Reading a fantastic book, Saving Jesus from the Church. Probably shouldn't have started reading it until I finished the seminary term, but made the mistake of opening the package, then opening the book. Best quote I didn't write but wish I had:
Thus, the most important question we can ask in the church today concerns the object of faith itself. Th earliest metaphors of the gospel speak of discipleship as transformation through an alternative community and the reversal of conventional wisdom. In much of the church today, our metaphors speak of individual salvation and the specific promises that accompany it. The first followers of Jesus trusted him enough to become instruments of radical change. Today, worshipers of Christ agree to believe things about him in order to receive benefits promised by the institution, not by Jesus.
This difference, between following and worshiping is not insignificant. Worshiping is an inherently passive activity, since it involves the adoration of that to which the worshiper cannot aspire. It takes the form of praise, which can be both sentimental and self-satisfying, without any call to changed behavior or self-sacrifice. In fact, Christianity as a belief system requires nothing but acquiescence. Christianity as a way of life, as a path to follow, requires a second birth, the conquest of ego, and new eyes with which to see the world. It is no wonder that we have preferred to be saved.
We explored familiar stories and passages in the New Testament yesterday in Sunday school...Jesus teachings. We explored them using the scholarship of John Dominic Crossan's book, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography. He looked at "blessed are the poor," the parable of the dinner party, teaching on family, and others, explored them in their first century context and illuminated the truly radical message of Jesus--one that we have completely domesticated or wrongly interpreted.
Just to talk about one example this story in Luke 14:15-24 where we see "someone" plan a great banquet, invite a bunch of people, and get turned down by all of them. The owner of the house becomes angry and says to his slave, go bring in "the poor the crippled, the blind, and the lame." Strike one. Those people are understood to be cursed by God. NOT someone you would want anyone to see you eating with. Then the master instructs the slave to go "into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled." Strike two. That could bring in anyone...poor or rich, male or female, Jew or Gentile...all are "compelled" (force, urge, insist) to come and eat...together...as equals....Strike three...the idea that all people could be equal...well 'nuff said.
But really, we should all do that. That's not such a big deal. Crossan reminded us that both then and now in any society, the rules of "tabling and eating are miniature models for the rules of association and socialization." (Crossan, p 68) Well, of course we should do that. All are welcome at our table.
Except, then he asked a series of questions that illustrated brilliantly exactly our problem--because all are not welcome at our table. Imagine, he suggests, a beggar shows up at your door asking for food. Do you:
1. give them food to go
2. invite them into your kitchen for a meal
3. bring them into the dining room to eat with your family
4. invite them back on Saturday evening for supper with a group of your friends
5. have them to a private dinner party for the vice presidents of the company for which you work.
I easily went the first three...then was a little hesitant for 4 at a gut level and 5 showed me I am not as radically inclusive as I think. What brings ache to my heart is the lack of opportunity for someone to even show up at
o0,.,.my door. We have, as a proudly Christian people, so structured our lives as to eliminate need from our eyes unless we need it for a mission trip or in order to mark a Sunday school envelope. We bring those bags of food for hungry children at Northwood Elementary, but we do nothing about the system that creates and sustains the hunger. In fact, truth be told, we often blame those families for their hardship. Everything Jesus does makes all people the same. "Radical Egalitarianism." No excuses. No compromises.
I need worship as a reminder of the reality of God in this world that is so very broken. But God help me not to think that worship is enough. It is the path that compels me...that path that has become so very hidden in the weeds of consumerism and comfort, of politics and preferences. I'm looking for that path, for the people already on it, and for those who want to walk it.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Be afraid...
Can we so completely domesticate the extraordinary power of God? Without even thinking about it!
Be afraid...be very afraid....
Saturday, March 19, 2011
It Looks Like Church...
There is a billboard on I-85 between High Point and Charlotte, NC. Visualize an old lady…and I say that because she is gray-headed, wears “granny glasses” and is dressed in contemporary clothes, but ones that suggest “old.” Read the message: EVEN YOUR GRANDMOTHER SAYS IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE CHURCH.
