, see how all of this is affecting us. I look around at the way that business and industry have stepped up to provide necessary equipment for those who put themselves in harms way to care for the rest of us. I see the food pantries and volunteers doing whatever they must in order to help those who have suddenly found themselves in dire need of basic necessities. Those of us who are daily putting our own needs and desires aside and staying home and practicing Personal Distancing so that those who are on the ‘front lines’ may have a chance to do their jobs, well, “Good Job!”
There are people who say that there is little to no hope for our species. Or, the world, for that matter. They say that unless drastic measures are taken immediately we will go the way of the Dodo…soon.
There are others among us who say that this is just the beginning of judgement. Soon God will appear and the whole Cosmos will roll up like a scroll and burn.
I want to take issue with both of these outcomes and any others that would follow this kind of Doomsday script.
We all have choices.
We can choose to be Human. We can choose to let Empathy, rather than selfishness and fear, rule in our hearts and minds. There is Hope. If we can have Faith. And, more importantly, if we can extend Love.
I remember well a particular moment in seminary. One of my professors included in our syllabus a book by a guy named Brian McLaren. The book was titled, “A New Kind of Christianity:Ten Questions That are Transforming the Faith.” The reason that he assigned this particular book was because he knew that some time in our ministry we would run across the kind of heresy that McLaren advocated. He wanted us to be able to recognize it and to refute it. So, I read the book. And, it changed my life. I recognized myself in those pages. A questioner. A skeptic. A thinker. Instead of preparing me to do battle against this post-modern heresy, McLaren provided me with language to understand what I was already thinking. For me, knowing that there were others like me out there, this was a moment when a lock on the chains that had me bound to abusive religion clicked open.
If that sounds like a pitch for the book, ok, it kind of is.
However, as I’ve grown and reflected on my faith there is at least one area of McLaren’s book where I take issue.
In the book he provided a couple of images that contrast two views of how the Bible is read and understood. The first way is how many people in Western evangelicalism understand it. For them, the Bible is like a Constitution of a nation. It contains the rules of government and the laws that people must follow. For many, like me, this distills to the Bible simply being a Users’ Manual or a rule book. It contains the do’s and don’t’s that make humans somehow palatable to an angry God. Follow the rules and you win. Break them and, well, just don’t.
McLaren offered an alternative image. He wrote that the Bible should really be taken as a library. In it are 66 separate books that contain the stories of God’s interaction with humanity. Especially, God’s love for us. These books come in all shapes, sizes, and genres. There are legal books. There are stories to titillate our senses. There is poetry and narrative and correspondence. When we read each according to the genre we may glimpse a bit of God’s heart. We may begin to understand the love and pathos that God “feels” toward the Cosmos.
That was just what I needed to hear at that point of my journey in faith. It opened up a whole new way to think theologically. In fact, as I wrote a couple days ago, I had some new encouragement just to “Think”!
Now, however, I’m beginning to view the Bible in a slightly different way. Not to say that McLaren was mistaken. No, I see the point that he made and don’t totally disagree with it. I’m just not sure that he took the idea far enough.
Long before I went to seminary, I was becoming convinced about the error of reading the Bible as a rule book. That idea just didn’t sit well with me. I considered it more as story. Specifically, a love story about Yahweh’s love for us. I couldn’t articulate what I was thinking exactly. Mostly because I wasn’t sure of what a ‘story’ actually was. I did know, however, that I liked me a good story! From the Three Little Pigs to Tokien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, I loved immersing myself in the worlds that these stories inhabited. Now, having learned more about the craft of writing and doing a bit of writing myself, I’m more convinced than ever about the Bible’s coherence as Story.
From Genesis 1 to Revelation there is One story being told. This story has a protagonist: God. God is the main character throughout the entire story. God is responsible for all of the action. The Creation story is all about God acting to bring order from chaos and build a world in which every creature could thrive and grow. God’s activity contains act of power. A flood; a crumbling tower; plagues. Eventually, God’s greatest act of power was through God’s own love for the Cosmos. This was shown to us through the life, death, and resurrection of God’s own Son, Jesus.
