My heart hurts.
Torn by the Wind
Casting Aeolian dust in a minor key.
Obscuring hopes of enlightenment.
Darkening the landscape with glass mites that bore and shred,
Creating raw contours. Exposing nerve and synapse to
Elements tormenting.
How this affectation effects affection?
Where is affection?
I don’t know.
Lost to the Wind.
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Dear Diary,
Well, here we are. September 18, 2019. Hump Day.
Whoopee fizz.
While it may be true that the Sun will come up today somewhere, a shadow remains over my heart. I can’t see what’s casting that shadow.
The darkness is palpable. A chill has settled over the verdant fields of my soul. The bright colors of green, yellow, and red have become monochromatic; gray and dull.
Where are the birds that skitter in the bright, blue sky? Their songs expressing joy and gaiety in far better language than 240 characters allow.
Have the deer lost their ability to bound over the hills and through the vales that texture my dreamscape? It seems so.
Yet, there is hope.
Because somewhere, the Sun will arise.
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Listening to the news and current events can be disheartening.
Conflict rages all around the globe.
Corporations fight other corporations and governments in order to guarantee themselves a bigger slice of the economic pie.
Religious groups wage holy war against other religions and even factions within their own religious communities.
Conservatives and liberals line up in battle lines much like our ancestors did. Firing rounds indiscriminately hoping to hit someone on the opposite side.
It’s an understatement to say that we, as fellow inhabitants on this planet, have become polarized.
What is even more disheartening for me is the way in which those of us who chose to follow Christ are divided.
We kick and claw at one another.
“No, you’re wrong!” says one faction.
“How can you say that? The Bible is clear that YOU are in error!” screams another.
“I belong to Apollos!”
“I follow Paul!”
“No, you’re both wrong! Peter has the true way!”
It seems that this thing called the Church is not only vulnerable to all of the forces of human nature, it is also quite fragile.
It breaks and fractures easily.
The broken pieces crash to the floor and scatter every which way.
It’s almost impossible to not become discouraged and lose hope.
So, I did the only thing that I could think of in order to wrap my head around these things.
I prayed.
I asked God to put those of us who follow Christ in the shadow of God’s wings. Not to protect us. But, to empower us.
For what?
I’m glad you asked!
To empower us to be the Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation that the Scriptures claim that we should be. To be harbingers of the Reign of God in this world. Here. Now. Just as Jesus of Nazareth was 2 millennia ago.
Not, however, as so many people who lay claim to christianity do.
Recently, I’ve been studying Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia. In it, Paul had some interesting things to say about the state of affairs in that church. After Paul and his friends had established the young community and moved on to other places, it appears that some other folks came in to stir things up a bit. These others were, according to the text, teachers of the Jewish Law who also followed the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. They claimed that in order to be Real True Christians, the people in Galatia had to conform to Jewish rules that set them apart from other people. These so called works of the Law were male circumcision, dietary restrictions, and observation of the Sabbath and other Jewish Holy days.
The Galatians were confused. But, they listened to their elder brothers in Christ and began to embrace these requirements.
When Paul got wind of what was happening he just about burst a blood vessel. He wrote a rather pointed letter in which he called these later teachers, “Accursed!”
No, he wasn’t happy at all.
He then spent the rest of the letter explaining what the problem with these practices were and why they were so dangerous.
The underlying point to all that he wrote was, “What makes you think that what was started in the Spirit could possibly be completed in the flesh?”
To clarify, Paul’s usage of the term “flesh” in this entire letter refers to conforming to the Jewish rules of purity that those other teachers had insisted be followed.
And, to be equally clear, one of the most egregious results of following those rules is that they erect barriers that separate people from one another. And, in Paul’s argument, they can also separate people from God.
Ok, so what does any of this Paul stuff have to do with why I feel disheartened and in need of God’s empowering?
Because, many in today’s church follow the example of those Jewish teachers way back when. They say that they follow God and God’s Spirit. But, in reality they lay obstacles in the path of people who need God in their lives.
“You can’t follow God if you’re gay!”
“If you don’t stand for the national anthem, you can’t possibly be Christian!”
“Abortionist! Murderer! Not Christian!”
I could go on and on with the works of law that many people require of any Real True Christian.