Catchy? Get your attention? Make you want one for your church? Yeah…we might get more people if we didn’t look like church.
Challenge: What does church look like that makes people want to NOT look like church? Jesus and the way he lived his life was completely compelling to those with whom he came in contact. What would church look like that would be compelling?
Our first thought, being the good Americans we are, evaluates how we look and what we sing and how closely we fit with an American culture of consumerism and entertainment. We spend tons of time and effort to decorate the sanctuary, change the music (God-forbid), eliminate prayers and other “insider” practices/language, and provide for every individual need (why the mega churches/large churches seem more successful—it’s hard for small congregations to have the resources to meet every individual need.)
We worship when it is convenient to the family schedule, where our needs are most conveniently met, and how that doesn’t make us uncomfortable physically, emotionally, or spiritually. That doesn’t strike me as what church should look like.
Check out the radical ministry of Jesus in any Gospel. Translate that into what church ought to look like. If we could live as Jesus lived, our billboards might read: IT LOOKS LIKE CHURCH…COME ONE IN.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Ashes...dust...grace...
There's always a moment. In the times where death and hopelessness seem overwhelming, God is always at work. Always. If I'm not seeing it, I'm in the way.
Ash Wednesday service and the haunting solo notes of Kyrie...kyrie...eleison float out over the gathered few. People rise to come forward for the imposition of ashes. Mother, daughter, infant grandaughter lead the line and I make the sign of the cross on the grandmother's forehead. Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return. And then, the infant. Big eyes...new life...possibility defined and I say as I rub her smooth skin with the rough ashes...Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return.
Breathe...breathe...because it takes my breath away. We are dust. We share mortality. But we are marked by this cross that says the most significant phrase I have ever heard and believe... In life and in death, we belong to God. I am humbled. I am blessed.
Ash Wednesday service and the haunting solo notes of Kyrie...kyrie...eleison float out over the gathered few. People rise to come forward for the imposition of ashes. Mother, daughter, infant grandaughter lead the line and I make the sign of the cross on the grandmother's forehead. Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return. And then, the infant. Big eyes...new life...possibility defined and I say as I rub her smooth skin with the rough ashes...Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return.
Breathe...breathe...because it takes my breath away. We are dust. We share mortality. But we are marked by this cross that says the most significant phrase I have ever heard and believe... In life and in death, we belong to God. I am humbled. I am blessed.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Mixing it up...
Nothing starts conflict like the phrase "company's comin'--especially if the company hasn't been there in awhile and is...f.a.m.i.l.y.
Someone is bound to be highly concerned about appearances. You want to put your best foot forward for company, especially if they haven't been around for awhile. On the other hand, someone is always making the argument that its family for pete's sake...they don't have to be entertained!
The wrestling match ensues. Who will win? (As an aside, the winner will be the mom if it is a family...FYI)
In the healthiest of systems, everyone wins. The tussle provides for clarity and compromise. Everyone gives a little and you provide warm hospitality without going overboard or losing sight of what is important...or killing yourself or others.
The other thing about healthy conflict is it deepens relationships. I grew up in a family where fighting was not allowed. Period. End. Of. Story. We either had to stop fighting immediately, or we were separated from each other. We didn't fight much. But my sisters and I aren't very close. We don't know much about each other and we don't know how to find out. So, mostly, we separate.
David Brooks wrote a column this week about a wave of research that challenges us to rethink "who we are."
This growing, dispersed body of research reminds us of a few key insights. First, the unconscious parts of the mind are most of the mind, where many of the most impressive feats of thinking take place. Second, emotion is not opposed to reason; our emotions assign value to things and are the basis of reason. Finally, we are not individuals who form relationships. We are social animals, deeply interpenetrated with one another, who emerge out of relationships.
