Grace...the Real Power of God

A couple of days ago during my morning time with Yahweh, I read from Acts. In chapter  4, I read the following:

            v. 33b – And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them All

            34 – that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who     

                    owned land or houses sold them brought the money from the sales

            35 – and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

I found this interesting. The writer, presumably Luke, starts by writing that God’s power was evident among the community of Christ followers. When I think of God’s power I think of healing and deliverance and other acts of power. But, he described the activities of the people as evidence of God’s powerful actions. It seems as though God’s grace and power were revealed through the love and generosity of the people. Lives were changed, i.e., transformed, in such a way that it was visible through these gestures of love a care.

As I reflected on God’s work as we read in the entire Bible, I see most of it deals with this kind of caring for one another. We spend so much time in so-called ‘deep’ theology that the simple acts of devotion go by and are missed. Our church leaders spend so much time trying to build fences to keep the sheep penned up that they give us neither time nor opportunity to simply live and love. But, these couple of verses in Acts shows that the leaders were distributors of God’s grace. Grace that enables people, all people, to detach from the cares and worries and false security offered by this world’s systems. Grace that causes people to develop empathy for others. Grace that is reflected back to the Giver through acts of service and kindness.

Nothing deep. No creeds. No doctrine. No magic beams. Just simple love. Jesus did leave that to us as a command. He never said to go and believe orthodoxy. He said, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’

Curds are curds are curds

Christ followers have a tendency to curdle into small lumps. These lumps have affection, or at least a modest tolerance, for others in their lump. Now, some of these lumps think that they are the one and only true curd. All others are some kind of fraudulent curd. They may look like the real curd, smell like the real curd, maybe even taste like the real curd. But, they cannot be the real curd. Problems tend to arise when there is a whole bowl full of curds stating that they are the only true curd. They are forced to rub their curdy little elbows because they're all in the same bowl. This makes them extremely uncomfortable. They wish that they could have their own bowls. In fact, many of the curds believe that as long as they can keep from being polluted by the other pseudo-curds, they will when a special time comes be transported to their own bowls in some kind of glorified curdled curd. The truth is, however, that curds are curds. They are all formed out of the same curd-making stuff. The little curd battles that they fight do nothing but deform themselves.
This is kind of the way that I feel about a lot of what I read from various sources. There are the self-proclaimed gatekeepers of evangelicalism, Albert Mohler, Owen Strachan, and others. These people are convinced that their understanding of Jesus and the Church is the only possible understanding. Any who would differ with them are on one slippery slope or another that inevitably leads to some disastrous outcome. They lead through fear and manipulation.
There are others, like Fred Clark and Tony Jones who are more than willing to point out the deficiencies of Mohler and company. But, they are also willing to point out their own deficiencies. That's kind of refreshing, but it's still one curd calling another curd a curd.
There are still others who simply refuse to get involved. They ignore the other curds in the bowl. I think of much of the Orthodox faith. They are content to play by themselves.
Then there are folks like Brian McLaren and Justin Lee. These people can see the distinctions between people and their beliefs. They use their experience as a guide to what they think and believe. Both, but especially Lee, are gracious toward others. Even when that other really deserves to get smacked up-side the head. People like these give me some hope for us as a species.
One of the things that we tend to miss in all of the posturing and arguing is how much we really need each other. In the so-called 'bigger picture,' we are all still fellow travelers on this big ol' marble in space. According to the Bible, we have are co-workers in the field of Yahweh. So, we can be different and still united. I think they call that diversity.
Anyway, all that to get to this. I was reading a poem by Walt Whitman this morning. He was by no means a devout follower of Christ. Yet, he seemed to understand our need for one another better  than most of us who do claim to follow Yeshua. His poem, "Stronger Lessons"...

Have you learn'd lessons only of those who admired you,
        and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?
Have you not learn'd great lessons from those who reject
        you, and brace themselves against you? or who treat you
        with contempt, or dispute the passage with you?

Maybe we do need to stop and take a closer look at those other curds. We may find ourselves in the process.