That’s not what I see Paul saying to the people who were trying there best to follow the Way of Christ.
“What was begun in the Spirit must be completed in the Spirit.”
While that seems a simple statement, it requires the empowerment I wrote about earlier.
It requires people who take the idea of Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation seriously enough to realize that the rules and laws that so many people try to enforce simply have no place in the Kingdom of God.
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In May my parish Priest asked if I’d be willing to lead an adult Bible study. He had led one in the weeks before Lent. Some people seemed to enjoy that and asked if it could be revived. So, he came to me. (Scary, I know!)
I agreed to take on the project. Not so much as a ‘leader’ or ‘teacher.’ But, rather as a facilitator. I would be someone who could add context and color to the study. There was no way that I would presume to tell people what the ‘Bible says,’ or ‘this is what God said.’ That’s not study. That’s at best preaching. And, at worst, bullshit.
Anyway, as I prepared myself for this role, I spent a lot of time quietly in God’s presence. That’s a good place to be, by the way. I was considering where this study would take those of us who joined together for it.
And, I was not disappointed. God did reveal a snippet of Grace that illuminated a path that could be traveled.
For years, (and years), I had been told by those who supposed that they knew what they were talking about, that there were “nuggets” of truth hidden in the pages of Scripture. We needed to dig deeply into the text in order to find and unearth these precious bits of God’s will for our lives. It was hard work being a miner. And, the payoff, while precious, was always just a ‘nugget.’
But, in the quietness of God’s presence I saw something different.
Far from being a dark, dirty mine from which we needed to crawl into in order to find a bit of blessing, I saw the Scripture as a vast, living, and vibrant world. It was a world where the sun shone brightly on fields of ripe grain. There were trees laden with fruit just waiting to be picked and eaten. Birds were flying in the sky. There were mountains and oceans. It was a world where we could pick the grain for food, or distill it for our happiness and enjoyment.
This IS the world of Scripture. This IS where the Spirit of God dwells. This is the world that I wanted to open to those who came to listen.
So far, the study has gone well. I think. At least the same people keep coming back every week. ;o)
I hope that together we can develop a passion to wander in this Living World of the Bible. A passion that will make us better readers of it, for sure. But, also will allow us to pick some fruit and sit under a tree in God’s World.
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It should really be a no-brainer. In fact, it seems that if you love God you will necessarily love your enemy.
Right?
For anyone whose home isn’t in some cave deep in the jungle that statement would ring true. But, for those of us who live and breathe in the U.S. things are a bit more nuanced, to say the least.
I spend a lot of time reading blogs, essays, and news reports from various sources. (Admittedly, Fox News is not one of them.) These pieces cover subjects from climate change to koalas with VD.
There is one topic that seems to garner a bit more than its fair share of coverage. That is, White Evangelicalism.
What is this, you ask?
White Evangelicalism is the broad umbrella that folks use to cover White conservatives who share some kind of Evangelical faith in God. These are the folks who voted overwhelmingly for Donald “Pussy Grabber” Trump. Some polls show that a good 83% of these people who profess to follow Jesus of Nazareth voted for him.
White Evangelicals are largely conservative politically and socially. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that. I respect their right to make those choices and will go to the mat with anyone who would try to take that right away. However, many of these people go well beyond simply supporting conservative causes. These others actively work to deny the rights of others to express themselves in a like fashion.
People like Steven Anderson, pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church. Pastor Anderson is vocally anti LGBT. His hatred for LGBT people has gotten him banned from several countries in Africa and Europe.
There’s Robert Jeffress of First Baptist in Dallas. He is a noted supporter of Mr. Trump and other hard-line, nationalist conservatives. In his mind it seems that there are only two groups of people, White Evangelicals and Everyone Else. Everyone Else is, well, you get it. He and others whom historian John Fea refers to as Court Evangelicals have an agenda that seems to desire an American theocracy with White Evangelicals at the helm. No other solution to what they see are the ills that plague this nation is possible. For them it is a zero sum game where any gain by Everyone Else is necessarily a loss for White Evangelicals. Period. End of story. This causes Pastor Jeffress and others like him, say, Franklin Graham, Jim Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Jr., and others to view Everyone Else as enemies to be vanquished.
