Wednesday, July 25, 2018

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

Thought For The Day

“Faith does not need to push the river because faith is able to trust that there is a river. The river is flowing. We are in it.”

- Richard Rohr

In my past life I traveled a LOT.  And, like most travelers, I griped and complained about the indignities and travails of life on the road. I fought against the system with all my might, with predictable results.

Then one day I had an epiphany. While flying over the Mississippi River I thought, is not travel akin to immersing myself into the current of a great river? What happens if I try to fight the current of a river like the Mississippi?

And from that moment I thought of my travels as a trip on a great river. The current may take many twists and turns, and I may get held up in some whirlpool or backwater, but I will always reach my intended destination. By changing the way I thought, not only did my anxiety and frustration with travel disappear, but I seemed to have fewer travel problems. Or maybe they just didn’t bother me anymore.

As Richard Rohr points out, traveling through life is like floating on a great river. We are in it and it’s moving inexorably towards some destination. It’s pointless to resist. Are you frustrated with the trajectory of your life?  Do you have the faith to trust in the direction God’s current takes you or do you continue to resist?

Perhaps it’s time to lay back and enjoy the ride.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

PAUL GOT IT WRONG

I’ve never been a huge fan of Paul (the apostle, not the musician. I’ve always liked the musician). My lack of enthusiasm toward Paul does not necessarily spring from the things he wrote about women. In that instance, I believe Paul’s words were cherry picked, taken out of context, and used to justify the  subjugation of women within the patriarchal church, and by extension, within the greater society. (Karen and I taught a class on this a few years back). The misuse of Paul’s writings in this manner continues to this day. A recent egregious example can be found in an announcement by the infamous Westboro Baptist Church that they intend to protest the Presbyterian Women’s gathering in August (think of protesting a women’s bridge club on a theological basis).  Follow this link to see the text of their announcement and their heavy reliance on Paul to rationalize their actions.

http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/20180715_Churchwide-Gathering-Presbyterian-Women-Louisville-KY.pdf

My main argument with Paul is that he suborned the intent of Christ.  Perhaps the main theme of Jesus’s teaching was negation of the legalism of his day where strength of faith was measured by adherence to the superficialities of Jewish Law. In contrast, Jesus came to show us a new way of living. In Jesus’ mind, strength of faith was measured by actions; loving neighbors, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, etc. As shown in the book of Acts, early Christians actually believed what Jesus taught and established communities built upon the way of life espoused by Jesus.

But then along came Paul, who reduced Jesus’ radical way of living to a system of beliefs.

And Christianity changed forever. A religion was born.  Christendom began its reign.

Look at the website of any church you choose and what do you find? Confessions, catechisms, statements of faith, doctrinal policies, and creeds. My own church, the PCUSA, hosts a complete list of doctrinal statements, creeds, and confessions. After all, we wouldn’t want to be confused with the Methodists, now would we?  But what is most disturbing about these declarations is that they are often used as a litmus test for entering into a community of believers.  They say, “believe as we do and you are welcome”. If you don’t, you are encouraged to find a home somewhere else. Thankfully, the PCUSA does not use its doctrinal statements in this way.

But rarely in any of these statements will you find guidance on how we, as Christians, should LIVE. What does it mean to live the life Jesus proclaimed? What does loving your neighbor look like? How should we help the poor and the sick? How can we welcome people fleeing violence and oppression into our communities?

In my mind, the transition of Christianity from a way of life to a system of beliefs was disastrous, and today the established Church is paying through shrinking membership and wholesale abandonment by younger generations.  What young people see that established Christians sometime do not is the inherent hypocrisy.

As long as we affirm the tenants of the Apostles Creed we are free to ignore the pain felt by our neighbor.

As long as we attend church every week and participate in the ritual we can turn away refugees from our borders.

As long as we believe that Christ is our personal lord and savior we are free to damage God’s creation in pursuit of material wealth.

As long as we condemn those who do not believe as we do our sins can be ignored.

In creating the system of beliefs embraced by Christendom, Paul gave us an out. He gave us the loophole of all loopholes. We can call ourselves devoted Christians without actually adhering to Jesus’ call to a new way of living.

But we will never bring about the Kingdom by belief alone. It will require work. It will require sacrifice. It demands action.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

THOUGHTS ON DEATH AND DYING

I’ve been thinking a lot about my own mortality lately. My mom is 100 years old, my brother just turned 74 and is in poor health, and I will turn 65 next month. I spent the last two weeks communing with trees that were alive long before I was born and will live on long after I’ve died.  Our lives are incredibly short in the great scheme of things

I must admit that I fear dying. Dying can be messy, prolonged, and painful. If I could choose a way to die I’d choose to die lying on my couch watching sci-fi on TV with the remote in my hand and with my cat sleeping on my chest.  Wishful thinking on my part.

But being afraid of dying does not mean being afraid of death. This is an important distinction.  Dying is a physical process, a transition from one state of matter to another. To me, death is a spiritual transition from one state of being to another. For most of my adult life I’ve feared death because I believed I was going to have to stand alone before God and account for my life. I’m not overly concerned with accounting for the things I’ve done throughout my life. Over the years I’ve tried to apologize to those I’ve wronged and make amends by living a better life. My greatest fear has been having to explain the many things I should have done but didn’t.

For not standing up to a coworker who drove a waitress to tears with his abuse at the Holiday Inn in Strongsville OH on disco night in September of 1980.

For not speaking out when family members said things like “I’m not racist but….”

For not speaking out when peers made crude jokes about women, minorities, and homosexuals.

For caring more about what people thought of me than defending those in need.

I feared death because I knew I would have to explain my cowardice in the face of societal pressure to remain silent.

But one day that all changed. During a small group meeting a few years back the fear of death entered into the discussion somehow. After I had expressed my feelings, my friend and mentor, Stacy Ikard, looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and said something I’ll never forget. She said:

“But you won’t be alone. Jesus will be with you”.

And suddenly it all snapped into place. For the first time I understood. I am not alone. Jesus walks beside me through life. He will sit with me as I die, and he will stand with me in death. I will not have to stand alone in judgement before God. Jesus will stand with me. He will speak for me and intercede on my behalf.

So while I still fear dying, I no longer fear death. When that day comes, as it must, I will not be alone.