Letting the Bible Do Its Thing Rather Than Using it for our Own Purposes.
Diana Butler Bass has written a book entitled Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (2006)
She did some research around vital and growing mainline churches, among them Lutheran.
She writes this about them:
“All the congregations have found new vitality through an intentional and transformative engagement with a Christian tradition as embodied in faith practices. Typically, they have rediscovered the riches of the Christian past and practice simple, but profound, things like discernment, hospitality, testimony, contemplation and justice. They reach back to ancient wisdom and reach out through a life sustained by Christian devotional and moral practices. They know the biblical story and their own story. They focus more on God’s grace in the world than on the eternal state of their own souls.”
To know the biblical story is to know more than bible stories. Too often we take our sinful and self-justifying mindset and apply bible stories and morals gleaned therein to support our own agenda. They can be conservative agendas or liberal agendas or somewhere in between. To know the biblical story is to know Jesus Christ who died for our sin, destroying all self-justification, and is raised from the dead, creating a new person who trusts God alone and serves neighbor. How can we read various bible stories or accounts and come to different conclusions as to how we are to live (ethics/morality) and still remain together in mission for Christ? Because we know the biblical story. Because Christ is raised from the dead and now still raises the dead we are all alive because we are all first dead. Dead to our projects and agendas and lifestyles. And alive only in Christ. We believe in Christ, not the Bible. I know that sounds strange, if not against the faith, because we are used to talking about what we revere about God by saying we “believe in the Bible.” But we as Lutheran Christians have always seen the Bible as the “cradle that holds the Christ child” (to use a phrase of Martin Luther) where it is the Christ child, not the cradle, that is the vital (life-giving) word to us.
To honor and live out of our Lutheran identity and tradition most directly, we take the Christ from the Bible, not the Bible from the Christ.
So read your Bible. And listen for how God crucifies you and raises you from the dead, how God is faithful. When you read, instead of listening for ways for you to define yourself as faithful and correct, listen for the ways the holy breaks into the human and your identity and purpose become who God is and what God does.
Christ alone gives life. Your life does not.
The more we are dead the more we are alive.
The Bible tells us so.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Supper is Ready! On Love and Enemies
S.O.A.P. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) is a way of encountering God through the Bible each day, following a prescribed pattern of reading so you cover the whole Bible over a period of time.
Its a good discipline for a disciple because we need to let God loose on us through this source (written word). Watching for God and listening to God through other sources (like, say, the beauty of the golf course!) has a tendency to allow us to build God into what we think God should be. Paying attention to the bible can do that too, of course, if you are less than honest. But if you are honest and let the wrestling with God commence, blessings occur.
So, a S.O.A.P from Wednesday May 12 2010 and my daily reading of that day.
“Supper is Ready”
Love and Enemies
Scripture
“All were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their hearts. Eagerly they sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side”
2 Chronicles 15:15
Observation and Application
Last night at my Diakonia Class I included my “Parable of Salvation” (see below) as part of my lecture. The whole thing about finding God is not that we cannot but that we will not. And when we do see him he forces us to sit down at the table. We will not sit down on our own. We are forced to sit down. It is the force not of violence but of love. We are overcome by the unconditionality of it all – we have nothing to bring to the table, this feast, and our pride on the one hand, is shut down because, no, we are not allowed at this feast to bring any fare. We are served, unconditionally, by Christ. And our despair, on the other hand, is rejected because at this table no one, for any reason, is turned away. We then are forced, against our will, our will being destroyed by the fire of this love. Christ’s heart-melting (or piercing) gaze takes us beyond the choice of sitting down. It is too good not to be true. And so we do sit, we do find him, we do feast, after he has found us out, and we enjoy his presence.
And then there is the “rest from the enemies.” I think of Psalm 23 and the table set in the middle of enemies. Think about that. Our enemy is just as likely to be sitting at the table with us as to be standing on the side causing all kinds of distraction (the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is noisy and obnoxious) so that it’s a serious challenge to actually enjoy the hospitality of God. Our enemies are everywhere. You could say the Enemy is everywhere: anything and everything that would be bent on keeping us from celebrating this meal – this life of unconditional love by God. No matter, though, where the enemy is or what he does. As Paul exhorts (Romans 8), nothing can separate us from this love of God in and through Christ. The party has started and nothing is going to shut it down.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, today my enemies surround me. Can you bring the food from the kitchen pronto, with lots of wine too please, so that in my hunger I don’t get up and walk away and really, then, be in a fix!