The story also contains the necessary antagonist. And, it’s not who you may think. The true villain in this story is Sin. He shows up early in the story and stands in opposition to God and God’s purposes on virtually every page. Now, you may have thought the antagonist was that guy we call Satan. Well, this character is there, for sure. He is better known as the adversary. But, Sin is the one who actually calls the shots. Satan only exploits what Sin has already done.
There is a coherent plot to this story. In the beginning there is an idyllic world where all of God’s creatures lived and thrived in peace. God chose humanity to be God’s helpers in caring for this world. However, this plan was turned upside down by the entrance of the antagonist, Sin, using the Adversary as the means of disruption. The entire rest of the story is about God’s plan to set things right. Yeah, you read that correctly. THE ENTIRE REST OF THE STORY!
As every good story goes, there is a time when an apparent solution is presented. This shows up by way of the giving of Torah to the people who God chose to work with, Israel. This turns out to be a false solution. Torah, as good as it is, could not restore humanity or the creation to the way that God intended. Through many subplots and characters the condition of the Cosmos seems to spiral toward a nasty and messy end. In fact, it appears that all hope is lost. God cannot make things right. Nothing takes our hope away and dashes it on the rocks of despair more than when the story introduces a new character…Jesus. It seems that maybe this guy can be the One who finally performs the miracle of restoring the Cosmos. Yay! Look at him healing people and talking about God’s Kingdom peeking over the horizon signalling a new dawn of hope! Again, order coming out of chaos.
But, then, the story does what a good story must. It shows us that, alas, all hope is indeed lost. This new character, the One who seemed to be able to bring God’s good creation to fruition, Dead and buried.
This would have been a pretty sad story if it had ended here. Darkness and despair defeating Light and hope.
But, the story didn’t end there. We find out that Jesus really was God’s Person of the hour. God’s faithfulness to God’s Purposes and Covenant was vindicated. The new creation had, in fact, begun. And, the Good News of all of this is that all of humanity, already part of the story, can join with God in order see this new creation grow and prosper.
Ok. I can read the papers, too. The world is not a new Eden. It is still a horrible mess. And, it will be until the time when we all get to the end of the story. And, no, I don’t know what that end will look like. I do know what it won’t look like, though. There will not be a mass escape by humans who think that God is going to rescue them before God completely destroys the World. That idea isn’t in the book. In fact, it goes against everything else that the story was trying to build. It won’t be a theocratic dictatorship where everyone walks around bowing in obeisance to some glowing deity sitting on a huge throne somewhere. And, it definitely won’t be a place where smug survivors smile and say, “At least I’m not like those ‘sinners’ who got fried”!
Yeah, the Bible is a long story of God’s faithfulness to the Cosmos. There are a lot of twists and turns along the way. There is drama and tragedy. There is love and war. There is despair and hope. And, lots of action. All elements of a good story. So, rather than reading the Bible like a rule book or a collection of different and disparate books in a library, maybe we should begin to read it as One Story with many chapters. Although there are many different subplots and characters coming and going, it is still the same story.
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.
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.
When I began writing this blog way back in the dark ages, I never assumed that everyone who read it would agree with me. About anything. I did, however, promise myself that I would take any criticism seriously. Yeah, I know that there are trolls out there. They’re different. I won’t engage with them when/if I see them. However, serious comments that call me out for something that I write are welcome.
I received such a criticism yesterday. I don’t recognize the person’s name. So, at first I simply considered dismissing the comment. I didn’t, however. I approved it for viewing and replied.
Just so everyone understands what I’m doing here, let me explain a couple things.
All of us have blind spots. You know, those areas of our character that we simply cannot see. We need others who can point these out to us. Once they do, we have some choices. 1) We can dismiss them and ignore their observations. This may make us feel good about ourselves for a moment. But, the blind spot is still hidden. We will fail in that area again. 2) There’s the good ol’ American knee-jerk reaction that attacks the other person. If we can diminish them through a counter-criticism we can inflate our own ego and sense of self. No positive outcome will come of that. 3) We can deny what the other person says. “Who? Me? No way am I like that! You are soooo wrong!” Again, counter-productive. It keeps us living in Never-Never Land with the other children. 4) Accept what the other person says as plausible and take the time to reflect on it. This is the course that I choose when confronted with criticism.
This approach forces me to self-reflect on who I am and why I do things. It also, for me anyway, forces me to seek God’s Spirit to shine a Light on the area that has been questioned. You see, if there is a blind spot that someone else sees, then I need to have Help to see it myself and deal with it.