So what? Who really cares what a bunch of crotchety old white guys think, anyway?
Well, me for one.
Yeah, I consider myself part of Everyone Else. But, that’s not why what these people think or say. The thing that bothers me is that they spew their hatred for Everyone Else in the name of Jesus. And, I’m sorry, that doesn’t cut it. These people don’t get a free pass to hate others in the name of a Person who hated no one.
So, a few days ago as I was praying I had to confess to God that I felt that these people were enemies of the Gospel. That also made them my enemies. This was hard for me to say. After all, I lay claim to faith in God through Christ. Just like many of those White Evangelicals do. Shouldn’t I consider them my sisters and brothers? After all, not all siblings get along real well. But, they’re still siblings none the less.
Well, maybe. I supposed sisters can grow up in a way that will alienated them from their sisters and brothers. They could technically become ‘enemies.’
But, what I feel is different. It’s like these people are illegitimate children. Bastards born of a different lineage all together. How was I to deal with this? Should I attack them like they attack Everyone Else? No, that doesn’t sound right. Should I embrace them and engage with them with the love of Christ? That sounds like enabling. I don’t think that’ll work either. What then?
So, I prayed.
A couple of days before this I led a Bible study at the church I attend. One of the texts we looked at was Psalm 8. In that Psalm is this line: ” Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger,” NRSV. I don’t like that translation so much. Looking at the original language I think a better translation would be, “Out of the mouths of children and sucklings You have established a stronghold that will silence Your foe and avenger.” It seems that the praise of those who are the weakest and most vulnerable is capable of silencing the loud clamor of those who stand opposed to God.
I realized that I don’t need to take White Evangelicalism to task. I really don’t even need to deal with them at all. My first obligation is to praise God and live in a manner that reveals God’s heart for EVERYONE, (White Evangelicals included). By doing that and encouraging others to do likewise, the voices of the Enemy will be silenced.
Should we love our enemies? Yeah. But, that doesn’t mean that we must engage with them on their terms. Our first responsibility is to love and engage with God. Anything more is just noise.
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Who are You?
Whom shall I say sent me?
“I Am That I Am.
You will tell them that I Am has sent you.
I Am the One who exists at this moment.
Absolute. Unchangeable. Ever-living.
I Will Be Whom I Am Becoming.
Ever revealing My redemption.
I Will Be what you look for and need.
I Will Be Whom I Will Be.
Not yet revealed. Not yet known.”
God has been called many names. It seems that people are always looking for ways to describe that which is indescribable. There is one name, however, that was recorded as the self-identifier of God.
The short verse above is a play on that.
The name “I Am that I Am” is the most popular. People use this to make God something that is far beyond our limited ability to understand. God simply ‘IS.’ God exists. God is wholly ‘Other.’
Yet, this God spoke to Moses as one Person to another. Intimate.
Personal.
Others interpret the Name actively. “I Am Becoming,” or, “I Will Be.” This has
the flavor of something that isn’t quite done growing. It’s nature is not
complete. Or, it has not been revealed in its completeness.
This is the God that I give my allegiance to.
This is the Living God who will outgrow any box that we may use to confine the Divine.
This is the God Who may be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow,
But, it is impossible for me to know what that was, is, or may become.
Because God is always Becoming God.
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Earlier today I wrote about the diversity of cultures and their intrinsic worth in the eyes of God. I hold that to be dear to my heart.
One point , though…
I am not indigenous. So, if I was to appropriate their spiritual practices I would very quickly find myself in error. It works the same way as demanding that ALL cultures embrace the Western Church’s spirituality. It’s just wrong.
I do have a spiritual heritage that does find its roots in the Western Church. For me, God worship should find its foundation in the historic practices that singularly identify the Church within the context of the World. I find people like Jonathan Aigner quiet refreshing as they urge us onward toward our better selves in worship. And, I have to agree with his assessment of contemporary styles of worship. They are shallow and without Soul. Click on the post below to read Jonathan’s recent post about this.
Yay, Jonathan!
Leave a CommentOne of the basic tenets of Western Christianity is that only those people who believe in Jesus as the Son of God can be saved or accepted by God. They cite especially the text in the Gospel According to John where Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me.”