Amen.
A Parable of Salvation
Heaven is like a huge banquet hall in which God has set a table setting for every single person in the world. At each table setting is the name card for each person, signifying their invitation and the desire of the Host of the banquet to have each person join in. The door to the banquet hall is open to all. There is no admission charge. There are no credentials that must be shown in order to enter. The Host has paid for the entire banquet and has posted an open invitation. When guests arrive they are shown their place at the table and invited to be seated. Many do, and thus enjoy the service and hospitality of the Host. But many do not, for many reasons, not the least of which is that they feel there must be something they should offer to help with the festivities. In fact, when they entered the banquet hall they did so with the question if not the objection of an offering of some sort by saying “Is there not something I can bring?” There is an awkwardness, if not a resistance, on the part of the guests to letting the Host be totally responsible for all the fare. No matter that their place is reserved and open for them, they refuse to actually sit down to be a part of the party. Always gracious, the Host does not insist they participate but also is not interested in having “spoil-sports” interfere with the festivities. He asks that those who refuse to sit down and join the fun to then go off into another area of the Banquet Hall, albeit empty of banquet items, where they can commiserate or perhaps rethink their invitation.
© Johan Bergh 2006
Its a good discipline for a disciple because we need to let God loose on us through this source (written word). Watching for God and listening to God through other sources (like, say, the beauty of the golf course!) has a tendency to allow us to build God into what we think God should be. Paying attention to the bible can do that too, of course, if you are less than honest. But if you are honest and let the wrestling with God commence, blessings occur.
So, a S.O.A.P from Wednesday May 12 2010 and my daily reading of that day.
“Supper is Ready”
Love and Enemies
Scripture
“All were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their hearts. Eagerly they sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side”
2 Chronicles 15:15
Observation and Application
Last night at my Diakonia Class I included my “Parable of Salvation” (see below) as part of my lecture. The whole thing about finding God is not that we cannot but that we will not. And when we do see him he forces us to sit down at the table. We will not sit down on our own. We are forced to sit down. It is the force not of violence but of love. We are overcome by the unconditionality of it all – we have nothing to bring to the table, this feast, and our pride on the one hand, is shut down because, no, we are not allowed at this feast to bring any fare. We are served, unconditionally, by Christ. And our despair, on the other hand, is rejected because at this table no one, for any reason, is turned away. We then are forced, against our will, our will being destroyed by the fire of this love. Christ’s heart-melting (or piercing) gaze takes us beyond the choice of sitting down. It is too good not to be true. And so we do sit, we do find him, we do feast, after he has found us out, and we enjoy his presence.
And then there is the “rest from the enemies.” I think of Psalm 23 and the table set in the middle of enemies. Think about that. Our enemy is just as likely to be sitting at the table with us as to be standing on the side causing all kinds of distraction (the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is noisy and obnoxious) so that it’s a serious challenge to actually enjoy the hospitality of God. Our enemies are everywhere. You could say the Enemy is everywhere: anything and everything that would be bent on keeping us from celebrating this meal – this life of unconditional love by God. No matter, though, where the enemy is or what he does. As Paul exhorts (Romans 8), nothing can separate us from this love of God in and through Christ. The party has started and nothing is going to shut it down.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, today my enemies surround me. Can you bring the food from the kitchen pronto, with lots of wine too please, so that in my hunger I don’t get up and walk away and really, then, be in a fix!
Amen.
