Recently, I was reminded of my long-standing frustration as I gathered my thoughts on what Church is supposed to be and what is actually happening.
I left the Catholic Church several years ago, and though I feel like I have landed in a church I’m growing to love, I still find myself searching for a true depth of faith I want to encounter, not just in others, but also in myself.
I want it to be like those guys on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:32). You know, when they were bellyaching about how their lives were upended, and all of a sudden they realized their hearts “were on fire” as they walked with this guy who showed up out of nowhere. I had my own experience of that in Kentucky, and it changed my life!
In the past, I was great at shaking my finger – at someone, anyone, to blame for the indifference to God’s call to love that I witnessed almost daily: The clergy, bishops, the Pope, but not the faithful sitting unaware in the pews (if they’re sitting there at all). Never those poor innocent folks in the pews.
I assumed that for some reason beyond their consciousness – poor religious instruction or perhaps sucky sermons that can rival Ambien’s effect as a sleep medication – they have never encountered the “living” Christ. How is that supposed to happen when we’re either nodding off in the pew or thinking of that much-anticipated Super Bowl in just a few hours (more on that later).
If liturgy is, as I learned from Church teachings, the “source and summit” of faith, then it must give meaning to our lives. Right? Meaning that should cause us to sit in stunned silence in the presence of the Incarnate Word of God. Where, in awe and wonder, we remove our sandals on what is surely holy ground.
Gradually, it would seem, Sunday after Sunday, we would fall in love with Love. Perhaps we would begin to squirm in the pew we once found comfortable as we realize that God calls us to take responsibility for responding to that love. It’s really not optional if we call ourselves “Christian,” you know.
From the Greek leitourgia, liturgy means “the work of the people.” That’s all of us, every single one! Let’s look at the early Church where it began – with Jesus himself. Think of Jesus and his disciples at the Last Supper. Think of John resting on Jesus’ shoulder. Jesus poured the wine, washed their feet, loved on them, and said, “Do this in memory of Me, always recall My love for you, prepare yourselves for the work I’m calling you to.
Sooooo, what are you waiting for? Get out there and love on people!” I can guarantee you that not once during that supper did Jesus or any of his apostles ruminate on the Super Bowl or long for hot wings while consuming dry bread. Not one of them!
But we do. The significance and power of our worship seems to be lost today. It isn’t confined to the Pastor. There isn’t a list of formalities we can check off: Enter, bow, glare at the person who’s sitting in your spot, gaze out the stained glass windows past the tearful widow next to you, tune out the sermon, rush out the door. Repeat.
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me. But don’t stop there!” He gives us explicit instructions to respond in action, to “love and serve the Lord.” Every part of our worship should lead us to that end.
Here’s what I believe a life of faith should look like. It’s what I strive for and so often fail miserably at. We go to Church to be nurtured by God’s Word, to seek and know we are forgiven for our sins. We are challenged by the sermon, share the peace and love of God with others, and then are sent out to be Christ in a hurting world.
If, instead, we sit as silent spectators simply waiting to get our card punched for the week, a hurting world suffers the loss. What is missing? Many people today say they can be spiritual without the Church. Those who simply “show up” also miss the point.
Here’s a question for you: Who wants to watch the Super Bowl alone? We surround ourselves with friends and indulge in a feast made for a king. It’s a party! If we could only approach liturgy with that same excitement. We are called to prepare our hearts and minds at the banquet table, where we celebrate the love of God.
Guys, the liturgy is a feast celebrating God’s extravagant Love. We relish the fires of hot wings while the fire of the Holy Spirit lies smoldering in our hearts. This realization always causes me to point my finger in the mirror again and again. Perhaps many believers have not encountered the living Christ, but I have. Yet, I, too, often resist his most profound call to love.
Mary Collins speaks of “God-seekers” who “risk more than the ordinary. They risk their sanity….The rest of us go to church”. It’s too frightening. We don’t want the responsibility to love like that. We want that left to those “holy” people we often read about. But….
What if we had an Emmaus encounter with Christ right in the midst of communion?
What if we actually saw Christ proclaiming God’s lavish, magnificent, and unending Love?
What if we turned to offer others the sign of peace, and Christ took our hand?
What if in our “Amen,” we meant it? “Amen” means, “Yep, I wholeheartedly agree!” It doesn’t mean, “Let me think about that and get back to you.”
What if, in sheer gratitude for God’s self-giving Love, Christ in our midst, we became that very Love emptied and spilled out into the world? Catherine Vincie calls this “the prophetic function of a dangerous memory.”
Then, how dangerous would this be – what if we saw Jesus Himself as the primary sacrament of grace. Could we handle that? All forms of love, goodness, sacrifice, and resurrection are salvific. In this sense, Jesus is the greatest sacrament of all. Why does that reality not trump football? Why does Jesus always have to be competing with a cheap imitation?
Recently, I was with a friend when we saw a man begging on the street corner. She made the comment that she doesn’t give money to beggars because she doesn’t know what they’ll do with it. “They’ll probably buy drugs or alcohol.”
I can’t tell you how many people have said that to me over the years. And I can’t tell you how hard it has been for me to keep from slapping them silly! So, hopefully, this post will speak to that in a kinder way that won’t raise my blood pressure or leave marks on them!
Let me set this scene for you. God is in the beginning stages of creating humans. I could have told him that was a bad idea, but he didn’t ask. Anyway, as he draws up his plans and orders his priorities – the top of the list is teaching them to “love”. It’s the most important thing of all to him and what he will base everything else on.
He wants his love for us to naturally flow to our love for others, especially “the least of these”. It’s a great plan, and he’s pretty proud of himself. But for whatever reason, that idea never seemed to gain much popularity over these bazillion years. To this day, considering the latest number of homeless families in America is over 57,000, little seems to have changed.
Over time, God, though a bit peeved, continues to try to show us how to love others by Jesus’ example. And we continually screw up, ask for forgiveness, he obliges, wipes the slate clean, and off we go all bright and shiny until we screw up again…
AND AGAIN.
AND AGAIN.
What if God decided to cancel all future blessings?! He’s thought long and hard about it, and considering our indifference to his call for us to love others as he loves us, he thinks it’s a total wasted effort, especially since he “doesn’t know what we’ll do with them”. Maybe we’ll trade them with someone else for something we would rather have. Like, oh, I don’t know, drugs or alcohol!”
Oops, sorry, I got a little side-tracked there.
We go up – Jesus goes down
While we ascend to the loftiest place on our “spiritual” journey, Jesus descends to the lowest. Of course, we fail to recognize him as we pass him by.
Paradoxically, we worship a homeless man on Sunday and fail to care for the homeless man right in front of us the rest of the week.
Saint Mother Teresa left her safe, comfortable religious order at the age of sixty-eight to sit on the filthy streets of Calcutta, caring for the dirty and rejected homeless. Stroking the heads of those left to die by an indifferent world. An indifferent world we are part of if we fail to care.
Letting go
Are we clinging to our measly pocket change for fear of what the beggar on the corner is going to do with it? Seriously??? That guy is standing there naked and vulnerable, knowing we are judging him. He no more wants to be on that street corner than we do. Geeezzzzzz!
Micah 6:8 challenges us to “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”
God is in control. No matter what happens, no matter how awful or awesome, no matter who suffers or comes out on top, it’s all God’s plan. Ain’t it grand?!
Sorry, I don’t buy it.
Consider this: God creates Adam and Eve, drops them into this magical garden where they romp through fields of flowers with no cares in the world—got that picture?
Okay, so then almost immediately, they screw it all up by eating that damn apple…O. M. G.!
Personally, if I were going to be cast into the eternal fires of hell for such a minor transgression, I would have held out for Amedei Chocolates – but that’s just me.
You may have thought God knows everything, but according to this story, he clearly doesn’t. As the drama continues, they run and hide, knowing full well they’re in deep trouble and this will not end well for them.
AND… here he comes…the God of the universe, the master control freak, the ultimate planner of all that is.
They all play hide and seek, and God is “it”. “Come on out, you crazy kids. Where are you? I’m gonna look in these bushes now.”
When he finally finds them, he demands they stand before him in their underwear as he brushes off their attempts to beg for forgiveness. Nope. Ain’t happening. He admonishes them for screwing up his perfect plans, then sends them off to suffer a living hell forever and ever.
Then he gets his second wind, “Oh, I’m not finished with you!”
Now, God’s totally exasperated as he acknowledges the failure of his painstaking and grand plan for the universe. He decides to make an example of Adam and Eve. Their sins will be cast upon every child born thereafter, stamped with the seal of “broken mess” right out of the birth canal.
Maybe then all of humanity will get wind of it, surrender to his will, submit to his “laws”, and behave accordingly. Nope – another big fail. He decides to start over with new characters – maybe reconsidering that whole free will thing – Nope!
Is all this working for you? How about this: “The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which we human beings have fallen into “original sin” is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense.” John Shelby Spong
Let me throw another random thought into the discussion: instead of God being a harsh, unyielding authoritarian, what if he were actually submissive? What if he has been surrendering to us all along? What if he never intended to control us? What if that whole Adam & Eve story was just that – a myth created by some inane humans long ago? Stay with me here.
As a child, I was controlled by my mother. She called the shots; she meted out harsh punishments. Ultimately, she determined my worth. As I grew older, she still had power over me. Unworthiness was so embedded in my heart that I continued for years to live out of the belief that I didn’t deserve love – from anyone – especially God. He clearly didn’t care. If he did, I reasoned, he would have saved me from her and others who abused me long ago.
I recall crying out to him in one of my most painful moments of doubt about his love for me: “God, if you loved me, why did you allow my mother and others to abuse me? He spoke into the most broken part of my heart, “Linda, I do love you. When you were being abused, I cried with you. Because of their free will, some people make terrible choices that hurt themselves and others. You have sometimes done the same, but I have never stopped loving you.”
Jesus was the beloved son of God. That we know. God watched the unfolding of his three-year mission. That we also know. Jesus went to him constantly in prayer. We can be pretty sure they discussed how he was making a lot of enemies who were making threats against him in an effort to shut him up. When that didn’t work, they went after him and dragged him to the cross to be crucified. He was beaten and hung there for three hours before he died. WHERE WAS GOD? He was right there suffering the pain and heartache of his son’s death. Something he could not control. Why?