Imago Dei

Read an interesting blog this A.M. It reveals much of the current direction that Christ followers are taking theology. I find the position refreshing. If for no other reason than it provides fodder for reflection. For those of you who know me, that's one of my favorite past times! Anyway, here is the link. Please take a minute to read it. Then take more than a minute to reflect.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/emergentvillage/2013/01/the-image-of-holiness/#comment-13066

Dorothy Day: A Hidden Treasure

The title of this really isn't fair. Dorothy Day is far from hidden. In fact, there are many who are seeking her canonization as a saint in the Roman Church. But, for most protestants she remains somewhat hidden. I had never heard of her until I read an excerpt from one of my devotional books. The heading of the section of the devotional is 'Service.' I read the brief bio that stated that she was a social activist and union organizer in the early part of the 20th century. The fact is, she was a Socialist. But, something happened. According to the bio, "while working as a journalist in New York City, Day moved from atheistic socialism to Christian belief, shocking her friends by embracing Roman Catholic faith." She met a man, Peter Maurin, and together they co-founded the Catholic Worker movement.
As I read through the devotional that was taken from her autobiography, The Long Loneliness, I was struck by this person's concern for the poor and marginalized. As I prayed afterwards I was drawn to check out the website of the Catholic Worker movement. A quick search took me to http://www.catholicworker.org/index.cfm. I began to poke around on the site. I did not spend a lot of time reading the various articles and pages that were there. However, tears began to flow. I wept as I simply viewed what these saints were doing.
I am a follower of Jesus. He said,
                         The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 
                         Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. 
                         He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, 
                         And recovery of sight to the blind, 
                         To set free those who are oppressed,
                         To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19
While we argue about who is 'in' and who isn't, countless people are suffering from hunger and cold and sickness. The questions about 'Gays' or socialists or whatever, you fill in the blank, simply are not important. Jesus came to save. He healed and he fed the hungry and he fought for the marginalized. Should we not be with him? Dorothy Day shames us. I hope the Roman church does canonize her. And, I hope the rest of us will honor her with our actions.

St. Francis' Prayer

I've been reading quite a lot from blogs and news sources. Listened to people talk. And I find the polarization sometimes disconcerting. Especially, among those who follow Yeshua. I understand that people hold differing positions and opinions on myriad topics. These range from marriage to gun control, to politics, to faith itself. I don't for a minute think that these differences are bad or wrong-headed. But, what I find more and more distasteful is the vitriol that is being thrown about without any concern for the recipients nor those who are witness to it. When someone on social media writes about hate and destruction, it's not only those to whom the flames are directed, but all of the others who have access to the heat who inevitably get burned also. The words, paradoxically, then become fuel for more flames and hate to feed upon. There are ways to express opposition and displeasure without becoming hateful and destructive. For those of us who claim allegiance to Yeshua the Messiah, the God who walked among us, there is no choice.
There are few people in history who have grasped this concept better than St. Francis of Assisi. Anyone can search online for details about this son of God's life. I want to share just one thing that has been attributed to him. It has become simply known as The Prayer of St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Perhaps, if we can let these words sink into the deep recesses of spirit and mind we can actually become instruments of God's peace; salt and light within a decaying and dark world. The choice belongs to us.

Just something to think about for a Friday!

Saw this at my daughter's Facebook homepage. I LOVE IT! Being, as one of my dearest friends has called me, "a sensitive musician," this really resonates with me. Think about it the next time the person next to you is singing out of tune or when your kids want you to play that song, "Just one more time, mommy"!

What's the use?

A couple evenings back I met with my spiritual director. We meet about once a month. I tell him what I'm experiencing and thinking. He gives a different perspective on that which usually challenges me. This week I shared how I am moving toward a more unified view of humans. We in the West have inherited a Platonic dualism that affects pretty much everything we do, including relate to Yahweh. We perform mental and theological gymnastics that allow us to separate ourselves into various compartments. I guess that helps some people organize their lives. But, as I read scripture, I see a more in a more Semitic way. God formed humans and breathed the Ruach Elohim into them. They became living souls. Not living dust and breath. Anyway, I digress. As we were talking I told him that I was finding it increasingly easy to see Yahweh's love as it is directed toward me. I don't see God keeping a running tally of my many shortcomings and mistakes. For anyone out there who knows me, that would be a very long list. Rather, I am coming to realize that God knows what I'm made of. I'm dust. God is not surprised when I act like dust. I see God smiling at me as I try to come alongside the Spirit and cooperate. My feeble attempts amuse the Almighty. So, my director's response to this was to ask if there was any way that I could see God writing, not a list of sin and mistakes, but a love letter to me. I had to stop a moment, but I said 'yes.' He then challenged me to take this to God in prayer.
I did that. And, I felt God's smile. I confessed to Yahweh that I could not understand why I had been chosen out of the billions of souls on this planet. God's response? "So that you can enjoy Me."
Not so that my sins would be forgiven, even though that's true. Not so that I can preach and teach. Not so that I can live a godly life. But, so that I can enjoy God. I can experience God's love and acceptance. I can, in a word, be free to love God and God's very good creation.
Thank you, Yahweh!