A Parable of Salvation
Heaven is like a huge banquet hall in which God has set a table setting for every single person in the world. At each table setting is the name card for each person, signifying their invitation and the desire of the Host of the banquet to have each person join in. The door to the banquet hall is open to all. There is no admission charge. There are no credentials that must be shown in order to enter. The Host has paid for the entire banquet and has posted an open invitation. When guests arrive they are shown their place at the table and invited to be seated. Many do, and thus enjoy the service and hospitality of the Host. But many do not, for many reasons, not the least of which is that they feel there must be something they should offer to help with the festivities. In fact, when they entered the banquet hall they did so with the question if not the objection of an offering of some sort by saying “Is there not something I can bring?” There is an awkwardness, if not a resistance, on the part of the guests to letting the Host be totally responsible for all the fare. No matter that their place is reserved and open for them, they refuse to actually sit down to be a part of the party. Always gracious, the Host does not insist they participate but also is not interested in having “spoil-sports” interfere with the festivities. He asks that those who refuse to sit down and join the fun to then go off into another area of the Banquet Hall, albeit empty of banquet items, where they can commiserate or perhaps rethink their invitation.
© Johan Bergh 2006
Sunday, May 9, 2010
This Really is a New Day!
My S.O.A.P. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) for Monday, May 10.
"We've Never Seen Today Before"
What Christ Does
Scripture"And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look I am making all things new!' "
Revelation 21:5a
Observation/Application
The other day I was in a group and somebody was asked to say a prayer for all there.
The person praying spoke of something simple that caught my attention and opened my heart. He said "Thank you Lord for giving us this day today that we have never seen before." Simple enough. But what blew away some cobwebs for me was the notion that even though I could expect to see alot of what I had seen before on this day, it actually was totally new. Every thing was literally new because it had never been done in that same way before. It had been done before, perhaps, from breakfast to turning on the computer and opening the blinds at the lab to hitting the gym for a workout after work. But never really done before because it was never done in this moment. Today was totally new because all things were being done, even if repeated, in a new day.
These days I need to be reminded that nothing is inevitable and all things are possible.
When Christ says to me that he makes all things new I know it in the freedom from the burden of having to carve out my own destiny. But I also know it in the freedom to be creative with him in making something new explode on the scene today that will lift up and improve not only my life but the lives of all he puts before me.
Jesus Christ is life.....always creating new life!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, let me see this new day for what it is! Amen.
"We've Never Seen Today Before"
What Christ Does
Scripture"And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look I am making all things new!' "
Revelation 21:5a
Observation/Application
The other day I was in a group and somebody was asked to say a prayer for all there.
The person praying spoke of something simple that caught my attention and opened my heart. He said "Thank you Lord for giving us this day today that we have never seen before." Simple enough. But what blew away some cobwebs for me was the notion that even though I could expect to see alot of what I had seen before on this day, it actually was totally new. Every thing was literally new because it had never been done in that same way before. It had been done before, perhaps, from breakfast to turning on the computer and opening the blinds at the lab to hitting the gym for a workout after work. But never really done before because it was never done in this moment. Today was totally new because all things were being done, even if repeated, in a new day.
These days I need to be reminded that nothing is inevitable and all things are possible.
When Christ says to me that he makes all things new I know it in the freedom from the burden of having to carve out my own destiny. But I also know it in the freedom to be creative with him in making something new explode on the scene today that will lift up and improve not only my life but the lives of all he puts before me.
Jesus Christ is life.....always creating new life!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, let me see this new day for what it is! Amen.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
S.O.A.P for Today
My S.O.A.P. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) for today….
“Earthly Minded”
On Eternal life
Scripture
“Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord”
Leviticus 19:17b
Observation/Application
Luke 10:25-28 has the law teacher ask the eternal question and Jesus answers with this from the law. This is nothing new. This “loving neighbor” is as old as Moses. Why would anyone object on theological grounds? Maybe practical, moral, psychological, or legal grounds. But not theological: there never has been a way to eternal life. Why would Jesus start now by describing a path or formula? No, you and I are to do just what is the only thing we (can) do: pay attention to our neighbor and leave the eternal speculation to God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, who is my neighbor? Amen.