Conflict can be a gift, whether it is conflict with each other or conflict with God. But, I think, we are called to enter that conflict as "social animals, deeply interpenetrated with one another...emerg[ing] out of relationships." Starting from an assumption of connection instead of individuality requires us more insistently to honor each other, listen carefully and respectfully, and be willing to give as well as take. Believe it or not, in any church, someone is always in conflict. The funny thing is that people on both extremes on any issues are in exactly the same place. My way is the only way. End. Of. Story. We pretend that the separation that then occurs is OK, because we can be our individual selves in the "right."
Ash Wednesday is upon us again. If we are honest, Ash Wednesday calls us to the only place we are all the same. Death. No matter what side of an issue we are on, we will die. So today, we are invited to enter a time of struggle, recognizing our weaknesses, embracing our mortality. We are invited to refuse to separate from God and from each other. That is the "give" of the season. Give it up. We are fundamentally pretty powerless...and when we think we aren't, we are delusional. The "take" of the season is that "in life and in death, we belong to God." Our mortal, powerless selves belong to a Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer who loves us and cares for us...who will never leave us.
For our God, it is not about appearances. It is not about family. It is about grace...Whew!
Someone is bound to be highly concerned about appearances. You want to put your best foot forward for company, especially if they haven't been around for awhile. On the other hand, someone is always making the argument that its family for pete's sake...they don't have to be entertained!
The wrestling match ensues. Who will win? (As an aside, the winner will be the mom if it is a family...FYI)
In the healthiest of systems, everyone wins. The tussle provides for clarity and compromise. Everyone gives a little and you provide warm hospitality without going overboard or losing sight of what is important...or killing yourself or others.
The other thing about healthy conflict is it deepens relationships. I grew up in a family where fighting was not allowed. Period. End. Of. Story. We either had to stop fighting immediately, or we were separated from each other. We didn't fight much. But my sisters and I aren't very close. We don't know much about each other and we don't know how to find out. So, mostly, we separate.
David Brooks wrote a column this week about a wave of research that challenges us to rethink "who we are."
This growing, dispersed body of research reminds us of a few key insights. First, the unconscious parts of the mind are most of the mind, where many of the most impressive feats of thinking take place. Second, emotion is not opposed to reason; our emotions assign value to things and are the basis of reason. Finally, we are not individuals who form relationships. We are social animals, deeply interpenetrated with one another, who emerge out of relationships.
Conflict can be a gift, whether it is conflict with each other or conflict with God. But, I think, we are called to enter that conflict as "social animals, deeply interpenetrated with one another...emerg[ing] out of relationships." Starting from an assumption of connection instead of individuality requires us more insistently to honor each other, listen carefully and respectfully, and be willing to give as well as take. Believe it or not, in any church, someone is always in conflict. The funny thing is that people on both extremes on any issues are in exactly the same place. My way is the only way. End. Of. Story. We pretend that the separation that then occurs is OK, because we can be our individual selves in the "right."
Ash Wednesday is upon us again. If we are honest, Ash Wednesday calls us to the only place we are all the same. Death. No matter what side of an issue we are on, we will die. So today, we are invited to enter a time of struggle, recognizing our weaknesses, embracing our mortality. We are invited to refuse to separate from God and from each other. That is the "give" of the season. Give it up. We are fundamentally pretty powerless...and when we think we aren't, we are delusional. The "take" of the season is that "in life and in death, we belong to God." Our mortal, powerless selves belong to a Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer who loves us and cares for us...who will never leave us.
For our God, it is not about appearances. It is not about family. It is about grace...Whew!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Finding the Way...
Today is another depressing day in real life. (Not everything is depressing...but waffling around doesn't make a very compelling blog.) This morning the North Carolina news reports that the billions-dollar budget shortfall is likely to be partly addressed through the elimination of the state Earned Income Tax Credit for the poorest of our residents. Twenty-two percent of NC children (494,023) live in poor families. Some of their parents have full time jobs. Some work part time or part year. (Read more...)