Archibald Macleish offers these powerful words, “Man depends on God for all things: God depends on man for one. Without man’s love, God does not exist as God, only as creator, and love is the one thing no one, not even God himself, can command. It is a free gift, or it is nothing. And it is most itself, most free, when it is offered in spite of suffering, of injustice, and of death. Love – love of life, love of the world, love of God, love in spite of everything – is the answer, the only possible answer, to our ancient human cry against injustice. It is in man’s love that God exists and triumphs, in man’s love that life is beautiful, in man’s love that the world’s injustice is resolved. To hold together in one thought those terrible opposites of good and evil which struggle in the world is to be capable of life, and only love will hold them so.”
If you believe God is this powerful controller of all things, why did he not save his own son? I’m going to leave you with that question to ponder during this blessed season of Lent.
Centuries ago, the words “know thyself first” were inscribed in gold (that’s how important it was) at the entrance of the temple of Apollo. Valeria Sabater, Ph.D., tells us those words were believed to be imperative because “No question makes sense if you don’t first answer the most important one: Who are you? It’s impossible to change how we feel about others until we know, really know, ourselves.”
If I truly know myself, then I will be able to recognize the source of my thoughts and feelings toward others – good or bad.
What is the basis for our love or hatred toward others? Have you ever thought about that? If not – why? Possibly because who wants to venture down that rabbit hole and come face-to-face with ourselves?! No thanks. Too scary. Yet, I believe God constantly challenges us to look honestly at how we pull others in or push them away and judge others without caring about what they may be dealing with in their lives.
We seem to have forgotten Jesus’ purpose for coming here: “Jesus hates you, this I know, ’cause the Bible tells me so.” Come on, sing along with me. You know the words. Wait, no… Jesus came to show us up close and personal how to love and care for those who are rejected and suffer terribly at the hands of others.
You may say you love your mother because she fed and clothed you and made your brother clean the bathroom once. But is that the impetus for your love? I have been known to say, ‘I love chocolate mint ice cream’ – which, full disclosure, I have said, but – REALLY?!
You may say you hate so-and-so because they did something to hurt you, but that isn’t really the reason. It goes much deeper than that. People have hurt me terribly over the years. It began with my own mother, then others – all reinforcing my belief that I was not worthy of love. Then, I did my best to hurt back for many of those years, believing I was justified.
The moment we strike out at someone or degrade them, the truth of our identity is being revealed –which is fear. We either fear others who are not like us, or we fear ourselves, which Freud termed “projection”. There’s something planted deep down that we hate about ourselves that shows up in that person.
Psychologist Brad Reedy says, “If we find part of ourselves unacceptable, we tend to attack others in order to defend against the threat. If we are okay with ourselves, we see others’ behaviors as ‘about them’ and can respond with compassion. If I kept hate in my heart for another, I would also have to hate myself. It is only when we learn to hold ourselves with compassion that we may be able to demonstrate it toward others.”
Hate is not our default setting, but there are people, sadly even some professed Christians, who make it seem so. Many have bought into the idea that if you don’t believe what I believe, you’re my enemy, and I’m watching you closely. Don’t screw with me! I have no doubt the Elf on the Shelf was created by someone who hates kids! But I digress…
We can easily point to Scripture to justify ourselves. How about “An eye for an eye” – huh?! It’s right there in the Bible! Yes, it is, and it may seem pretty compelling when it excuses our actions. However, I’m sorry if you really like that one because you would be using it out-of-context, as we tend to do with so much of Scripture.
The “eye for an eye” verse originated long before it showed up in Exodus and was not meant to validate personal vengeance. It was enacted into law to protect the vulnerable. According to Crosswalk.com, “The phrase is used in the circumstance of a court case before a civil authority such as a judge. ‘An eye for an eye’ was thus intended to be a guiding ethic for legislators and judges.” And didn’t Jesus clear that up in the Sermon on the Mount – teaching us to love the “least of these”? Give them your shirt, your last dollar, and a great big hug!
If we believe that God created us in his image and he resides within us, then what comes out of us as hatred toward others would not be possible. Can love and hatred coexist within the same heart? I suppose they can if that love is shallow and selective. But then, that’s not God’s love, is it? God’s most profound, truest love is indiscriminate, unconditional, and life-giving. It doesn’t strip others of their humanity and dignity.
“We do not realize that it wasn’t the person or event right in front of us that made us angry or fearful—or excited and energized. At best, that is only partly true. How we see will largely determine what we see and whether it can give us joy or make us pull back with an emotionally stingy and resistant response….what we are able to see and are predisposed to see in the outer world is a mirrorreflection of our own inner world (my emphasis) and state of consciousness at that time.” Richard Rohr
Our every thought, word, and action depends on our awareness of who we are on the innermost level. That often requires brutal honesty, and, at least for me, that honesty often comes in the form of someone else’s admonitions. It’s hard for us to be vulnerable enough to be objective about our weaknesses and failings if we’re preoccupied with protecting our self-image.
It’s critical to have someone in your life who can be honest with you about who you are and how you project yourself into the world. And, believe me, that’s not fun if they will honestly tell you that what you just did or said to someone – well – it was mean, and you suck, and you should apologize immediately! There are times when I can actually do that myself – but not many.
I will leave you with this thought: “Compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self.” Russell Simmons
(Pope Francis blesses a leper Photograph: Claudio Peri/EPA)
Over the past few weeks, I have heard visceral and angry comments from others about homosexuality, mostly from professed Christians. Of course, this is nothing new.
I’m sure what has likely stirred the hornet’s nest for many were the recent words of Pope Francis permitting priests to bless same-sex couples. Undoubtedly, many bishops were incensed, and I’m sure Pope Francis expected it. What I’m also sure of is that he didn’t stop to worry about the fallout of his decision or how that would reflect on his approval numbers.
The noise was so profound for me because it came at Christmas. If you have to ask why that matters, I will tell you if you will indulge me. You are free to disagree. I would ask that you consider what I am sharing here in light of our having just celebrated the birth of Christ, which would soon be followed by his short life of loving as God taught him, followed by his unimaginable suffering, pain, and death because of that love.
Let me share the writings of two women here because they beautifully express what I feel:
First, Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault explains the uncomfortable question of what the Bible says about sexual orientation: “How you answer this question depends hugely on what you take the Bible to be. If you believe that the Bible is a single, timeless, internally consistent teaching on matters of human morality dictated by God, then yes, the Old Testament book of Leviticus is definitely uncomfortable with homosexuality. But it is also uncomfortable with menstruating women, shellfish, and pigskin. (And for the record, it has some very harsh words to say about lending money at interest, a prohibition that even biblical literalists seem to find it perfectly permissible to disregard!).”
Oops…
She continues, “Like most other critically thinking Christians, I see the Bible as a symphony (sometimes a cacophony!) of divinely inspired human voices bearing witness to an astonishing evolutionary development in our human understanding of God…. As a Christian, I am bound, when I listen to this diversity of biblical voices, to set my compass by the teachings and the path walked by Jesus himself.”
Oops again…
“Nowhere does Jesus condemn gays or lesbians (or any other person identified in the diverse range of LGBTQ+)…. His harsh words are reserved entirely for those whose certainty about their religious rectitude causes them to condemn others. Jesus is all about inclusion, forgiveness, and empowerment.…
I am compelled by my Christianity to refrain from any behaviors or judgments which arrogantly demean the dignity of another human being or cause them to lose hope.”
Now, these thoughts of Alyse Jacobsen:
“In the New Testament, the original Greek words, arsenokoitai, and malakoi, have been translated to “homosexual.” But their original meanings are ambiguous at best. Scholarship suggested the words are closer to describing someone who uses authority to gain sex, someone who uses sex to hurt another human being. There was no Greek or Hebrew word for a committed same-sex relationship.Selective and literal interpretations of the Bible are dangerous.
Jesus would have known about homosexuality. He was an educated rabbi; he would have been able to recite the verses that condemned it. But he never mentioned it. Not once. I find this astounding.
Somehow, we’ve forgotten that our lesbian neighbor is filled with the Holy Spirit, too, that she is also made in God’s image. We’ve forgotten to see her as a whole person, with dreams and goals, and divine inspiration….”
Finally, I believe if we claim to be Christian, we must honestly confront any hatred and prejudice we harbor in our hearts, in light of the only “law” God gave us (Matt. 22:37) –“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself – which is every human being also created by God.”
We are all card-carrying members of a broken humanity. For the love of God, can we PLEASE try not to take our miserable mess and pile it onto others?
What are we teaching our children when we hate? What message are we giving those who are searching for the love of Christ that has been lost to them along the way? How could they feel he is trustworthy? How are we culpable in forwarding a false Christian message that Jesus doesn’t like you because you’re ______________(fill in the blank)?
Do you know what February 22nd is? Yeah, yeah, Ash Wednesday for millions of Christians around the world. Many are called to prayer, fasting, and penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday – other traditions have some version of that.
Before Ash Wednesday, they are supposed to wrestle with something that they LOVE – A LOT –like chocolate, or cussing, or binge-watching those stupid TV shows, and give it up for those forty days. Good luck with that and your commitment to exercise too! We’re so pathetic when it comes to the teeniest bit of “suffering”.
But there’s anotherevent on this day that everyone, faithful and heathen alike, will be celebrating. Something easier to stick to. It is – drum roll, please…
National Margarita Day!!! Olay…olay…olay…olay!
(Tenor GIF)
It is a sad commentary for all people of faith that they seem to compete with each other. Think of how many faithful receive their ashes on a throbbing forehead after reveling the night before.
Ash Wednesday should be one of the most sacred of church seasons. You see them everywhere, people with those strange ashes on their foreheads. You want to reach up and wipe it off for them because you think they don’t know it’s there, “You have something on your forehead. Let me get that for you.”
Some people focus these forty days before Easter entirely on the “giving up” aspect of it. Chocolate sales are probably higher on the days leading up to Lent than on Valentine’s Day! Perhaps that’s how Valentine’s Day got its start! Ya’ think? People began buying copious amounts of chocolate in February, and someone at Hershey noticed. It probably had nothing to do with St. Valentine. It’s a commercial windfall for Hershey and Hallmark. Cha-Ching! But I digress.
The morning after Ash Wednesday and National Margarita Day may appear to be similar.
Ash Wednesday:
You wake up wondering if you really want to do this again.
You feel an emptiness you can’t define.
You wonder if you did anything the past year that you’ll regret confessing because you conveniently forgot that one nasty faux pas you failed to mention last year. OOPS. You know those stay on our record, right?
You shower that already-faded reminder off your forehead and act like it never happened. You check the mirror. Thank goodness it’s not a tattoo!