“Earthly Minded”
On Eternal life
Scripture
“Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord”
Leviticus 19:17b
Observation/Application
Luke 10:25-28 has the law teacher ask the eternal question and Jesus answers with this from the law. This is nothing new. This “loving neighbor” is as old as Moses. Why would anyone object on theological grounds? Maybe practical, moral, psychological, or legal grounds. But not theological: there never has been a way to eternal life. Why would Jesus start now by describing a path or formula? No, you and I are to do just what is the only thing we (can) do: pay attention to our neighbor and leave the eternal speculation to God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, who is my neighbor? Amen.
Monday, May 3, 2010
This I Believe
Another "S.O.A.P." (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) from daily bible readings. FYI, for bible readings, I'm using the daily lectionary from the worship book called Evangelical Worship).
"This I Believe"
Sharing the Faith
Scripture
“It was there at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.”
Acts 11:26b
Observation/Application
It makes sense that we would bear the brand of the one we follow. Christ. It would be interesting if we never got that label or title. What would we be? “the believers”? That would be interesting since it naturally begs the question – what do you believe? Once identified as one of the believers we would naturally, in the course of any regular conversation, be asked what we believe! Many today assume they know what a “Christian” is. In the U.S., outside of church circles, most understand it by what makes the media (no blame here, no media bashing, just the reality). Often because of the label “Christian” things are assumed and conversation is shut down. But what if I was a “believer”? For one thing, I would be, I’m thinking, better trained and prepared to actually know and speak what I believe! What is your 30 second “elevator speech” about what you believe? Here’s mine: “I believe that I do not have to believe or do anything in order to be right with God – not even believe in God – and it is only Jesus Christ who gives me this freedom.” I would say more, but that’s the “elevator version.” It would be cool if everybody in any given congregation/church would write down what they believe (like the popular book This I Believe, which, by the way, I highly recommend!). It would go a long way in growing and sharing the faith!
Prayer
Lord, Jesus, thank you for setting me free!
Amen
"This I Believe"
Sharing the Faith
Scripture
“It was there at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.”
Acts 11:26b
Observation/Application
It makes sense that we would bear the brand of the one we follow. Christ. It would be interesting if we never got that label or title. What would we be? “the believers”? That would be interesting since it naturally begs the question – what do you believe? Once identified as one of the believers we would naturally, in the course of any regular conversation, be asked what we believe! Many today assume they know what a “Christian” is. In the U.S., outside of church circles, most understand it by what makes the media (no blame here, no media bashing, just the reality). Often because of the label “Christian” things are assumed and conversation is shut down. But what if I was a “believer”? For one thing, I would be, I’m thinking, better trained and prepared to actually know and speak what I believe! What is your 30 second “elevator speech” about what you believe? Here’s mine: “I believe that I do not have to believe or do anything in order to be right with God – not even believe in God – and it is only Jesus Christ who gives me this freedom.” I would say more, but that’s the “elevator version.” It would be cool if everybody in any given congregation/church would write down what they believe (like the popular book This I Believe, which, by the way, I highly recommend!). It would go a long way in growing and sharing the faith!
Prayer
Lord, Jesus, thank you for setting me free!
Amen
Friday, April 30, 2010
About That Faith
I just started teaching a class in a course of study for adults called Diakonia here in Orlando.
The course is "Ministry in Daily Life."
One of the assignments is for the class participants to complete a daily journal using a method called "S.O.A.P." Each read the same assigned Scripture each day and then journal about it. S = Scripture, O = Observation, A = Application, P = Prayer. From the total Scripture they read for the day they pick just one piece that caught their mind and heart. Then they write.
Takes about 20-30 minutes for the whole thing each day.
I'll be doing this along with my class participants, and I'll try to post as many of my daily journal S.O.A.P's as possible.
Here's a start:
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
“Enough Faith?”