Grasping

For any who have read some of my ramblings, I just want to say that these are mostly intended to be food for thought. Little observations and feelings that I put out here to help me think through things and find out what I really think.
With that in mind, this A.M. I found myself reflecting on failure. This lead me to the story of the garden. Now, there's a lot in the story recorded in Genesis 2 & 3. More than I care to get into now. But, one thing that did jump out at me was the idea of 'grasping.' Let's recap. Adam and Eve were placed in the garden to care for it, to cultivate it, and to serve and protect it. It would be ok to think that they, in their own way, farmed the land. We are lead to understand that the land willingly gave up its strength so that whatever crop was planted grew up healthy and full of fruit. During the times when they were acting in their role as stewards, they probably had lots of time to think and discuss their lives and relationships with the very good creation, with each other, and with God. It appears that somewhere in the course of their lives they began to speculate about how God related to the very good creation and to them, in particular. The reason I say that is because when they were confronted with the choice of following the known will of Elohim or not, they seemed to have already formed a positive opinion of God's role against a more negative view of their own. When the serpent offered his opinion that they would certainly not die if they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they accepted his opinion. The text reads, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it" (Gen. 3:6a&b, NIV2011). She saw that eating the fruit would allow one to grasp at the things, the attributes, of God. Not content to fulfill the role intended for humankind, she coveted that which was intrinsically divine.
Now, let's contrast that with another person. Yeshua ben Yosef, of questionable birth, (i.e., Yosef was not his dad), came on the scene. Throughout his life he learned a trade and he learned about Yahweh from his family and friends. He grew strong in the Spirit and was especially close to his heavenly Father. He did not need to speculate about God's role in the very good creation. He was intimately aware of it. He was also intimate with the barriers that humanity placed on one in relation to Yahweh. Of anyone in history, he was the one who could properly 'grasp' at the things that were in the purview of God. Yet, one of the earliest hymns of the fledgling ecclesia reads, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage" (Phil. 2:6). Jesus did not grasp at that which was not his to have. In this Kenotic hymn we have a glimpse into the proper position for humankind. He emptied himself and took on the form of a servant; a slave. Like the story of the garden, Jesus confronted the same temptation: to become 'like God.' In his case, he was God! But, he willingly and humbly chose not to grasp at that. He laid it down. And, in so doing has provided the example by which we, as his followers, should emulate. Yes, we are by adoption daughters and sons of God. Yes, we have rights as children and heirs. But, our place in this life is to take the form of a servant. A servant to God, to humanity, to the very good creation.

Just a couple of random thoughts...