You ask yourself, again,“Why do I put myself through this forty-day review of all my shittiness… Every. Single. Miserable. Year?!”
You question if any of it even matters.
National Margureta Day:
You wake up forgetting what happened the night before.
You feel an emptiness you can’t define.
You wonder if you did anything stupid the night before. You usually do, and someone you were with will probably remind you or point out that tattoo they warned you against.
You down a couple of aspirins for the headache.
Then, you ask yourself – again – why you continue to do this when the outcome is always the same?
You question if this annual event should be struck from your calendar!
Like it or not, they will both be back. You just have to decide which one you will allow in because it really is up to you. Alcohol will try to force its way into your mouth. Jesus will gently knock on the door of your heart. One will try t’kill’ya, and the other wants to bring you back to life. You decide.
Here is the beautiful lesson of Lent we can all take away, “Lent is not about giving up. It’s about finding. It’s about healing. It’s about cleansing. It’s about weeping. It’s about reconciling,” says Carla Mae Streeter, O.P. (one of my former professors.) And only a person in love truly “gets it.” That’s where remembering becomes critical. Of course, we must never forget the suffering of Christ and the Love that hung on the cross on Good Friday. But that cannot be where it ends.
We must take our remembering into Easter Sunday and beyond – and rejoice! Death has no sting. Hell has no victory! God loves us that much! If we forget that, if we become so caught up in other “things” in our lives, we lose, and Satan wins.
John Eldridge tells us that “the story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it. We must never forget that we are part of a greater story.”
(author unknown)
Lent has something to teach us, no matter what our faith is. It’s about remembering. And who doesn’t need to be continually reminded of who we are as God’s beloved? (Also, when you walk out your front door the next morning, remember that God loves your neighbor too – even though he threw up on your lawn last night!)
During the most difficult of times, are we aware that we are truly being held by a Mighty, Awesome, and Loving God? The richness of your life comes from a promise kept by the God who LOVES YOU DEEPLY AND PASSIONATELY. If the cross doesn’t prove that, if the empty tomb doesn’t prove that, if the resurrection doesn’t prove that, nothing will. You were created for love. Try to remember that.
The world offers many different expressions of love: “I love mint chocolate chip ice cream!” (Actually, that’s true.) “I love your new car!” “I love shopping!” Love can be humorous, as when Miss Piggy floats across a field of flowers, heart beating wildly, feeling weak in the knees, stomach all a-flutter, shrieking, “Ohhhhhh, Kermie!”
(Tenor GIF)
Worldly love can come with no expectations or commitments: “I used to love you when you were thin and had more hair!” or, “Well, I could have loved you, but your ex-wife got all your money, and, well, I have needs!” or, “You didn’t tell me I had to love your kids too!”
That kind of love can be found merely by seeking our own desires, which we believe no one has a right to deny us, and it’s just as rewarding to love things as people.
Unfortunately, that mentality devours childhood innocence, destroys relationships, shrugs off compassion, and muddies the pure waters of selfless love. As long as we seek love from the things of this world, we will always come up lost and empty for our efforts.
How do so many of us get it so wrong so often? Perhaps it’s because our meager understanding of love is based on our personal, human experiences. I often ask myself, “Self, what is your problem? Why do you struggle so much? Why can’t you let go of your past? Why is it so difficult for you to trust God, to accept His love and your inherent worth?” Perhaps my ego has been too big, my fear too overwhelming, and my God too small.
But by the grace of God, I am gradually seeing my failure to truly love and my fear of accepting love. God does not fit neatly into the image I created. He refuses to patronize me when I cry out, “Lord, Lord!” It’s as though He’s saying, “Your cries are muted by your deafening indifference, Linda. Your faith is lukewarm, and, need I remind you, how I hate lukewarm?!” (Revelation 3:16)
Richard Rohr puts it into perspective for me, “It is in doing it wrong, being rejected, and experiencing pain that we are led to total reliance upon God….God has let me do just about everything wrong, so I could fully experience how God can do everything so utterly right….If we expect or need things (including ourselves) to be perfect or even “to our liking,” we have created a certain plan for a miserable life.”
Phillip Newell tells us, “Within us – as a sheer gift of God – is the capacity to bring forth what has never been before, including what has never been imagined before. Deep within us are holy, natural longings for oneness….We may live in tragic exile from those longings, or we may have spent a whole lifetime not knowing how to truly satisfy them, but they are there at the heart of our being, waiting to be born afresh….When we love, we bring the very essence of our being into relationship with the essence of the other.” (The Rebirthing of God, p. x, xvi)
There are rare moments in my life when I experience a great and mysterious intensity. Perhaps that is the longing Newell speaks of. I recall someone else calling it those thin places where we feel God’s presence most profoundly. I can’t describe the emotions except that they are overwhelming, and somehow I know God is working in this messy heart of mine.
When I start to judge others, I sense God’s tug on my heart to “see” them as He sees them; to look beyond their actions to their hearts where He resides. The peace that it brings to my own heart is beyond words!
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tells us, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
There are some attributes of love I would like to focus on: “Love suffers long” and “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”.
Love suffers long
Okay. We’re already in trouble. We don’t want to suffer; we want the antidote! We want something to fix the problem. As human beings – even Christians – we really hate to suffer. Actually, many Christians believe God should protect them from suffering.
Scripture tells us of God’s deep longing for those who turn away from Him. This is not a God who cannot wait to punish us for our sinfulness. Instead, He longs to lavish us with His love despite our sinfulness.
Just as Jesus’ suffering and dying brought many sinners to salvation, and the apostles’ suffering and martyrdom brought others to God, our willingness to suffer well, whatever comes our way, is a witness to the power of God’s love in a broken world.
I have a friend whose marriage is terribly difficult. She has often threatened divorce. But God spoke to the depth of her heart that it was within her marriage that she would grow to be more like Him. It’s easy to love a newborn baby, a tiny puppy, or the perfect mother you’ve been blessed with. But what about those imperfect people?
Do you find yourself glaring at that lump of a husband on your sofa – you know, the one who’s guzzling beer and belching show tunes – and wondering where you went wrong? Then there’s that snarky neighbor you secretly wish would fall off the face of the earth.
There always seems to be someone anxious to make messes in our lives. Can’t we do something to make him or her pay? Don’t we have the right? The answer is a simple but emphatic “No!” God will handle that person, not us. Definitely not us.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.
When your wife comes home drunk…again, when your child is arrested on drug charges, when your cancer returns, when your aging parents make continual demands on you, who do you turn to? When you can’t lift your head off the pillow to face another day – how do you bear up, believe, hope, and endure all things? How do you go on when you cry out to God in despair but receive no answer?
You have to believe, truly believe, that the God of mercy loves you immeasurably. Nothing you suffer is lost to God’s watchful, loving care. No part of your life is without purpose. In the book of Genesis, God called Abraham to slay his beloved son Isaac. Could I have trusted God that much? No anonymous tipster in this story whispers, “Pssst, Abe! Just go along with it. He’ll stop you at the last minute. Trust me.” Nope, it didn’t happen that way. Abraham completely trusted God.
We can find incredible stories of people who have suffered persecution and abject loss throughout history. Yet, countless people have survived the unthinkable by believing in God’s promises and trusting in His love. From the darkness of despair comes the dawn of grace.
When we can’t see God or hear Him in the midst of our pain, we need to believe that His love for us is at the core of our being. “Blessed are those who suffer well and hope for things unseen, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 13:13). In suffering, we are comforted by God and, in turn, learn to comfort others.
What if Jesus’ story had been different? What if he had gone to the cross, kicking and screaming? He certainly had the right. He was being persecuted relentlessly. He had done nothing but love his Father and humankind during his life, and for that flawless behavior, he was crucified. He could have retaliated with an army of angels, but he didn’t. Instead, he was stripped, spat upon, mocked, and killed. He could have cursed his enemies to Hell. Instead, he prayed for them.
The world repaid Jesus’ love with hatred in the form of a cross. But the nails didn’t hold him there; love held him there. He chose to forgive in his final act of mercy: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Jesus’ final hours speak volumes about my rejection of atonement theology. So many believe that Jesus had to die to atone for our sins. I’m sorry, I don’t buy it. I believe too many of us subscribe to the teaching that God’s anger over our sins required Jesus’ death. Doesn’t that create an image of a God bent on punishment who can’t wait for us to screw up? I keep imagining that Wack-A-Mole game. No thanks.
GOD IS LOVE…PERIOD. And because we were created in His image and loved beyond measure, we must also be that love to others. Jesus’ last command to us was to love. When did he tell us to hate, judge, and flip off that jerky neighbor? The last words out of Jesus’ mouth were to forgive, not to condemn.
My mother-in-law (God rest her beautiful soul) could offer you a perfect example of why God calls us to love. She bore the pain of losing a younger sister to cancer and the death of a beloved son. She struggled through a difficult marriage and other challenging relationships. And then I came along.
Forty-three years ago, I stood before her in a short skirt, a long wig, a seven-year-old daughter by my side, and a heathen attitude in my heart. I was self-centered and demanding. I resented the occasions when my husband would stop to see her after work. I was jealous.
For those and other reasons, she could have done what everyone else in my life had done – she could have rejected me or struck out at me. I would have understood that reaction; I was accustomed to it. But instead, she chose to love me despite my attitude.
Soon I could feel myself being drawn to her. She had something I wanted, and I didn’t even know what it was. But after being in her company and experiencing her selfless love for others – and for me – I was hooked. That was the beginning of my long (still ongoing) journey of change.
If I hadn’t experienced her love first-hand, I would most likely still be self-absorbed and wearing those dreaded short skirts (probably not a good idea for a sixty-eight-year-old grandmother!). I can imagine her reunion with God, “Come on, give us a hug, Catherine! Thank you for so brilliantly dealing with that mess of a daughter-in-law of yours! Well done, my good and faithful servant…well done!” (Matthew 25:23)
The greatest of these is love.
Scripture tells us the value that God places on love: “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). love is a verb. It’s an action word. We can’t just give lip service to God’s commandment to love one another. If the action doesn’t match the words, it’s a lie. Jesus went beyond telling us that he loved us; he showed us and expects us to do the same.
How about 1 John 4:20 for a wake-up call? “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” Of course, we all know someone like that, but could we be accused of the same shortcoming?