The Nature of Faith
S = Scripture
“ ‘You don’t have enough faith,’ Jesus told them. ‘I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.’ “
Matthew 18:20
O = Observation
A = Application
So Tuesday night at the new Diakonia class I start teaching on the topic of the nature of faith – and I say that it’s not about quantity. You can’t get more faith, just faith. And I say – the main topic – it’s not something you do, but it’s something done to you. Then, the first reading in S.O.A.P., the daily bible journal discipline I introduced to the class and required them to do, has this from Jesus: “You don’t have enough faith”!!!! Yeah, that’s Jesus for you – deconstructing the nice worlds we build. But wait. Listen. Seriously, I think he’s not saying anything about quantity after all. Because his qualifier, his object lesson, his metaphor for illustrative purposes to tell of this gigantic “more” is not a Mac Truck (I know, they didn’t have those then, but still), but rather a mustard seed. If we had a mustard seed faith we could mountains? Really? Do you know how big, how “more,” a mustard seed is? Okay then. Here’s what’s going on – he’s saying they have no faith, not a small faith that needs to be super-sized. If they had any faith, mountains would move. Good enough, but now we still are left in a quandary, because it seems harder to us to produce something from nothing than to grow something larger. These days I work a lot in a greenhouse. I know how to grow plants that’ll knock your socks off. But I can’t for the life of me figure out how to make a seed. So, back to the key point about the nature of faith: it’s not something you do but something done to you. That’s the deal, and the critical point. And the subject of another posting! Or two!
P = Prayer
Lord Jesus, give (more!) faith to me today!
Amen.
The course is "Ministry in Daily Life."
One of the assignments is for the class participants to complete a daily journal using a method called "S.O.A.P." Each read the same assigned Scripture each day and then journal about it. S = Scripture, O = Observation, A = Application, P = Prayer. From the total Scripture they read for the day they pick just one piece that caught their mind and heart. Then they write.
Takes about 20-30 minutes for the whole thing each day.
I'll be doing this along with my class participants, and I'll try to post as many of my daily journal S.O.A.P's as possible.
Here's a start:
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
“Enough Faith?”
The Nature of Faith
S = Scripture
“ ‘You don’t have enough faith,’ Jesus told them. ‘I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.’ “
Matthew 18:20
O = Observation
A = Application
So Tuesday night at the new Diakonia class I start teaching on the topic of the nature of faith – and I say that it’s not about quantity. You can’t get more faith, just faith. And I say – the main topic – it’s not something you do, but it’s something done to you. Then, the first reading in S.O.A.P., the daily bible journal discipline I introduced to the class and required them to do, has this from Jesus: “You don’t have enough faith”!!!! Yeah, that’s Jesus for you – deconstructing the nice worlds we build. But wait. Listen. Seriously, I think he’s not saying anything about quantity after all. Because his qualifier, his object lesson, his metaphor for illustrative purposes to tell of this gigantic “more” is not a Mac Truck (I know, they didn’t have those then, but still), but rather a mustard seed. If we had a mustard seed faith we could mountains? Really? Do you know how big, how “more,” a mustard seed is? Okay then. Here’s what’s going on – he’s saying they have no faith, not a small faith that needs to be super-sized. If they had any faith, mountains would move. Good enough, but now we still are left in a quandary, because it seems harder to us to produce something from nothing than to grow something larger. These days I work a lot in a greenhouse. I know how to grow plants that’ll knock your socks off. But I can’t for the life of me figure out how to make a seed. So, back to the key point about the nature of faith: it’s not something you do but something done to you. That’s the deal, and the critical point. And the subject of another posting! Or two!
P = Prayer
Lord Jesus, give (more!) faith to me today!
Amen.
Friday, April 2, 2010
About that Cross on a Friday Noon
It is easy to want to de-spiritualize the Jerusalem events and point to how Jesus, historical figure that he was, was simply a misguided mystic who underestimated Rome and The Temple in their reaction to his following or a political insurgent incapable of producing a strategic plan to deploy and organize those sympathetic to his cause. I am of the mind to say that something cosmic and transcendent did, however, happen that Friday noon and Sunday dawn, even as I cannot employ the traditional atonement theologies to give it meaning.