When folks think of the eschaton, the new heaven and new earth that God will establish, they picture Jesus sitting on a throne. This throne is located in some 4-walled construct; a temple or something. Jesus, parked on this throne, awaits the arrival of people who seek his judgement and counsel. Sounds all prim and proper, yes? Today I saw a different image. When  Jesus lived among people, he really lived with them. He walked and talked with them. He ate and drank with them. He was present among them. Even after he was raised from death he sought out his disciples. He ate with them, even prepared food for them. He spent about 6 weeks present with them. I think that this will be closer to reality in the future. The Lion of Judah will be loose, not confined in some building. He will be bounding throughout God's good creation seeking out people with whom he can spend time and be present with.
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As I sat to pray this A.M., there was a bird making a noisome racket outside the window. I mentioned to Yahweh that even the birds were singing to glorify God. Then, I closed the window to quiet the noise.A short time later it got pretty warm in my room. So, I opened the window again. The bird was still nearby. In fact, there seemed to be a whole herd of various voices out there. The Lord prompted me to stop and listen. Yahweh bade me to be present to the chorus of praise being raised. It was a glorious moment! We too often inject our own agenda into all aspects of our lives, including what we think we must do when present with God. I think that most of the time God would have us simply stop and be present.
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A couple weeks back as I was running in a nearby park I came upon a young fawn. It was days, perhaps hours old, lying between a couple of fallen trees. As I ran past, it raised its young head to look, but did not try to get up and run. It seemed quite content to let this feeble old fart pass by. I thank Yahweh for this.
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Recently, my daily prayer has included the word 'maranatha.' Maybe I'm getting old and I desire to see the culmination of history. I desire to see the coming of the new heaven and the new earth. How cool will that be?!? But, I am also prompted by something else. I feel the oppression and suffering that is present in this world. People dying from hunger and thirst in a world that has the technology to ease these things. But, because of greed and selfish desire, these things are withheld. I see people being used and abused by the rich and powerful. People stolen and sold into slavery. People murdered for a few coins that are used to feed addictions. Relationships between family members severed over perceived hurts. War. Wall Street. Insecurity. I think that if El Elohim would just stop this and let the renewal of all things come how good it will be. Order from chaos. Peace from destruction. All things in right relationship with all others. Including humankind. We would have the proper authority, not the authority that we have usurped for our own pleasure; our own destruction. Just as the oceans have boundaries that they cannot cross, humanity will live peacefully within its own boundaries. Boundaries established by Creator/Yahweh who will walk among us.

Knowing God

Awhile back I had a discussion, well, let's say a momentary interchange, with one of the pastoral leaders of the church I was attending. I was excited about the scriptures, in that they were becoming alive for me in ways that I had not experienced previously. I mentioned to him that I did not think that the Bible was a users manual for humans. It's purpose is not so much to tell us how to behave as it was to reveal God's love for the Cosmos. Although, there are things that point to how God expects those who are called as God's children to live and act, this was secondary. My point being that unless we allow God's word to transform us internally, the external things are of little importance. His response was that the Bible is a guide to living a morally and godly life. That it is imperative to follow the guidelines and precepts present in the text in order to please God.
Hmmm....I don't think so. In Jesus' day there were groups of people who thought like this pastor. We know them as Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees loved Yahweh. They tried to follow the Torah in their everyday lives. They followed all of the prescribed behaviors in order to respond in righteousness to the grace they had received as God's chosen people. This kind of thinking led Paul to state that he was, in fact, righteous according to the Law. But, the Pharisees missed something. Jesus said about them, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life" (John 5:39-40). Many today, like this pastor, think that by reading, memorizing, and attempting to apply the scripture as if it is law, they will achieve righteousness and, ultimately, eternal life. Yet, like the Pharisees, they aren't able to "come to me" and receive life.
Like the Sadducees who were mistaken about the resurrection, people today impose on God presuppositions that limit what they allow God to be. They have an idea of how God is supposed to work, and try to fit the scriptures to that small understanding of the Creator/Yahweh who walked among us. Jesus' response? “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?" (Mark 12:24). We all try to fit the infinite Yahweh Elohim into our finite minds. We are not built to grasp and understand the transcendent. But, we do God, the very good creation, and ourselves a great disservice when we try to do that very thing. God will not be fitted to our image. God, on the other hand, will try to make us into the image dei.

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Broken Eikons

A few days ago I wrote a bit about humans being the image, or eikon, of God. As I continued to reflect on this I wondered about those other eikons that kings placed in the ANE. What happened to them? I imagine that over time they became worn and broken. They probably eroded to the point that the one to whom they referred could not be recognized. Think of the face of the Great Sphinx. Some of these eventually crumpled to dust. Others may have been purposely defaced by people who did not revere the king. None of them has survived intact to today.
But, what if the king were to send a new eikon. One who shared the substance of the broken ones. Who could also, potentially, be broken. And, what if this one came to some of the broken ones and, say, spit on the dust to make clay? Then, used that clay to fill in the cracks and mend the broken fingers. What would happen, then, if these newly repaired and restored eikons were given the ability to go and restore other broken eikons? In my mind's eye I could see the eikons moving from one to another, picking up broken pieces and replacing them. Then Yahweh would have people, restored images of Yahweh, who could serve and preserve the good Earth in which Yahweh had settled them, (Gen. 2:15).