God never promised us that His way would be easy. The Bible depicts a love unlike the worldly version: “Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friend” (John 15:13). How many people would you consider dying for? Hopefully, your children, your spouse, possibly other relatives (except crazy Uncle Bill), and most likely your dearest friends. Those friends would have to be your dearest ones, though! Fair-weather friends wouldn’t make the cut. How about an enemy? How about that crotchety neighbor you’ve had to contend with for years? How about that lying sneak of a co-worker who managed to get himself promoted to a job that was rightfully yours?
Although God’s love is freely given, it longs for a response. If fear holds us back, it masks who we really are. Fear clings to the old self, refuses to relinquish control, and attempts to tie the hands of the Holy Spirit.
And lest we forget, God’s sacrificial love infuses an inherent dignity in everyone! We, as Christians, have no monopoly on God. We don’t own Him, and we don’t have exclusive rights to him. This isn’t a private club. We are to be instruments of His love or our response, and our faith is inadequate at best and sinful at worst.
I would like to end with a quote from a sermon on Job once given by Archibald MacLeish. He said, “Man depends on God for all things; God depends on man for one. Only man can prove that man loves God.”
Episcopal Archbishop Michael Curry speaks so powerfully of the murder of Tyre Nichols and so many others, “There is a passage from the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, which is later quoted in Matthew’s Gospel when innocent baby boys are killed by an immoral dictator: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her childrenbecause they are no more.”—Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18
With the murder of Tyre Nichols, another mother, as in the biblical texts, weeps, with the mothers of Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others. A family grieves. A community fears. A nation is ashamed. Like the psalmist in the Bible, something in us cries out, “How long, O Lord, how long?” How long violence, how long cruelty, how long the utter disregard for the dignity and worth of every child of God? How long?”
While watching the violent murder of Tyre Nichols, I was shaken to my core, as I was each time before. But this time, there was something different. I have cried tears over the injustice, but that’s not enough. Tears don’t impact or change anything. I think that’s called sympathy without action – or, God’s favorite, being lukewarm (Rev 3:16).
I can no longer feel the horror and not be moved to do something. What? – you ask. “You’re an old white grandma. Turn off the TV and go knit something.” Those voices that once allowed me to retreat back into complacency were now drowned out by God’s voice calling me to “go”. As usual, he never seems to specify where or when. Like Abraham. Just go.
Since then, I have sat with, prayed about, and struggled with my deepest beliefs about who I am as a professed follower of Christ, who my neighbor is, and who we are as a nation. The most profound question for me that has arisen now is if and how I, as a Christian, am not only culpable but what I am called to do.
It has been messy and fluid with so many nuances, but here it is. This is a thought process that I began for my own understanding. But trying to know anything concerning God and the way he operates without any doubts is futile. I know that, but I keep going back there.
The need to know and understand presupposes that somehow we can reason this out. That’s a great start, but it can’t stop there. And that’s the rub. My head wants answers. My heart wants to trust that God already knows how he wants me to respond.
We want to stop before that. Let’s just go to church – get our card punched –done – go home, and watch football or knit (BTW, I don’t even know how to knit). But Jesus never said, “Worship me”. He said, “Follow me”.
You may disagree with me when it’s all said and done, and that’s fine. But I believe it is incumbent upon each of us to take a stand once and for all to be Christ in this hurting world. To stop pretending to be the person we claim to be only when others are watching.
We should be more concerned that God is watching! And it’s not the god who keeps a running total of our church attendance and tithing spreadsheet. That would be a shallow, small-minded god who is out to get you if you make one wrong move.
The God I’m going to stick with tells us explicitly how we are to live and move and have our being in the world through the uncompromising words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 that end with, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is “…following the “rules” some guys made up over beers in a bar…wait…no…that’s not it…sorry. Just seeing if you’re paying attention.
The greatest of these is Love.
Many of us will choose between love and hate. I’m guessing a lot more prefer to think of themselves as neutral – it feels safer. But that stance needs to be reckoned with too. Too much is at stake. God is adamant about it when he says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev 3:16).
(quotesgram)
Let’s say you agree that you must decide where you stand and why. The “why” is critical. Stopping short of fully embracing your “why” leaves you wobbly and vulnerable to anyone who can shove you off-balance. I have had that happen more times than I care to admit.
So, this is where I landed: As a Christian, I am compelled to consider my life and purpose from my essence, my very being, where God resides. Not from any outside influence. If I own up to being a follower of Christ, how I live that life is to manifest his love in every moment and with every decision.
It has challenged me to look honestly at how I am doing that in light of Jesus’ words in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. Nowhere does Jesus tell us to only love those like us, those who don’t threaten our comfort level.
Remember Jonah, who seriously needed a bath because of the awful fish smell after God told the whale to “Spit him out. I think he has learned his lesson”? So, here I am, a modern-day Jonah, always asking God for a different assignment. “Can I pick this time, Lord?!” And God is saying, “Nope”.
Update – 6/15/24:
When I wrote this in 2023, I knew my actions had to match my words. I prayed God would take my words, which I meant deeply, and turn them into action. He obliged.
I was given the opportunity to participate in a chaplaincy training. After completion, I connected with a Chaplain at the Juvenile Detention Center and began work as a volunteer chaplain there. I can’t describe to you how incredibly blessed I feel to be praying with and loving on the kids there! It’s beyond what I imagined over a year ago when I felt that initial tug from God as I read Archbishop Curry’s words.
I’m reminded of God’s promise in Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me.” But he needs my “Yes”. He’ll even settle for a shaky, uncertain, hesitant “yes”!
And so it begins – another Lent – when we give up peas and spinach (my husband’s all-time favorite sacrifice) but not our belief that we are such wretched souls that a vindictive God demanded the death of his Son to fix our pathetic selves.
A bait-and-switch tactic if you ask me. Which is kinda genius if it weren’t for the fact that God knows us witless humans all too well. I mean, it’s not like all of humankind did an immediate about-face and never sinned again. If God really devised this plan (which I don’t believe) to correct the stupidity of Adam and Eve, it didn’t work. We have continued to sin and fall short of the glory of God. So, what would have been the point?
Wouldn’t that supposed “plan” of His have rendered Him incapable of running the Universe? Wouldn’t a higher-up call Him into their office on Monday morning to make an accounting for His actions? “I’m sorry to inform you that the Board has decided to replace you. You’re fired. Please turn in your badge and keys now. Also, I would recommend you not use us as a reference on a resume for future employment.”
Many Christians just can’t seem to let go of the belief that God sent His beloved Son to die for our wretchedness. That belief makes no demands on us. It’s a bit like believing “fortified” Froot Loops are healthy because it says so right on the box. No kids – they’re NOT! So spit them out and go get your mother. I want to have a heart-to-heart with her. Then, if the conversation goes as planned, be prepared for a plate full of broccoli tomorrow morning. If not, you can have your crappy Fruit Loops back!
But I digress…
I hate to admit that I was also comfortable in that “God the Mighty Judge” belief for many years. But eventually, it became impossible for me to accept in light of the God I grew to know intimately. How can anyone “know” God? – you ask? “Knowledge” of God’s love will never get you there. It is only when you experience that Love within the very depth of your heart.
Jesus’ Passion should declare the unbridled love of God for us. The cross should upend any denial that He loves us deeply and obsessively. But, as Hebrews 10:31 tells us, “It’s just way too scary to fall into the hands of the living God” (loose translation). That is not a god we want to snuggle up to. We prefer a god like that unpredictable, crazy uncle we keep at a distance. Genesis 3:8 insists that Adam and Eve ran and hid from that God!
Every year, Lent calls us to look at the cross differently. It’s a perpetual life lesson that keeps showing up forty days a year. Every. Single. Year. Until, hopefully, we “get it”! Sadly, many don’t. It took me years.
Will we ever wake up to the beauty of the cross that goes beyond Jesus’ suffering? I believe that can only be possible through the eyes of faith – illuminated by the grace of a tender, loving God.
For that to happen, we must be willing to fix an unwavering gaze on the cross and realize the true meaning of Jesus’ Passion. We must embrace with faith – even if it’s a bit shaky – the reality that the crucifixion on Friday and the empty tomb on Saturday were necessary for the revelation of the profound mystery that is God manifest through Jesus on Easter Sunday.
My prayer is that you and your loved ones have a very blessed Easter!
We all know the words of 1 Corinthians 13. Right? It’s one of the most familiar verses in scripture. Who hasn’t been to a wedding, or two, or twenty, that present it as a reminder of the love and commitment a couple is offering to each other?
But do you know the original intent of Paul when he wrote it? You may think he sat around the campfire with his “flock” and wrote this song to commemorate the establishment of his new faith community (though it’s not credited to him, and he gets no residuals. Pity): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYJMtn6IJeE
Anyway, everybody’s high-fiving as Paul slaps his own back for his ingenious efforts in the name of love. He may have even imagined himself receiving a Pulitzer Prize or at least Time’s coveted “Man of the Year” award. Temporarily losing sight of his own advice about “pride” and all.
Okay, fine…truth be told, none of that happened. He wasn’t in some mushy mindset when he wrote those words to the Corinthians. Actually, Paul wrote them in a fit of anger. I kid you not.
When he established Corinth, he imagined it to be perfect. God’s dwelling place, a community of love and care for each other and all humankind. Peace on earth, Goodwill to men…and all that.
But things quickly fell apart. He was peeved at them because of their short memories. As soon as Paul was out of sight and on his way to his next church planting, the Corinthians began to fight and argue over everything. The rich and powerful immediately began to demand more and more for themselves, believing they deserved it. Jealousy often led to striving for importance and self-promotion.
But the deepest split came when the self-proclaimed “authorities” felt compelled to form a committee to decide, and then pronounce, who was going to heaven and who was headed for hell because of their messed up beliefs. So, they drew a line in the sand: the “ins” over here, the “outs” way over there – “keep going till we tell you to stop”! Love got lost in the scramble for importance. In short, they were all a mess. Sound familiar?
Sure, initially, they may have bought into the idea of love. But it wasn’t the love Jesus lived and died for. Instead, they wanted it on their terms: less demanding, just as we do today. We want the watered-down version that puts loving my new car in the same category as loving humans or puppies. (I know, puppies are much easier!)
Anyway, perhaps in our own time of so much strife, it would behoove us to revisit 1 Corinthians 13 in light of what Paul was trying to get across to those hard-heads, immature in faith and lacking the love that requires self-sacrifice – a love rooted in compassion.
So, here goes.