Republican Representative Edgar Starnes said about the possible cut (which gives families about $288 dollars in state refund a year), "If you owe zero taxes to the state of North Carolina, that's a pretty good benefit." (insinuating that $288 is some spectacular amount of money for a family living below the poverty line?) Perhaps these children have lazy parents. Perhaps they have parents who look for jobs and can't find them. Perhaps these parents work one or two jobs and still can't make a living for their children. (All of those are legitimate scenarios in today's North Carolina.) Starnes self identifies as an investment broker--the bottom 10% of which earn about $66,000 a year. Starnes also brings home NC Representative salary of just under $14,000 (in 1997). Now I don't know this for sure, but I bet any of those parents would be thrilled to give up their EITC for Starnes minimum salary of $80,000. I bet they would even be happy to pay some taxes.
What hurts is our willingness to balance our budgets on the backs of our poorest citizens while working hard to not tax those of us who make a reasonable amount of money. $300 a year tax for one poor family would cost me less than $30 a month. I spend a good bit more than that eating out at lunch for the sake of convenience.
What hurts even more is the feeling that I absolutely cannot influence the process. It seems like those with major resources always need more, even though those "jobs" we are assured the wealthy tax cuts will create never materialize. It just seems to be a hole we cannot get out of. In our national congress this week we cut 4 billion of programming costs, but every Republican voted to maintain all oil subsidies that would have saved us 30 billion dollars. What is right about that?
So what to do? Grouse? I do that well...but this morning I read a line from Quest for God by Abraham Joshua Heschel...and I quote:
Prayer...is, rather, like a beam thrown from a flashlight before us into the darkness. It is in this light that we who grope, stumble and climb, discover where we stand, what surrounds us, and the course which we should choose. Prayer makes visible the right, and reveals what is hampering and false. In its radiance, we behold the worth of our efforts, the range of our hopes, and the meaning of our deeds. Envy and fear, despair and resentment, anguish and grief, which lie heavily upon the heart, are dispelled like shadows by its light.
So, my plan is to pray...and look ahead into the darkness hoping I can see what God has in mind, is doing to bring it about, and what part I might play in that. Here's to finding the way...
Republican Representative Edgar Starnes said about the possible cut (which gives families about $288 dollars in state refund a year), "If you owe zero taxes to the state of North Carolina, that's a pretty good benefit." (insinuating that $288 is some spectacular amount of money for a family living below the poverty line?) Perhaps these children have lazy parents. Perhaps they have parents who look for jobs and can't find them. Perhaps these parents work one or two jobs and still can't make a living for their children. (All of those are legitimate scenarios in today's North Carolina.) Starnes self identifies as an investment broker--the bottom 10% of which earn about $66,000 a year. Starnes also brings home NC Representative salary of just under $14,000 (in 1997). Now I don't know this for sure, but I bet any of those parents would be thrilled to give up their EITC for Starnes minimum salary of $80,000. I bet they would even be happy to pay some taxes.
What hurts is our willingness to balance our budgets on the backs of our poorest citizens while working hard to not tax those of us who make a reasonable amount of money. $300 a year tax for one poor family would cost me less than $30 a month. I spend a good bit more than that eating out at lunch for the sake of convenience.
What hurts even more is the feeling that I absolutely cannot influence the process. It seems like those with major resources always need more, even though those "jobs" we are assured the wealthy tax cuts will create never materialize. It just seems to be a hole we cannot get out of. In our national congress this week we cut 4 billion of programming costs, but every Republican voted to maintain all oil subsidies that would have saved us 30 billion dollars. What is right about that?
So what to do? Grouse? I do that well...but this morning I read a line from Quest for God by Abraham Joshua Heschel...and I quote:
Prayer...is, rather, like a beam thrown from a flashlight before us into the darkness. It is in this light that we who grope, stumble and climb, discover where we stand, what surrounds us, and the course which we should choose. Prayer makes visible the right, and reveals what is hampering and false. In its radiance, we behold the worth of our efforts, the range of our hopes, and the meaning of our deeds. Envy and fear, despair and resentment, anguish and grief, which lie heavily upon the heart, are dispelled like shadows by its light.
So, my plan is to pray...and look ahead into the darkness hoping I can see what God has in mind, is doing to bring it about, and what part I might play in that. Here's to finding the way...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)