So, I sit. I pray. I reflect.
I ask questions of myself. Particularly, what are my purposes and motivations for writing the things that I do. Is it pride? Do I want people to see how educated and intelligent I am? Is it to be known? Do I want to see the number of views continue to grow? Is it anger? Do I desire to make those who have hurt me pay for their sins?
Is it to shine a light in the darkness of today’s culture and the world? Is it to truly offer people hope that the hurt they have experienced through religious or cultural abuse may be alleviated? Is it to reveal the Nature of God that is revealed in Jesus and brought to life through the Spirit to a world that desperately needs to see it?
If I am totally honest, it’s all of the above. And, more.
The apostle Paul is famous for writing about what we call the “Already, but Not Yet” reality of life in Jesus. Yes, there is truth to the fact that we are already living in a world that has been inaugurated into God’s new world. Jesus is risen. Sin and Death have been defeated. Already. But, we are not all the way there. Just look around and it’s obvious. Love has not blossomed all over the world. Hate, distrust, wars, suffering, hunger, etc. are still our lived reality. Not Yet.
For me, personally, that means that my motivations are, and will be, mixed. Altruism; Self-Centeredness. Me; You. Self; Others.
I can’t help that. Not while living in this tent.
It also means that I need people like yesterday’s critic to call me out when they see something that reveals a blind spot in my life. I don’t like it. Who does like the taste of the medicine? But, it’s necessary in this world to have those with the courage to speak out. So, to my critic, Thank You.
Today people who follow Jesus remember His death. Arrested the night before and subjected to a sham trial, Jesus was turned over to the Roman authorities and charged with sedition. The Romans accepted the charge and proceeded to mete out Roman justice. Jesus was stripped, beaten, mocked, spit upon, and ultimately crucified.
Israel’s Messiah.
Crucified.
Scandalous!
Soon after these events, and Jesus’ subsequent resurrection and glorification, people needed to understand what had happened. They thought and studied and prayed. They discussed and reasoned and argued.
They were all certain that something significant had taken place. But, were unsure of exactly what that was.
It wasn’t long before the early followers of Jesus saw in His death a parallel to an event that had taken place more than a millennium earlier. Jesus, they deduced, was God’s own Passover Lamb offered so that Sin and Death might no longer have a hold on the Creation. It was through Jesus’ own blood that God was proven faithful to the covenant that God made with Abraham. That covenant was that God, through Abraham’s lineage, would bless the whole Cosmos. God would, in effect, reverse the curse that had hung over humanity from the very beginning.
I know that I’m not giving the best or most concise view of what took place on that hill 2,000 years ago. That’s mostly because I simply don’t understand it myself.
Why did Jesus need to die?
Was it because of MY sins? Was it because of some personified thing called Sin? The writer of Genesis stated that when God confronted Cain about his anger God told Cain that Sin was crouching outside his door. But, that Cain could overcome that. If Cain could overcome Sin, then why did Jesus need to die?
If people who don’t know Jesus or Israel’s God can live upright and moral lives apart from God, why did Jesus need to die?
If Indigenous cultures contain no concept of Sin and live quite happily, why did Jesus need to die?
I know that common theological understandings say something like the blood of Jesus cleanses us. That it makes us whole. That, somehow, the blood makes peace between God and the Cosmos.
Ok. How? Why was that necessary? What actually took place?
The answers that I have heard don’t ring true to me.
Yeah, some folks say I ask too many questions. I should just shut up and accept what people way smarter than I am have to say.
Uh, no. That’s never gonna happen. I will continue to ask. I will continue to seek. I will continue to knock on the door.
Maybe, just maybe, one day a light will flash in my brain and I’ll finally get it. Maybe not.
But, that’s ok. Because whatever actually took place in the Cosmos on that day that we remember today, I will still follow Jesus. I will…
Some of you may be wondering why I have suddenly gone off on some weird theological tangent. “Why is he getting so worked up over something like this? It doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on in the real world right now!”
I get that. It does appear that I’m taking something that is not relevant pretty damned seriously. Especially, something that I don’t really have any control over. I mean, who am I to presume that my tiny brain and even tinier voice could have any impact on something as deeply entrenched as Western Christianity.