Love Never Fails– 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (NIV)
If I speak in the tongues of men or angels but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. Like when I put myself and my wants and presumed needs first.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. As in, “I know everything about everything that matters – to me. That’s why I have given myself all authority to laud it over you.”
If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boastbut do not have love, I gain nothing. As in, “Look at me, ain’t I special?!”
Love is patient – except when you annoy me.
Love is kind – except when I don’t get my way.
It does not envy – except when you bought that new, nicer, shinier car before me.
It does not boast – except when I excelled in some project at work, got a significant raise, and a corner office.
It is not proud – except when I installed the biggest pool in the neighborhood.
It does not dishonor others – except when they deserve it because they’re being poopyheads.
It is not self-seeking – except when I believe I deserve fame and fortune, power and authority, and fewer wrinkles.
It is not easily angered – except when my kids can’t seem to behave appropriately – by my rigid standards.
It keeps no record of wrongs – except for all the people who just can’t seem to keep their broken, messy attitudes out of my broken, chaotic life.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth – welllll, I don’t necessarily delight in evil. It’s just that I can sometimes stretch the definition of “truth”.
It always protects – those innocents who suffer and are downtrodden.
Always trusts – our God, who never fails us.
Always hopes – in a better way, a better life for all humankind.
Always perseveres – even when things seem impossible.
Love never fails – NEVER! END OF STORY
And finally:
Diana Butler Bass says it beautifully, “Yes, we may be in hell. The world may be hellish. COVID is hell. Our political crisis is hell. The climate crisis is truly hell. But there is another story, another song, a different word. A word we can speak and a word we can act upon. Peace has been born. We wait for its fullness….we claim the power of the Christmas story to bless, to redeem, to transform the stark earth. While “death howls in strife,” we embrace and embody the poetry of God and beat back the walls of hell. Make ready the stable of your heart. Fear not. And get busy with the work of peace.
Peace to you and your loved ones this Christmas. It is certainly a Christmas like no other we have experienced, a Christmas that may seem to counter all we have believed about goodness and love. But only if we have lost sight of the One who changed everything for all of us, Christian and non-Christian alike. This Christmas Day, may we finally “see” Jesus as the Incarnation of God’s immovable, constant, abiding, majestic, unfailing LOVE for ALL: every single messy, broken one of us! A LOVE that is not returnable. You can refuse it if you want, but God will keep trying. It’s like that ugly tie you got – again – from Aunt Lucy. (You know she buys those in bulk at after-Christmas sales, right? Yep, you’re getting one again next year!)
It’s a shame that Gandhi, Buddha, and all their followers are in, or headed to, hell. So say many Christians. What do you believe? What do I believe? People who profess to be Christian indeed have a sacred calling. Scripture tells us so. If that’s true – what is it? Is it to announce the luck of the draw for members in an exclusive club with the secret handshake and a never to expire ticket to heaven, or to announce the bad news of condemnation and the hell-bound destiny of all those tough-luck-for-you-non-Christians? Over all my seventy-two years, I have probably accepted, without question, those beliefs more than I care to admit.
As feeble as it is, this post is my attempt to offer a different possibility of what Christianity means to me. Though it is different than what so many have come to embrace, it is actually what the first Christians believed about themselves as followers of Jesus. You may agree, or you may not. Either way, this is where I have landed after many years of struggling with and contemplating my ongoing journey of faith, anger, falls from grace, brokenness, and healing – sometimes all in one day! My very being has been squeezed through the wringer, patched together, taped up, and super-glued so often I look like Humpty Dumpty!
This post has been difficult and challenging for me to write. It has developed through months of witnessing the continued dumpster fires of 2020. In particular, the ugliness, anger, hatred, and violence seem to have rendered many of us oblivious to the suffering of so many innocent people, children in particular. They have become collateral damage in this war – and it is a war – a spiritual war.
But what has endured through it all for me are the words of wisdom and encouragement of those I quote in this post. Those folks I consider to be outstanding voices and true examples of what it means to be a follower of a Holy, Magnificent, All-Loving God of every single messy one of us! Every one! You will see a lot of italics within the following quotes. They are all my doing! They have powerfully pierced my heart and uplifted my soul. They have given me new hope that the God I love, has always deeply loved me, even when I often lose sight of him. He has never changed. He is steady and immovable even when we try desperately to change him to suit our egocentric selves in moments of darkness and uncertainty.
I have been in that place more often than I can count. But I do not want to be stuck there again. I recognize that god-awful place where it seemed to be easier for me to default to taking sides and raising my own fist against those I disagree with than to follow in the footsteps of those I so admire: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and, of course, at the top of that list, the One we all should be emulating – Jesus. Even Gandhi loved Jesus and learned from his life. He loved the Sermon on the Mount! And yet, it’s very telling that he once remarked, “I like your Christ, but not your Christians.” Ouch!
Even today, people are dying for their faith while we rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic. Brilliant! Yeah us! Speaking the truth to power doesn’t often end well. But, in the immortal words of Saint Mother Theresa, “Do it anyway”.
Nothing in scripture tells us that Jesus, or any of his followers, would die for the belief of those Christians today who condemn non-Christians to hell or proclaim some sort of special status for themselves.
And if that’s not enough, here’s another stark and uncomfortable reminder for us comfy, cozy American Christians in our watered-down, lukewarm faith. You know, the belief that Jesus railed against? (Rev. 3:15-16). Whew…yeah, that one’s way too awkward! Let’s just skip over it. Surely, he didn’t mean it. He was probably just having a lousy day…maybe too much caffeine. (But, I digress.)
Jesus said abandon your possessions (Matt. 19:21) – we try to dicker, “Ummm, how about if I sell one mink coat or one car. No? Okay, this is killing me, but how about if I sell one condo and then donate a few dollars to charity? Will that get me a ticket to heaven? Come on, cut me some slack, Lord!”
Jesus said to abandon family and friends (Luke 14:25-27) – instead, we cling to them and turn our backs on those not like us.
Jesus said, abandon your very self (Matt. 16:24) – we might lay one bad habit down. But give up all our “stuff” – all our striving for power and influence – all our dreams of fame and fortune? No way!
There it is. We have just watered Jesus down and settled him into our comfort zone, rendering him mediocre – along with God. Hmmmm, sorta like us. But what have we lost in the process? I can easily imagine, but dread to think, that I could one day say the same thing as Tolstoy’s character Ivan Ilyich said on his deathbed, “What if my whole life has been wrong.”
Steven Weinberg reminds us that, “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
Why do we stay stuck in doctrines and dogmas? Because it’s safe. But, is that actually what God wants? Is that what Jesus and so many others died for?
It appears there are two options to consider: Would I march myself into martyrdom for a doctrine created long ago by a church seeking control of its people? Or would I commit to an unwavering faith in the God who makes no demands for allegiance, but simply and profoundly speaks within the depth of our hearts and calls us to love, to show compassion and care for others, no matter the cost? I want to be counted among the latter. Thanks.
From the book by Brennon Manning, “Holy Rascals”, “The God that can be branded is not the true God. Our job isn’t to dethrone the emperor, only to point out that the emperor has no clothes. Our task isn’t to banish the Great and Terrible Wizard, only to reveal that the Land of Oz is run by a small man with a large megaphone.”
In the words of Mirabai Starr, “The sacred scriptures of all faiths call us to love as we have never loved before. This requires effort, vigilance, and radical humility. This is the narrow gate Jesus speaks about… mutual dedication to lovingkindness as the highest expression of faith.The call does not come softly. It bangs the shutters of your heart and wakes you from a deep sleep. You have no choice but to respond.”
So, here I stand naked and humbled before God. As uncomfortable as that may seem, it is far more desirable than sleepwalking through this one, short, marvelous life we have been given.
The experience of my seventy-second birthday a couple of weeks ago was more profound than even life’s typical milestones some call “rites of passage”. Like sixteen when I smoked in front of my dad for the first time. Guess he was just tired of me stealing his cigarettes, and since I now had a job, I could buy my own. Not sure how that stacks up with being allowed to wear makeup or going on a first date. It simply paved the way for a swifter road to possible lung cancer. But who thinks about that at sixteen? At twenty-one, I could discard the fake ID I had already used for a few years to get drunk. Now I would remain drunk and stupefied for years! Woohoo!
As you may have deduced by now, few birthdays for me became Kodak moments. Except for this last one. Hopefully, not last as in LAST. But that’s the final point I want to make here. If this past year has not impacted me any other way, it has reminded me of what’s really important because I often forget that we have no guarantees in this life. And God will be VERY disappointed if, for whatever time I have remaining, I have not left this world better in some way for my having been here. Thankfully, there’s still time as long as I am breathing.
At the end of my life, I DO NOT want to be reminded of these profound words by Gian Carlo Menotti, “Hell begins on the day when God grants us a clear vision of all that we might have achieved, of all the gifts which we have wasted, of all that we might have done which we did not do.”
I would prefer to dust myself off, let go of the negativity of 2020, and embrace these thoughts to empower my every action from here on out. Because every dayis a new day. Every day I am a new creation in Christ. Every day I can hear God say to me, “Okay, Linda, let’s try this love thing again.”
Richard Rohr says it beautifully, not that God doesn’t (sorry, Lord), “We must re-teach all things their loveliness. That could be your one and only life calling!”
Howard Thurman tells us: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
The beginning of my quest for truth came with my willingness to question what I believed about who God was, who Jesus was, who I was, and who my neighbor was. Dag Hammarskjold said, “The longest journey is the journey inwards. Of him who has chosen his destiny, who has started upon his quest for the source of his being.”
Well, alrighty then…that was fun! Are you still here?
Let me leave you with my favorite prayer of blessing and this incredible song by Casting Crowns as we prepare for Christmas. I pray for God’s blessings for you and your loved ones during this season of remembrance. This time of renewal and commitment to love God and each other!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Have you ever regifted something your Aunt Ethel gave you for Christmas that you have absolutely no use for, which she probably got last year from her tasteless brother? Come on, you know you have. We probably all have. It’s okay. Regifting is in scripture, you know. John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I have a new appreciation for those words this year.
We have been decorating for the last three weeks for Christmas, and we’re not finished. I’m not even sure what Christmas will look like, but my anticipation this year has taken on a deeper meaning. It’s not the expectation of the sweet, non-threatening “baby” Jesus arriving. It’s about the Jesus, who seems to have gotten lost among us, especially this year.
