What’s left of church after removing layers of customs & cultural traditions?

 

screenshot of image search for "Mark 7"

Men’s study of Mark only got a few lines into chapter 7 before one tangent after another came up to understand Jesus’ interaction with the Sadducees and Pharisees as a demonstration of God’s authority and power. Each week this lively conversation is a high point in person or via Internet. Here is one question: Jesus faulted the church leaders for obsessing about handwashing (not part of Leviticus or Old Testament instructions from God) rather than obsessing with something that matters for expressing and receiving God’s love. Modern-day worshipers eagerly reach for routines and comfortable expectations week after week, rather than fixating on the main prize: God’s love, spiritual maturity, care for one another. It is impossible to worship like free-floating “jazz improvisation,” although Quaker silent meetings do that sometimes. But to obsess about rigid liturgy is misguided if you read Mark 7 as an indictment against worshiping institutional features instead of worshiping God’s power and untamed wildness. Putting God’s words into a well-worn box or Sunday morning time slot does not help anybody to embrace and grow and reach out to others. So there is the question: what would it look like to peel off the customs so that only the teachings remain visible? Would worshipers clean themselves up for church on Sundays or instead “come as you are”? Would favorite seats in the sanctuary matter much? And would the same cycle of functions, efforts, and concerns preoccupy people between one fiscal year and the next? Maybe the Puritans were on the right track by obsessing about purity and discounting anything that gets in the way of God and his people. Then again, they were puritanical sinners, too. 

On top of this balancing act between externals like Order of Worship and weekly worship with others & the most important thing: hungering to know God better, there is a biographical dimension or growth path for each person: “going from the spiritual milk to the spiritual meat” as experience, knowledge, suffering, and love extend into one’s life. Some beginners DO need simple externals to grab onto that later are less necessary for relating to God, hour by hour and year by year. In other words, customs and traditions might not be Christianity, but they present a source of meaning and express (Worldly) certainty.

Another question that came up is about “gatekeepers” who set standards or expectations about what it looks like, sounds like, feels like to “be” a Christ follower and God seeker. On the one hand Jesus, again and again, criticizes the “white washed tombs” of death that the Pharisees represent, saying that those kinds of sanctimonious externals are wrong-headed and can lead others to the wrong idea, as well. It is not what sacred foods you eat or impure things you avoid that matter so much as what is in your heart. Heart not stomach is what counts in Mark 7. So this idea that God can work with just about anybody and any situation is another way of saying that there should be no gatekeepers; the bar is set very low to encourage everyone to come into relationship with God. At the same time, though, we read “the gate is narrow” as a visual image to mean that, yes, anything is acceptable if your heart is in the right place, but that The Way calls for effort and devotion. Another related image that came up during the discussion uses the radio receiver analogy: God is broadcasting eternally, but each of us needs to turn on the radio and tune the dial to hear the Word. It is there for everyone day and night, but so few make a commitment or know the first step to take.

Finally, branching off the Mark 7 passage about the difference between externals (like Sadducees washing hands in a ritual formula) and what is in a person’s heart, the analogy from legal trials came up. When a person dies as a result of someone’s action (or inaction), then judges want to determine if this is Murder (1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree) or Manslaughter. For the deceased and all  those who are bereaved as a result, calling the event murder or manslaughter makes little material difference. But if the killing is a premeditated ambush versus spur-of-the-moment versus completely unintentional then the perpetrator is labeled differently and will see him or herself differently, too. When it comes to actions & intentions, maybe the same is true of worship routines: going through the motions (your heart is not in it that day) differs a lot from doing it “like you mean it.” The same is true of weekly Bible study – showing up and going through the motions yields less fruit than being fully present and speaking purposefully with words well chosen. Necessarily, this summary of September 28, 2021 only scratches the surface of the tangents, ricochets, and fireworks that go off in the space of one hour. It is not a conversation to be missed.

The Living Word, Way, Love, Light ---diverse images

 

"Trust" in Japanese: person (red dot) stands by word (blue)

When reading the Bible with others in a small group, certain interpretations are offered and fine-tuned in dialog as each person brings insights, life experience, outside readings and other sources to the discussion. Gradually a fresh understanding comes into view, sometimes unexpectedly. English language versions of the original Greek (New Testament) and Hebrew (Old/first Testament) carry some resonance of modern times by choice of word or way of phrasing the meaning on the page. Likewise, other languages do something similar, not only rooted in a culture and a landscape, but also reflecting the moment in history (compare King James to the Good News Bible). This role of language in both bringing God's word closer, but paradoxically separating us from the full and long-lasting meaning is a topic that came up today in the Men's Bible Study on Zoom (and in person, for those at the church this morning).

On the one hand the Gospel, including God's only begotten son as a Living Word, is how humans learn new things and interrelate to one another. Just pointing out the limitations of spoken and written words, and the strong urge to frame logical propositions in linear chains, does not mean that non-verbal forms of knowing God (loving God) and getting to know one's Neighbor (love they neighbor; love they self, equally) are discounted. It seems natural and normal and transparent to privilege the verbal medium, especially when comparing it to alternatives like musical expression, immersion in the glory of the natural world, and visual art forms. From the printed page and spoken teaching/preaching we learn how to be God's people, the hands and feet of the Lord on earth, functioning as witnesses and agents authorized to enact God's love. And yet, on the other hand, words have limitations and can be pulled up from their context or be seized in ways that are unloving so as to be used to puff up one's pride or diminish another's worth. Spiritual babes hunger for clear lines of demarcation and simple formulas to follow. But with wider and deeper experience and knowing Jesus' life and examples and teachings, that same person may grow and require less of the "spiritual milk" and more of the spiritual meat so that what may have seemed at first contradictory, paradoxical, or baffling now can be seen without any fear or sense of threat. Differing ways and interpretations, so long as they hold to the core understandings that unite seekers of all kinds, can now be viewed for their value on their own terms, not be discarded for failing to fit into one's own container. 