The most popular explanation, and most longstanding of the theories, is that Jesus was a stand-in for us in taking on the anger and righteous judgment of God against our wrong-doing, not to say also our mistrust. There are more, but the key reason I cannot appreciate this thinking is that it undercuts the actual mercy of God. There is not mercy shown if blood spilt is a necessity. In this, I am not defending God as loving and kind. I am simply pointing out the impossibility of the actual claim – that God is merciful to humanity by being merciless to one of humanity’s own (and you cannot rebut this by claiming Jesus’ humanity exempt from humanity’s attributes. Nicea took care of that!). One more reason to mention (and this is not incidental in my mind these days overall when it comes to our contemporary reading of the biblical accounts) is that the actual and historical events that took place should not be infused artificially with supernatural occurrence or meaning in order to render them divine. If divinity is real, and I believe it is, it should not have to be invented or superimposed, but rather observed and experienced. In this case, this Friday and Sunday so observed, we must look closely at what actually happened as we look at the biblical narrative that those contemporaries recorded. It was (and is) written that Jesus died for them (and us). It’s possible to see that this is true without invoking a theology of a just God who cannot tolerate opposition.
I would put it this way. Jesus did love those he taught, healed, fed and led. The accounts bear this out. When cornered by the Religious and Rome, what were his options when it came to not compromising his singular love?
He could run away, lead an escape, taking his close band of followers with him (or not, for that matter). But where would that leave those same followers, those same that he loved? Bereft of home and community, they would be political and social refugees never able to safely return. How loving is that?
What other options for Jesus? How about fighting back? He could actually lead an insurrection – either politically or militarily. But where would that leave his beloved? Crushed in a heartbeat, that’s where. Caesar’s power, co-mingled with the Religious Elite, would quickly and violently take out any organized opponent. Not exactly, for Jesus as the leader, the most loving place to lead his followers.
So Jesus did what only could be done to stay true to who he was (the identity recognition here is not unimportant: he is the son of Mary and Joseph, but also, as he says, sent from God). He died for them. Rather that flight or fight, he let them go and took his place on their behalf. Tragically, and divinely profound, it was the only thing he could do – he was caught, perhaps you could say, by his own identity and mission. He must love at all costs because he is love at all costs. God was not impressed by this, nor thwarted from ruthless action against humanity. Because, we see, what happened there, on this Friday noon, was God’s Self. This is God, purely unconditional and self-giving love.
And, then, why do we know this and recognize this (and fall on our knees in worship) instead of counting it all as one more death among many? Because on that Sunday something happened where this same crucified Jesus was experienced alive and inviting his followers to this same kind of unconditional love. Debate the resurrection event as you will – empty tomb or embodied Jesus – but someone real encountered those Jesus followers and invited them to embrace his dying as their way of living.
The risen Jesus calls into question all our self-preserving schemes that would distance us from trusting God alone so that loving others unconditionally as he did would be our very way of life. We are, facing him, named for what we are: intransigent mis-trusters (sinners). Facing him in this way he destroys our self-serving projects. The apostle Paul wrote about his effect when he wrote to the Christians in Rome (Romans 6) about how the “sinful self” is put to death in Christ when the follower is baptized. But at this same time, the Risen Christ gives us his own God-trusting Self so that loving others unconditionally as our way of life could be done with joy and abandon. We are, facing him, named (again!) for what we are: capable trusters (saints).
Far from being some kind of insurance policy against our mortality, the Resurrection of Jesus is a deathblow to all who cannot trust (that would be every last one of us, religious or not) and the life-giving power to all who take his gift of faith (trust) and live by it.
As much as we’d like to think that the cross and the resurrection is some kind of antidote to our fear of what will become of us – either here or hereafter – any vigorous reading of the New Testament does not afford us such luxury. The story of Jesus is the truth of the matter: we don't know what will become of us and are only left with the invitation to trust God alone with this and get on with the business of taking care of neighbor and nature. And since we will not do this trusting, God gives us, in the most dramatic self-giving move of all, even his own presence to do the trusting for us (This is the real power of the resurrection! Power to trust God’s promise of life against all odds).
What would be “luxury” would be to claim eternal safety and security through a belief system or behavior pattern we adopt. We have, to the detriment of all, made Christianity into this. What I argue here is that the cross and resurrection are not such system or structure, but rather are the actual way of God that gives us life where and when (everywhere and always!) we refuse it!
God is about healing and blessing the world. Jesus was exactly this. He is this. The cross is what we do to God. The resurrection is what God does to us – amazingly – in return.