We have all been witnessing our world collapse into chaos: the anger, violence, and hatred brought about by Covid, the Black Lives Matter movement, economic collapse, natural disasters, and the elections. That’s a LOT to deal with in such a short time. And watching the steady stream of sucky news isn’t helping. Some may wonder if Christmas is even worth the hassle, or anticipate more violence, or obsessively shop and decorate just to dull the senses. But, as I prepare for this season, I have imagined a better scenario.
As one who has fallen away from the “Institutional Church” with all its trappings of dogma and rules and birthday cake for baby Jesus, I seem to be left with the stripped-down version of the meaning of Christmas. Perhaps I can see much better, like the blind man Jesus healed. I’m not sure if Jesus would have “physically” healed his blindness. He certainly could have. But, more importantly, I think of it as compassion revealing itself. I believe the tender touch of Jesus changed that man others rejected and cast aside. Maybe he felt his worth and innate dignity for the first time in his life. If you have ever “experienced” Jesus’ tender touch, you know what I’m talking about. But there’s more, and this is where it gets uncomfortable. Jesus expected him, as he does us, to not cling to that love he was shown, but to reach out to others and share it. It’s not a commodity to horde like the last roll of toilet paper on the shelf; it’s a gift to be given away. I have come to see this Christmas as an opportunity like no other to do just that.
God wants my excitement and anticipation to result in action. He is telling me, all of us really, “That’s great you’re excited. Now go do something about it!” Offer kindness and compassion to those who suffer: The elderly who are alone, millions of children in America that go to bed hungry, the neglected and abused. Check on your neighbor. Offer a smile and kind words to everyone you meet. Quit hating and judging others. Quit whining and complaining about what you don’t have, feel gratitude for what you do have, and then find a way to share it.
When we are called to “give till it hurts”, that’s not referring to outlandish presents under the tree that are often not even appreciated. It’s about offering love back to God and others with all your heart and soul. (Matt. 22:37) That’s how we can more meaningfully celebrate Christ in our midst!
Here’s one of my favorite “Christmas-like” songs. Try not to get it stuck in your head!
We are in the midst of a battle. Anger and violence are played out in the media daily. It’s deafening, and activists are on both sides of the conflict. Both have dug in their heels and refuse to budge. How many times have we seen in-your-face confrontations?
So, the question then becomes: How many of those times have we seen adversaries turn into allies who decided to work together with the determination to change things for the greater good of our country? How many?
We’re seeing a win-lose struggle, and when there is a winner, that necessarily means there is a loser. So, what’s the answer? How do we get beyond this impasse that is adding so much suffering to an already disintegrating situation? How about this novel idea? How about if we just go home and work on our own issues first (and if you don’t think you have any…well…that’s an issue)? Crazy huh?
No matter what I believe, no matter how passionate I am about changing the world,
I am really the only person I have the power to change.
I would like to share with you my course correction after years of being a selfish, stubborn, know-it-all believer in the power of God to send all heathens to hell if they didn’t straighten up! I was sure that was my assigned duty here on earth, and I was really good at it! My buddy Paul and I both got knocked on our butts – in a loving way, of course. God knew I was used to getting knocked on my butt and would come out fighting! So, after he got my attention, he gently went after my heart instead. Sneaky.
I want to touch on three areas in the past fourteen years that have profoundly impacted my life. What’s impressive is that I have no bruises to prove it, but that’s because hatred, not Love, bruises.
The changes I am referring to are my faith, politics, and my self-centeredness vs. other-centeredness:
MY FAITH: – back in the day, I could quote many scripture verses proving that anyone I disagreed with was destined for hell. Have a nice trip! I could justify my superior attitude and what was clearly my god-given responsibility to save lost souls. That is until I got to graduate school in 2006.
It did not take long to see the error of my ways and the folly of my “beliefs”. But, and here’s the point I want to make in all of this, the professors I was so blessed to know in that three years were powerful influences in my life. And yet, not one of them shook an angry fist at me to announce that I was an idiot, which they could have. I saw something in them that helped me to see, really see, the error in my thinking. They were loving, compassionate, grace-filled teachers of God’s unconditional love for all of his creation. They taught me, not just through studies like reading the works of Thomas Aquinas (geeeezzzz, that was painful!), but more importantly, through their own example and lives. It wasn’t because of a need to be right or to make demands, but because they simply loved. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to grow in a faith like theirs that imitated Christ. They helped change my attitude about so many things. But, at the end of the day, all they had the power to do was encourage my willingness to change from the inside out. It was really up to me.
MY POLITICS: What I learned about myself at Aquinas carried over to a more nuanced understanding of the part I play just in voting. Before this, I was a one-party voter. Admittedly, it was much easier back then. Walk into the polling place, pull the lever for my party of choice, get my “I Voted” sticker, and go home. Never mind that I usually didn’t know who or what I was pulling that lever for. It didn’t matter, though. I was confident in the knowledge that I did my duty. I think today, many people like me now know how critical it is to be informed and choose for everyone in this country, especially those who have been kicked to the curb and feel they have no voice. And, again, my movement away from “don’t really care” did not come about by brute force. What woke me up to my responsibility and privilege to do my part for the sake of others came from an enlarged heart space, not someone yelling in my face.
Self-centeredness that morphs into other-centeredness – giving instead of taking. Seeing, really seeing, the worth, dignity, and humanity of those the world rejects. And not only seeing them but loving what we see because if you look close enough, you will see Christ. And I just can’t get enough of that.
I would challenge you to just sit for a moment and think of recent stories you have seen on TV or the Internet that either enraged you or spoke into the depth of your heart so powerfully that you cried. Then ask yourself, which of those scenarios comes from God and which is motivated by an ego-driven, self-serving purpose?
I was recently involved in a conversation with someone who is very passionate about their beliefs concerning what we are experiencing. This person wanted to battle until the other person caved and cried uncle. But, hey, both stood their ground. In the aftermath of that train wreck, I commented that everyone who disagrees with you is not your adversary. When you view every discussion with someone who feels differently as an opportunity to bully them into your way of thinking, the conversation shuts down, and you both lose. Then I get the equivalent of a Bible-lashing in Matthew 21:12-13 to remind me that Jesus got angry and threw s*#t.
Okay, first of all, many “stories” in scripture are meant to offer a teaching. Does that scripture verse mean that Jesus was this angry bird who couldn’t control his temper? We could take this to a discussion of “righteous” anger, but that’s not the point. Do you think that table-tossing anger changed ANYONE? We don’t know, of course, but I’m guessing not.
How many of Jesus’ acts and teachings call us to love? How many people followed him despite the danger, especially women, because he offered what their hearts longed for. He came and eventually died for it, and so many others after him were martyred for. So it must be a big deal!
What was one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples? Come on, you know: “Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy! I’m outta here now, so it’s up to you to carry on. Go on out there and beat everyone who refuses to follow me into compliance. Got it?”
Hmmm. Yep, sign me up!
We know, of course, that Jesus was very passionate. However, he showed us that passion is not the end of the story. When that passion is turned into service to others, everyone wins, and God does his happy dance!
So many Americans pride themselves on what truly is a self-serving and glaring distinction between love of self and love of neighbor. But there is no such distinction if we are open to seeing the deepest truth of our connectedness because we are all created by one God to be in relationship with Him and with each other. Our perceived sense of control and security; our self-imposed separateness from “them” breaks the bond of our very creation and the heart of God.
Still many are too afraid to relinquish the precarious grasp they have on their self-proclaimed and arrogant superiority over others they see as “less”.
What, or who, gives anyone the right to determine who is worthy of love, dignity, compassion, and basic kindness? This country is bloated with anger and violence. We are quickly becoming a culture of hatred.
It is a frightening reality, especially for our children, which makes it even more imperative for us, if we call ourselves believers, to change the tide. To speak out against injustice and speak up for the downtrodden just as Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-10):
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
In a 2012 speech to students at Georgtown University, Bono, of U2, challenged the almost one thousand students present to see the invisible (as he continues to challenge all of us).
Because when you truly accept that those children in some far off place in the global village have the same value as you in God’s eyes or even in just your eyes, then your life is forever changed, you see something that you can’t un-see.
This song, Invisible, and actually his life, are an incredible witness to that truth. It’s about getting real; about getting beyond self and realizing the connection we have with everyone. It is about the human dignity of every person as a child of God. We are to exclude no one – NO ONE.
Listen to these words:
I’m more than you know/ I’m more than you see here
I’m more than you let me be
I’m more than you know / A body & A Soul
You don’t see me but you will/
I am not invisible / I am Here.
There is no them / only us/ only us
there is no them / only us / only us
There is no them / only you, only me
There is no them.
Meghan Clark, writing in Catholic Moral Theology, commented on the song saying:
The ultimate violation of human dignity is to no longer be counted as a human person. The response must be inclusion and participation.Once I recognize that you have human dignity, that you are a child of God, that you are the image of Christ – I cannot un-see that.
All of this has hit home for me in a more profound way than ever before (even more so since our time spent in Rwanda) since I have been working with the homeless in St. Charles County. We have the resources to meet their basic human needs as defined by Abraham Maslow in 1943:
Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival. Physiological needs are thought to be the most important; they should be met first: Air, water, food, clothing and shelter.
But, as St. Mother Teresa so powerfully states it isn’t enough:
What if you believed, as I do, that Jesus did not die to save us from our wretched sins? What if God sent Jesus to show us an incalculable, immeasurable love without regard to our sinfulness, knowing it would be that very sinfulness that would be the cause of his beloved Son’s death? Would that make a difference in your life?
Imagine my excitement when I recently read the following meditation by Richard Rohr. Finally, one of my heart’s deepest beliefs is put into words I could not express more powerfully:
Love, Not Atonement
The common Christian reading of the Bible is that Jesus “died for our sins”–either to pay a debt to the devil (common in the first millennium) or to pay a debt to God the Father (proposed by Anselm of Canterbury, 1033-1109). Anselm’s infamous Cur Deus Homo has been called “the most unfortunately successful piece of theology ever written.” My hero, Franciscan philosopher and theologian John Duns Scotus (1266-1308), agreed with neither of these understandings. Scotus was not guided by the Temple language of debt, atonement, or blood sacrifice (understandably used in the Gospels and by Paul).
After Anselm, Christians have paid a huge price for what theologians called “substitutionary atonement theory”–the strange idea that before God could love us God needed and demanded Jesus to be a blood sacrifice to atone for our sin-drenched humanity. With that view, salvation depends upon a problem instead of a divine proclamation about the core nature of reality. As if God could need payment, and even a very violent transaction, to be able to love and accept “his” own children….