And, you would be right!
My voice is like a whisper in a hurricane.
That doesn’t give me a pass, though. For, at this particular moment in time the Voice in my heart speaks loud enough. That Voice compels me to speak. If only to one other person.
So, back to the question I asked. Why does this call for a new Reformation get me worked up? Why should I, or anyone, care?
I’m glad that you asked that question!
I believe with all of my heart that the Faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah and the trust that Paul, Peter, and all the rest of the nascent Way of Jesus was misunderstood by those who followed them. Particularly, those who, I’m sure in good faith, tried to reconcile a specifically Jewish narrative with the prevailing Hellenistic world. The introduction of the philosophies of Greece, particularly Aristotle and Plato, in effect co-opted Israel’s story and planted it firmly in soil that was unable to sustain the growth that Jesus, Paul, et al had begun.
Ok. So what?
In the Greek mind, as I wrote yesterday, the rich tapestry that was Israel’s story was reduced to binaries. Good/Bad; Black/White; Us/Them. Paul’s theology was likewise reduced to fit this worldview. What had been a beautiful Gospel of hope in the God of Abraham to reconcile the Cosmos was turned into a Frankenstein’s monster of Greek pieces with Biblical language used to justify the creation of such an aberration.
The result?
A dualism that allowed theologians to find in the Scriptures a way for humans to gain entry into some Ideal, Spiritual realm called “Heaven”. While at the same time creating a necessary antithesis to this called “Hell.”
The Gospel, and the Church at Large, became a means by which humans could receive salvation for their Immortal Souls. From there it was a very short step to compelling people to assent to some Church prescribed proposition that would somehow, (magically?), insure that they would one day walk with God in heavenly places while avoiding the Inferno that awaited Everyone Else.
Today, that’s pretty much the same false gospel that churches foist on unsuspecting people.
What? You want proof?
Look around! So called ‘evangelists’ standing with bullhorns on college campuses yelling at people to Repent or Burn! Evangelical groups standing at the entrance to clinics that offer Women’s Health care abusing women who may be at the most vulnerable time of their lives. People carrying signs outside of funeral homes that carry the message, “Death to Fags!” Scamvangelists like Paula White who is a counselor to donald trump. Hate mongers like Robert Jeffress and Franklin Graham who speak of God’s love out one side of their mouths while proclaiming eternal hellfire for anyone who doesn’t buy into their particular form of religious belief. Bircher and false prophey Tim LaHaye. Pseudo-Historian and christian nationalist David Barton. The dangerous heresy of the Seven Mountains. The damnable blasphemy that states the God. Hates. Your. Guts. Indigenous Genocide. Manifest Destiny. The wholesale destruction of our environment by people who believe, (Falsely), that God has mandated that humans subdue and use, (re. ‘Exploit’), the environment. The fact that I cannot walk into any Evangelical church without anxiety rearing up in my chest and mind. How about that thousands and thousands of people who have been abused by those who preach such a hateful message?
Need I continue? I surely can.
All of this…ALL OF THIS…is the result of humans who were deceived into believing a false gospel.
So, I write and I speak.
Do I claim to have all the answers to these issues?
Oh, hell no!
But, I do know a fake when I see it. And, the Western Church, by and large, supports and acclaims a false gospel. The true Gospel is one that reveals God’s love, not only for humans, but for the entire Cosmos. The true Gospel has the power to reconcile, not divide. Paul wrote that in Messiah Jesus there are no walls to separate. There is neither Jew nor Greek; Free nor Slave; Female nor Male. We can extrapolate this to say that there is neither Black nor White; Gay nor Straight; Republican nor Democrat.
The bastardization of the Gospel cannot say any of those things. It sole purpose is to divide. There is Saved and Damned; Believer and Pagan; Us and Them.
May that Gospel be damned!
So, yeah. I’m worked up about this. It’s of paramount importance to me to speak against these abuses and Blasphemies. Yeah. I said it. The “B” word. That’s what that false gospel truly is.
So, there it is. And, I will continue to speak out. At least as long as I must. If that bothers you, well ok. But, not sorry. If you have similar thoughts and feelings, please share this. Perhaps our collective voices may amplify these abuses until people begin to notice.
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.
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!!!