So, back to what actually happened that Friday and Sunday. Coming up with elaborate explanations of meaning (theologies) can serve to protect us from engaging the truth about us and God. The truth about us is that we cannot impact our destiny by our belief and behavior. The truth about God is that God can and does impact our destiny. God decides, we do not. And the further truth about us is that we will not trust God to do that deciding but instead create elaborate schemes to supplant God’s decision. And the further truth about God is that God only decides for us, never against us. But instead of embracing these truths we construct a religion that says Jesus died to keep us from the wrathful God who rightly could and should destroy us and that we must decide for or against him.
I suppose this type of religion could be tolerated if it were benign. But it is not. Not only does it drain us of resources (investing in religious rituals and protocols) that should be spent on the only thing that matters to God – lifting up our neighbor and tending the earth’s ecology. But also, it sets up exclusivities and expels outsiders who do not conform to our established beliefs and behaviors (no matter how congruent with God’s moral law). So, we must declare, as Martin Luther did, the cross is our theology, and not a theology about the cross is our theology!
What happened on that Friday noon and Sunday morning is the presence of God encountering our sin and giving us life, not things to believe or do (Jesus simply died, he did not give his followers burdens to bear: Fight! Flight!). If we could but see this – God in-breaking instead of us believing something about God – well, then, everything would change. Holy week would be the grand celebration of giving life away to those in need and to our environment in crisis, all in the name of Jesus Christ! This, instead of what it so often is now: a ritual observing a supposed transaction between God and Satan to which we are passive observers until such time as we tell ourselves we must believe this transaction took place so that we might be given its blessing.
This week is Holy alright, because of Jesus Christ and his passion – that sets us free to serve and does not, decidedly, set us about the business of believing and behaving correctly to save our skin.
We are saved. To love. Unconditionally. Now if we could only get used to that truth. It would set us free.
The most popular explanation, and most longstanding of the theories, is that Jesus was a stand-in for us in taking on the anger and righteous judgment of God against our wrong-doing, not to say also our mistrust. There are more, but the key reason I cannot appreciate this thinking is that it undercuts the actual mercy of God. There is not mercy shown if blood spilt is a necessity. In this, I am not defending God as loving and kind. I am simply pointing out the impossibility of the actual claim – that God is merciful to humanity by being merciless to one of humanity’s own (and you cannot rebut this by claiming Jesus’ humanity exempt from humanity’s attributes. Nicea took care of that!). One more reason to mention (and this is not incidental in my mind these days overall when it comes to our contemporary reading of the biblical accounts) is that the actual and historical events that took place should not be infused artificially with supernatural occurrence or meaning in order to render them divine. If divinity is real, and I believe it is, it should not have to be invented or superimposed, but rather observed and experienced. In this case, this Friday and Sunday so observed, we must look closely at what actually happened as we look at the biblical narrative that those contemporaries recorded. It was (and is) written that Jesus died for them (and us). It’s possible to see that this is true without invoking a theology of a just God who cannot tolerate opposition.
I would put it this way. Jesus did love those he taught, healed, fed and led. The accounts bear this out. When cornered by the Religious and Rome, what were his options when it came to not compromising his singular love?
He could run away, lead an escape, taking his close band of followers with him (or not, for that matter). But where would that leave those same followers, those same that he loved? Bereft of home and community, they would be political and social refugees never able to safely return. How loving is that?
What other options for Jesus? How about fighting back? He could actually lead an insurrection – either politically or militarily. But where would that leave his beloved? Crushed in a heartbeat, that’s where. Caesar’s power, co-mingled with the Religious Elite, would quickly and violently take out any organized opponent. Not exactly, for Jesus as the leader, the most loving place to lead his followers.
So Jesus did what only could be done to stay true to who he was (the identity recognition here is not unimportant: he is the son of Mary and Joseph, but also, as he says, sent from God). He died for them. Rather that flight or fight, he let them go and took his place on their behalf. Tragically, and divinely profound, it was the only thing he could do – he was caught, perhaps you could say, by his own identity and mission. He must love at all costs because he is love at all costs. God was not impressed by this, nor thwarted from ruthless action against humanity. Because, we see, what happened there, on this Friday noon, was God’s Self. This is God, purely unconditional and self-giving love.