For Scotus, the incarnation of God and the redemption of the world could never be a mere mop-up exercise in response to human sinfulness, but the proactive work of God from the very beginning. We were “chosen in Christ before the world was made,” as the hymn in Ephesians puts it (1:4). Our sin could not possibly be the motive for the divine incarnation, but only perfect love and divine self-revelation! For Scotus, God never merely reacts, but always supremely and freely acts, and always acts totally out of love. Scotus was very Trinitarian.
The best way I can summarize how Scotus tried to change the old notion of retributive justice is this: Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity (it did not need changing)! Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.
That changes everything. Or at least it should.
John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” Where does it say, “God was so fed up with us that he sent His only Son to straighten us out and then die to erase our sins”? Because, hello, his death didn’t erase our sins! Think about it. Was everyone suddenly perfect after that? NO! The horrors we have committed against each other through the ages would defy logic if that were true.
So, believing that Jesus died to atone for our sins doesn’t make sense. Does it? At least, it doesn’t to me. I mean, come on, can you see Jesus returning to His Father as they contemplate his thirty-two-year experiment gone bad? “Okay Son let’s try something different. Can’t do the whole wipe the slate clean thing again (Genesis 6:5-10:32), I promised I wouldn’t.”
Now, you could counter with the possibility that the whole “Love” thing didn’t work either. After all, we are still sinning and hating and killing each other. BUT…many of us (I hope that includes me), in spite of ourselves, are really trying to change each day; trying to find our hope in the love and mercy of God; trying to love our neighbor as ourselves. Just like Paul, we often fail, but we know God’s love will prevail in the end.
How often do we read stories of people, from biblical times to the present who have given their lives for others without regard for themselves? All Jesus’ disciples, except for John, died martyrs for their faith. Would they have done that for someone who came to tell them how wretched they were?
If Jesus had come to teach us a lesson I’m imagining him bemoaning his fate for the likes of us. His own disciples were a bunch of misfits. Why didn’t he just shake his head in disgust and walk away? “They’re hopeless losers. I’m outta here”! And yet, we seem to find it easier to believe the Atonement theory. Why? Perhaps it makes God a cruel judge who doles out conditional love which brings Him down to our level and justifies a lukewarm religion we can easily become comfortable with. That kind of God you want to keep at arm’s length because you never know what will set Him off!
If you can’t wrap your head around the inexhaustible love God has for you, perhaps it’s time to quit comparing Him to earthly fathers, even if yours regularly received the “Father of the Year” award. He still has his faults.
My father was not abusive like my mother, but he was an absentee father. He never showed us affection: no hugs, no sense of “gosh, I’m really glad you’re here, glad you’re my daughter.”No expression of love. My great aunt once told me she never remembered either of my parents even holding us. It took me a long time to realize and accept that he couldn’t express love, he just didn’t know how because no one in his life ever did, a reality of his humanness and his parents humanness, and on and on.
The reality of our humanness is why, I believe, God came to earth incarnate – to show us His love in the flesh. This is what it looks like people.”
“Even though we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
May we witness anew God’s magnificent LOVE for each and every one of us. My prayer is that we will live fully in the light of that LOVE that has no bounds, knows no limits, and believes in our intrinsic worth – even when we don’t.
Here’s a question to ponder at the foot of the Cross: Could you be so courageous as to give up your life for a friend – or more importantly – the jerk down the street that never liked you and would likely never change after your funeral?
May you know the amazing and unconditional love of God, the peace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit like never before!
“Christians are happier than atheists”. That was the consensus of a CNN article in 2013. Duh, you say. Well…hold onto your halos folks. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride to heaven. Here’s the article if you’re so inclined to read it.
Richard Wade, an advice columnist for the blog Friendly Atheist, wrote in response to another article about the CNN report, “The takeaway for most lay people is ‘Atheists are unhappy people.’ … How do you quantify ‘happiness’? How do you quantify ‘analytical thinking? Even in their acknowledgments about the possible biases in their study, the authors still use absurd and meaningless terms like ‘militant atheist,’” he added. “This study suffers from the same negative stereotypes about atheists that most society has, and it has simply reinforced that prejudice with more muddled thinking.
As I was reading the above article, another one caught my eye, so I pulled it up too. The caption was Gay detective’s mother booted from church.
I wonder how the researchers of the first article would have interpreted over 3300 comments on the second one. You can read them too, but here are just a few from so-called “Christians” My BS meter was going off a lot, but there were some honorable mentions:
From Dale, “If God ever does light this planet on fire, I pray that those churches of hate and prejudice should be the first to burn.” (Wow…can you feel the love oozing from our friend Dale here?!)
From Starr: “May God treat them the way they have treated this woman.” (Yeah, go get em’ Starr. That’s a sure invite to your church!)
Then Minnie Poe asks: “How do you justify I Corinthians 5:11 cause to me that is the same as saying even if it is your own child you are not even to eat a meal with them.” (I love when people “quote” scripture)
Okay, I’m done.
Except for the following comment which I believe tells it all:
From Katy: “Religion preaches hatred…glad I comprehended that at a young age and left Catholicism. Now I am a happy Secular!”
Our egos are forever getting in our way and “Christian” egos are scrumptious, lip-smacking fodder for unbelievers. God certainly gave us minds to use. But when the mind is given dominance over the heart, again Rohr says, “The mind starts steering, judging, analyzing, fixing, controlling, and trying to dominate….your endless mental commentary on everything. It really doesn’t matter what you think about things, believe it or not. This is a revolutionary and humiliating breakthrough for most people. What matters is WHAT IS.”
I believe that when the mind controls our every thought, word, and action it is because we do not have the courage to accept our own imperfections. We make our life’s mission to fix, manage, or adjust everyone else because we know for a fact that they are imperfect slobs in need of a Savior.
Sorry to inform you…none of us have been designated Savior of the world. That position is already taken. The sooner we all realize that the sooner we will stop sending people like Katy running away from God. He’s not pleased with us when we do that, you know. As a matter of fact, the hairs on the back of his neck stand stiff when he sees us acting or speaking like we’ve forgotten we belong to him. Unfortunately, I manage to forget that far too often as some snarky thought or remark manages to slip past my not-so-vigilant-act-like-you-have-the-tiniest-bit-of-Christian-love monitor.
When you are tempted to “set someone straight,” remember that in every circumstance, God calls us to manifest his loveat that moment, to that person. Now, look back at the article and comments above and tell me who Christ was for all the people involved? Was it the church that kicked the mother out? The “Christians” who posted mean, insensitive comments?
Do we see God in the actions of the likes of Westboro Baptist Church, which is always in the news because of their hatred toward others? Do we see him in you or me when we judge and speak hatefully to or about others and refuse to accept them?
And let me say this about quoting scripture: That’s fine. But if you find yourself frantically searching with the only purpose of finding that one nugget to smack someone sideways…knock it off! You can cut and paste your beliefs and certainties to try and prove yourself all day long, but what will you have gained for God’s kingdom? Besides, that someone will just cut and paste their own “proof” that they’re right and you’re a moron. And then what?
Words of wisdom from Shane Claiborne, “Something powerful happens when we can connect our faith with the pain of our world…. We’re not throwing out the things we believe, but we’re also focusing on practices that work out those beliefs. I’m hopeful because people have grown tired of a Christianity that can say what it believes on paper but doesn’t have anything to show with our lives. Ideologies and doctrines aren’t easy things to love.
“You can show your love to others by not wishing that they should be better Christians.” –Francis of Assisi
And finally, what your mother always told you is still valid today, “If you can’t say something nice, keep your mouth shut!”
The prelude to Easter is a most blessed time for Christians. We are now experiencing what is to come and called to reflect on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as they relate to our lives today. The sad reality is that we often get stuck with the Good Friday Jesus. If we allow that to happen, then Jesus becomes just another prophet, albeit a pretty good one. Love those parables!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the prophets. On the contrary, I find encouragement in their messed up, bumbling, curmudgeonly, can’t-get-their-shit-together, parts. High five there, Jeremiah! But then, if we fail to consider the resurrection, God remains remote and irrelevant to our lives. Truth be told, that’s probably why we anchor ourselves at the tomb.
Do you suppose God just dropped Jesus off here and left him to fend for himself? If so, then why would I depend on him? I’ll get my card punched on Sunday, but I’ll just take care of myself in my day-to-day life. Thank you very much. I’ll come back to why that doesn’t work in a moment, but for now, let us consider these passages:
“All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the LORD,’ they say, ‘let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’” Psalm 22:7-8
“My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
Those who hated Jesus so bitterly stood at the foot of the cross and scoffed at him, “Where’s this God of yours now? He doesn’t seem to be bothered about you”! Keep in mind that the belief of the Jewish people was based on punishment and reward. They were saying, in essence, “See, we are justified in crucifying you, Jesus, and God’s silence is proof of it. It was your own blasphemous sins that brought you to this end.”
There were lots of people standing near the cross that day: those who hated Jesus, those who loved him, and many others who did not know what to think about him. Everyone was waiting to see if God would show up. But he was silent, even when Jesus cried out to him. It was a justifying silence for Jesus’ accusers and murderers, a deafening silence for his followers, and a confusing silence for those who just weren’t sure.
Those who believed in Jesus, who put all their faith in him, were desperate for God to rescue them. They were hoping for retribution. So imagine how devastated they must have been when God was silent, and Jesus indeed died. As they walked away, their weariness was more than they could bear – hopes morphing into despair – mumbling under their breath, “Why didn’t you come, Lord? Why didn’t you save him? What are we to do now? If this Jesus was not the One, who then? How much more can we take”?
Sadly, for many of us, faith is based on the same idea of reward and punishment. Think you’re going to heaven? Think again if you’re bad! (However you define bad.) Think you’re going to hell? Who knows? It’s a lifelong nail-biter, isn’t it? God as the proverbial Record Keeper, added to that the concept of a God out in the stratosphere, distant and aloof, and it’s no wonder we feel lost in this crazy world.
Ponder for a moment, if you will, how the above passages speak to your own life. That’s all I’ve been thinking about lately. Growing up, my family was of no faith. I only recall going to church once with them, though a neighbor regularly took me to Sunday school. That one Easter Sunday, we all had new outfits, paraded into my grandmother’s church, and paraded right back out.
I had no sense that God was there when my mother was physically abusive, or when I was being sexually abused, or when I was twenty-three and tried to commit suicide. He wasn’t there when I regularly drank myself into oblivion or for too many other “got the T-shirt for that one” events in my life.