That does sound pretty exclusive.
So, missionaries and colonists took their understanding of God and the Gospel and went out to the uttermost parts of the world in order to make disciples of all people.
It looks like the right thing to do. From a certain point of view.
A point of view that I no longer find tenable.
As I walk among friends from diverse cultures I find that God has already shown up to them. No, not like with Jesus. But, truly the influence of Creator is not the personal property of Christians or Jews. Creator has touched the hearts and lives of billions of other souls in ways that we in the West just don’t seem to understand.
And, THAT’S OK!
We don’t need to understand. We do, however, need to love and encourage each of these cultures to cultivate their relationships and understand of God. We can do that without imposing our Western culture on them.
So, I have no problem sharing this link to a group called, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. These women have a heart for Creator, Creation, and all those who call this big piece of space rock home. I believe that they have truly experienced God. Their Way, Truth, and Life may look different than mine. That doesn’t mean they are wrong.
So, I invite you to click on the above link and check them out. Who knows, we may all learn something!
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Yesterday I shared a post by Carl McColman entitled “The Contemplative Life in Three Easy Steps.” I mentioned how I shared his perspective on prayer as it may evolve over time. From a simply legalistic view to a more unitive, contemplative view.
My own prayer and faith keep me on my toes. What I thought was simple yesterday has today become more involved. And, in some cases tossed on the trash pile. Such is the way faith and faithfulness works. It’s not static or one size fits all. I’m thankful for that. At the same time, I wish that it wasn’t so. I think it would be much easier if the faith once given and accepted would remain as it is. Yeah, people should grow and mature. But, the Faith? Nope. It should be bedrock and unmovable.
It appears, though, that God has a sense of humor. God gets Divine Jollies by tossing curveballs at us. What we thought and believed yesterday no longer applies. The things that we ignored or rationalized by saying that believing is seeing, rather than seeing is believing are acceptable for children and infants. Not so much for mature adults. It’s sad that so many adults don’t understand that. But, that’s a topic for another post.
Over the last several years I have struggled with faith. Especially, as it was described to me in the Evangelical churches I was a part of. In fact, after I left the last church in 2012 I had difficulty even walking into any church. Church PTSD is a real thing. Even today there are certain churches that I become severely anxious walking into.
That said, I have begun to understand a bit better where some of these folks are coming from. While there are wide gaps in our understanding of theology, God, the Bible, etc., there is also a kinship that cannot be denied. With any sibling relationship there are bound to be rivalries. Familial disagreements and arguments will flair up. Some of them will most assuredly be difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile. That’s the reality of things.
Is that the way things should be? Perhaps not. But, it is the easiest way.
It’s easy for me to look at people like Robert Jeffress, Jerry Falwell, Jr., or Sarah Sanders. These are people that it’s very easy for me to dislike and regard in a poor light. After all, everything that they seem to say looks like it’s contrary to the “clear teaching of Scripture.” That’s funny, because I’m usually the first one to say that there is no such thing. The Scriptures are multifaceted. There really is no one, clear way to understand all of it.
So, I’m left with choices. I can make the easy choice and simply dismiss these people as dismally misguided. Even as heretics! And, I can provide a sound Biblical basis for that pronouncement. I could even find justification by pointing the many, many victims of the toxic theology that sometimes comes from these folks.
I could also choose to not go there. I can choose to accept that we are not all at the same point on our journeys. We may not even be on the same path! If we are, however, trying our best to walk where God desires us each to walk, then we are still fellow travelers. Maybe even siblings.
There’s a lot more that I may unpack about this. One blog post isn’t a statement of faith. Nor, can it be comprehensive in scope.
If you would like to share a bit of your story, please use the comments. And, be sure to select Subscribe in the sidebar to receive notifications about future posts.
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It’s odd. This morning during my quiet time I wrote some stuff in my journal wondering about the “Why” of prayer. Why do I do it? What outcome, if any, do I desire? At the end my response to myself was, “to join with God.” Simple. No stipulations on what that should look like. Just, “join with God.” Or, perhaps better, “to be joined together with God in unity.”
Here is a post by Carl McColman that I just read that takes that idea and expands on it. Coincidence? Like Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I don’t believe in coincidence.