And, then, why do we know this and recognize this (and fall on our knees in worship) instead of counting it all as one more death among many? Because on that Sunday something happened where this same crucified Jesus was experienced alive and inviting his followers to this same kind of unconditional love. Debate the resurrection event as you will – empty tomb or embodied Jesus – but someone real encountered those Jesus followers and invited them to embrace his dying as their way of living.
The risen Jesus calls into question all our self-preserving schemes that would distance us from trusting God alone so that loving others unconditionally as he did would be our very way of life. We are, facing him, named for what we are: intransigent mis-trusters (sinners). Facing him in this way he destroys our self-serving projects. The apostle Paul wrote about his effect when he wrote to the Christians in Rome (Romans 6) about how the “sinful self” is put to death in Christ when the follower is baptized. But at this same time, the Risen Christ gives us his own God-trusting Self so that loving others unconditionally as our way of life could be done with joy and abandon. We are, facing him, named (again!) for what we are: capable trusters (saints).
Far from being some kind of insurance policy against our mortality, the Resurrection of Jesus is a deathblow to all who cannot trust (that would be every last one of us, religious or not) and the life-giving power to all who take his gift of faith (trust) and live by it.
As much as we’d like to think that the cross and the resurrection is some kind of antidote to our fear of what will become of us – either here or hereafter – any vigorous reading of the New Testament does not afford us such luxury. The story of Jesus is the truth of the matter: we don't know what will become of us and are only left with the invitation to trust God alone with this and get on with the business of taking care of neighbor and nature. And since we will not do this trusting, God gives us, in the most dramatic self-giving move of all, even his own presence to do the trusting for us (This is the real power of the resurrection! Power to trust God’s promise of life against all odds).
What would be “luxury” would be to claim eternal safety and security through a belief system or behavior pattern we adopt. We have, to the detriment of all, made Christianity into this. What I argue here is that the cross and resurrection are not such system or structure, but rather are the actual way of God that gives us life where and when (everywhere and always!) we refuse it!
God is about healing and blessing the world. Jesus was exactly this. He is this. The cross is what we do to God. The resurrection is what God does to us – amazingly – in return.
So, back to what actually happened that Friday and Sunday. Coming up with elaborate explanations of meaning (theologies) can serve to protect us from engaging the truth about us and God. The truth about us is that we cannot impact our destiny by our belief and behavior. The truth about God is that God can and does impact our destiny. God decides, we do not. And the further truth about us is that we will not trust God to do that deciding but instead create elaborate schemes to supplant God’s decision. And the further truth about God is that God only decides for us, never against us. But instead of embracing these truths we construct a religion that says Jesus died to keep us from the wrathful God who rightly could and should destroy us and that we must decide for or against him.
I suppose this type of religion could be tolerated if it were benign. But it is not. Not only does it drain us of resources (investing in religious rituals and protocols) that should be spent on the only thing that matters to God – lifting up our neighbor and tending the earth’s ecology. But also, it sets up exclusivities and expels outsiders who do not conform to our established beliefs and behaviors (no matter how congruent with God’s moral law). So, we must declare, as Martin Luther did, the cross is our theology, and not a theology about the cross is our theology!
What happened on that Friday noon and Sunday morning is the presence of God encountering our sin and giving us life, not things to believe or do (Jesus simply died, he did not give his followers burdens to bear: Fight! Flight!). If we could but see this – God in-breaking instead of us believing something about God – well, then, everything would change. Holy week would be the grand celebration of giving life away to those in need and to our environment in crisis, all in the name of Jesus Christ! This, instead of what it so often is now: a ritual observing a supposed transaction between God and Satan to which we are passive observers until such time as we tell ourselves we must believe this transaction took place so that we might be given its blessing.
This week is Holy alright, because of Jesus Christ and his passion – that sets us free to serve and does not, decidedly, set us about the business of believing and behaving correctly to save our skin.
We are saved. To love. Unconditionally. Now if we could only get used to that truth. It would set us free.
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