All of this pondering begs the question: Is God present to us or not? Does he care one lick about our day-to-day lives? Did he just dump us off here too? “There you go, Linda. Have a nice life. See you at the end – maybe – or not.”
We will never have the answers to our most profound questions if we remain stuck with the Good Friday Jesus. We must live our faith from the other side of the resurrection! That is the only place it is possible to view God’s immense love for us. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection point the way. In the moments that it feels like God is silent in our suffering, there is a reason far beyond what we can humanly understand. It is not God who is not present to us; it is us not present to him. Have you ever considered that? God is totally invested in every one of us!
If you feel distant from him, it may be a good time to look at where you are in your faith. For me, those moments have always pointed to my being too caught up in things of this world to give God much thought. And truth be told, often, it is intentional because Iknow I am not where he wants me to be, and I don’t want to change. So there – I said it.
I can often be selfish and self-serving, and there is no room for God there. And then I get whacked with this passage, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24) How can I possibly enjoy my worldly pursuits when he’s watching – fuming perhaps? La la la la la – I can’t hear you! (I don’t recommend that – it has never worked well for me.)
(Gipsy)
My beloved friends in Christ, this is when we are compelled to open the eyes of our hearts! There are two passages in scripture I would offer you for your reflection as we near this blessed time of Jesus’ Passion:
Luke 19:41, “Now as He drew near, He saw the city andweptover it….” When the crowds saw Jesus entering Jerusalem, they began singing praises.”
Why did he weep? Likely because he knew they still did not understand. They followed, praised, and put all their hopes in an earthly King. Jesus’ heart ached because God loved them so deeply that he was preparing to die for them, yet they could not comprehend the magnitude of that Love.
Matthew 27:50-54, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened….So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Do you see? God’s heart was torn apart for the love of his Son. Do you know why he was willing to suffer such pain? Because his heartachesfor the love of you and me as well! He longs for you to come out of hiding and step into his light!
Today is Ash Wednesday. We are called to contemplate more deeply the life, death, and wondrous Resurrection of Christ.
Knowing what must occur before that glorious day should cause us to tremble – but we’re too busy.
The soon-to-be-revealed and unimaginable love of God for us should bring us to our knees – but we’re too afraid.
The reality of the cross should cause us to beg forgiveness for our sinfulness – but we’ve become desensitized to sin.
We don’t cry out to God because we’re afraid he’ll answer!
And so, for many of us, Easter comes and goes with little more fanfare than any other Sunday.
Consider this:
While we prepare the menu for an Easter feast, Jesus is preparing for the Last Supper.
While we scrub the house for guests – Pilate washes his hands of the people’s demand for Jesus’ death.
While shopping for new outfits – Jesus is stripped, humiliated, and brutally beaten.
While we look forward to having all the family together again; kids home from college, parents arriving soon – on the long walk to Calvary, Jesus and his mother touch for a moment as their eyes reveal the unspeakable pain of their suffering.
While we are feeling left to do all the work and have our annual pity party – Jesus, in his weakened state, struggles with the weight of the cross he carries, alone and abandoned by those who called themselves his disciples.
While we fuss over last-minute appearances playing beat the clock: taming cowlicks, straightening ties, new shirts without stains, socks that match – Jesus’ face is streaked with blood, and his broken body is no longer recognizable.
Could we even bear to consider what just happened? Jesus, as the Incarnation of God, is the fullest expression of God’s own self. God is relentless, extravagant, merciful, indiscriminate, gratuitous, enduring, and grace-filled Love!
In this most holy season of Easter, we are called to remember and celebrate that Love. But not just that! Jesus never said, “Worship me.” He said, “Follow me. Do what I do.” What difference does it make if we have not changed in some way, if Monday is just business as usual, if we step over our suffering brothers and sisters on our way to more important things?
When did you quit believing in the Easter Bunny?
When did you quit believing the message of the cross and the empty tomb?
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, inclusion of everyone was his message and purpose; in the way he lived, loved, and taught others. It was what ultimately got him killed. And yet, here we are.
Can we look honestly at ourselves in the context of that truth for a moment?
Wait! Don’t leave…
If you want to leave because you’re afraid your beliefs may be called into question and you’re not sure you can defend them, wouldn’t that signify that something is wrong?
If you want to bolt, cover your ears, send a few choice words my way – something or Someone needs your attention… God Maybe?
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If it is to be real, the faith we adhere to requires truth-telling. Deep down, whole-hearted, fierce, raw, unabashed, truth-telling – first to ourselves and then to others.
Does your faith today look any different than your parent’s faith when you were a child or what you were taught in Sunday School? It should. We should always be maturing in faith. Ownership of our beliefs is critical to the moral integrity that guides our lives. If it is not, why not?
Is it fear of what lies outside the immovable brick walls of our comfortable, unchallenged belief system? Walls that separate us from those who are not like us? Walls that keep God at a safe distance? Walls that violate the very essence of our being – God within us? Are we so busy projecting our pretentiousness onto others that God sits in our shadow?
I am reminded of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke’s Gospel (18:11-13). The Pharisee unexpectedly dropped dead and found himself standing before God.
(Fun Factoid: When he was standing in line, which, make no mistake, he hated – he thought to himself, “Gosh, God’s shorter than I imagined!” Wait, no, that was Moses at the burning bush. Sorry.)
Anyway, he suddenly noticed the guy standing in line next to him (not behind him, which he also hated!). “Ahhh, that low-life tax collector is here. This should be fun!” Now, our Pharisee was always prepared for this day and kept his handy “ain’t I special” checklist on him at all times to impress God.
He finally got to the head of the line, “Ahem,I thank you, God, that I am not like, you know, those people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” He then whips out his checklist, “I fasted, I tithed, I didn’t cuss or lust-on weekends, I didn’t kill anyone (God side-eyes him) – okay, that one time it looked like I shoved that heathen into a pit – but that was an accident – he slipped. I swear – oops!” (side-eye again!)
Then, he turned his smugness toward the tax collector as if to say, “Good luck topping that, loser!” But the tax collector humbly stood there praying for God’s mercy. Which God immediately granted as the Pharisee desperately tried to rewrite his “this ain’t getting you out of hell” list.
The tax collector knew what we often fail to accept about ourselves: We’re ALL sinners. All of us. Romans 3:11 is a sobering reminder of that truth, “None is righteous” There are no exceptions. So, we simply try to make ourselves exceptions, just like the Pharisee. Do I detect a bit of a HUMPH slipping through those clenched teeth of yours? Huh? Come on, were you doing that?
Was there suddenly a God-thump on your heart trying to remind you of that piety and self-righteousness that has been shielding you from the truth of your indifference, or perhaps even participation, in the anger and violence we see today against others?
Of course, scripture tells us that brutality against humankind has existed since the beginning of time. We don’t even get through the first book of Genesis. First, God creates Adam and Eve. Then he tells them, “Go on now, make some beautiful babies and fill the earth. Spread the love!” They have two beautiful bouncing baby boys: Cain and Abel. Just two chapters later, Cain kills Abel, and it all went sideways.
It’s nothing new. It’s just that now we can see it every blasted day! We cry out, “How could anyone commit such evil against other human beings?”…and then turn off the news or computer screen and go about our business, pronouncing to God, like the Pharisee, “I thank you, Lord, that I am not like them!” But is that true? Come on, don’t get all huffy again. Hear me out because it’s essential to look at what underlies acts of violence.
Hating and hurting others does not begin with violence; it begins in the heart. Of course, none of us want to hear that, but every one of us has the potential for evil. John Phillip Newell tells us, “There are angels of light and angels of darkness in us all.”
Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Now, you could probably puff out your chest and proclaim that you have never murdered anyone, and you likely never will. But how about this…do you reject or shun anyone? Do you gossip about or make fun of someone who is not like you?
Watch this:
In 2013, Susan Boyle walked onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent. The audience and the judges snickered and laughed at her appearance and awkwardness. She was used to that because she was made fun of all her life. But, somehow, she mustered up the courage to walk onto that stage and belt out a song that stunned everyone there to dumb silence:
She became famous overnight but could never overcome the belief that she just wasn’t good enough. People surrounded her everywhere she went. They screamed and cheered for her, but she never felt truly loved.
The song she sang that night was Les Miserables, “I Dreamed A Dream”. Pay close attention to these words:
But there are dreams that cannot be And there are storms we cannot weather I had a dream my life would be So much different from this hell I’m living So different now from what it seemed Now life has killed The dream I dreamed
It’s a stark commentary on the shallowness of humankind, and the unconscionable fact is that we, as people of faith, are no different.
Jesus spent his life calling out that “holier than thou” attitude of the elites and raising up those cast aside, rejected, and unworthy by the world’s standards. He is trying to speak that truth to us. But are we listening? From the looks of the mess our world is in today, it doesn’t seem so.
If we consider ourselves professed believers, we must first change in the depth of our hearts if the world is going to change. We must remove the blinders and look honestly at the faith we declare. Religion begins and ends with rules and dogmas. Spirituality moves beyond that mentality.
Religion stupefies the love of God and proclaims that if you’re not like me, you don’t matter one whit. If you don’t believe what I believe, if you don’t profess what I profess, sorry for you, you’re destined for hell. Have a nice trip.
We see the “ALL ARE WELCOME” sign on the front of many churches. But, I wonder if it’s true…the “ALL” part in particular. Often it is actually saying, “You are welcome to become one of us if you clean yourself up first. We are here to share our truth of salvation and save your wretched soul from damnation!”
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If we don’t loosen our grip on our narrow-minded belief systems tucked into the stone walls of our churches, the divisions we experience in our lives and communities will only deepen as we entrench ourselves in a sanctimonious attitude, not born of faith but of fear.
How can we go on pretending we have some kind of VIP membership to the right hand of God, that we have the Penthouse Suite awaiting our arrival in “heaven” when we refuse to acknowledge our sinfulness against our brothers and sisters? At the same time, claiming to be bearers of God’s love. You do know that’s what we are called to be, right?
Did you know that Mahatma Gandhi once considered becoming a Christian? Yep, he read the Sermon on the Mount and fell in love with Jesus. He wanted to emulate him. So, one day he went to a Christian Church in India, but they wouldn’t let him in! He since said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” That should shame every one of us. It should cause us to look deeply into our own hearts and ask ourselves if we are Christian in name only. And that should send us to our knees where God does his best work!
PASSION, PURPOSE & POOPYHEADS 