Mere mortals may try (and should try) to encompass God's meanings and God's will. But clever words or hearts hardened by fixating on one narrow interpretation will never understand all of the Truth. Only humility, vigilance, and persistence will take a person closer to the goal, even when nobody can fully know God in a totalizing and infinite way. Words are what we rely on, but these same words can lead to delusion or instead to clarity. Heavy handed versus having a light touch when wrestling with God's meaning can lead to different outcomes. Perhaps the truth, when it comes to the limits of words, is to be found when the words are treated like temporary vehicles to a larger and much bigger meaning; knowing the words is only part of the way into God's meanings. By memorizing a passage or by rereading a text or by vigorously wrestling with it in the company of others those words sometimes begin to blur and instead there is sometimes a sense of reading "between the lines" (what is not articulated; what is conspicuously absent) and word-roots, Hebrew imagery or Greek choice of words may intersperse with the passage being scrutinized. The result is the words on the page begin to melt and mingle with related meanings and instances from elsewhere in the Bible and in outside sources, too. As such the Word turns into a liquid; something alive, not frozen solid.

Great care, scholarly effort, publishing history has gone into the Bible and many translations to distribute copies around the world's many languages and locations. That is surely important. But while it is necessary, it is not sufficient. The Word of God lives in people's hearts, not in the ink marks on dead trees pulped and bleached for paper. And without people to wrestle with those words according to the lives they live, then the Word is not being lived or being enlivened. Only when the Word meets readers and listeners and those who reflect on it will something valuable arise. Hence, God DOES need people in his universe, not just as hands and feet to carry out teachings, obedience, and be the "show and tell" of Christianity. There is a kind of mutual dependence: People need God, but also God needs flesh and blood, fallible mortals to be the ones who (voluntarily) accept the grace being offered when sin was paid for by Jesus' sacrifice. And His Word (the one between the covers of the bound edition of the Bible) only has reality and consequence when humans open the covers and wrestle with it: Word + engagement = living interpretation rooted in a time and place and language.

Circles of logic - rings of reason

Online weekly conversations with a fellow Bible study man brought to light the curious tension between self-identity and efforts at righteousness that comes from deeds/doing, not based on simply being. Particularly in USA, and maybe above all among men, there is an equation that weighs one's worth according to (visible) achievement. In other words, to be without use or purpose is to be without worth or value: useless is worthless. Feeling no purpose feels like having no meaning or consequence or point; not mattering. And yet, to the extent that all life is loved by God, it is enough to be; to exist; to occupy space and time in order to be in relationship with others.

On the one hand, there is the idea of "Works salvation," as if one can earn God's love and the redemption paid by Jesus for all nations' sins. "Faith without works" is said to be incomplete or empty; without substance or consequence. On the other hand, there is the idea that God's project will not crumble if one person fails to be righteous or does not accomplish the task held in that person's heart or mind. God can use sorrow, joy, stubborness, and kindness to accomplish all things. The point about actions and Earthly accomplishments is not that God depends on what is produced; nor that those involved need to prove their worth in God's eyes and to each other. Rather, the function of doing things lies in the doing: the process brings people together in the making and, once finished, in the operation of the thing. By enacting God's love a believer can bodily express righteousness; the world of Works completes the teachings and allows those involved to express their love in tangible ways. Christianity is an embodied faith, one lived out, not just reflected on or studied or discussed.

Getting back to the worth of one's life as measured by "doing" compared to assessment of "being," it seems that both dimensions of human experience are important. There is worth in being God's person out in the world. And the grammatical form of ...ing suggests action or process, so that BE+ING suggests a dynamic experience, maybe like treading water: one is in motion and yet a steady state is all that is visible by an outsider. It looks like the person is not moving. And, yet, under the surface of the water the arms and legs are not standing still. Likewise, "being" God's person or "being" a human being sometimes gives the appearance of just sitting there, not doing anything ("don't just do something, be there"). But under the surface, perhaps, there is a lot of activity going on in order to maintain the steady state of being there in dynamic equilibrium.

Although it might seem like a clever sleight of hand, discovering one's worth in "being" rather than by collecting trophies from "doing" great deeds really does seem to be BOTH inaction (just existing; occupying space and time; quietly metabolizing, seeing others and being seen by them) AND also activity that produces a steady state of being. In God's estimation, being and doing are two forms of the same righteous thing, sort of like Einstein's assertion that E=MC squared: matter and energy equal different forms of the same thing. Matter is not destroyed, it just changes from one form to another. Likewise, "being" and "doing" share a common relationship to God's Will. Righteousness comes both from being and from doing.

Even if one could dedicate all waking moments to being in-tune with God's Way, there are outside distractions, obstacles, sleep-cycles, and preoccupations and fascinations that interfere. Instead of striving to be in total thrall with God's abiding presence and Will, perhaps it is more practical to tailor one's form of righteousness and the kind of prayer to the condintions that ebb and flow during the course of a day, indeed during the course of a lifetime. There are so many ways to pray and each one may be suited to different times of one's life: crisis, calm, impatience, joy, sorrow. The biorhythm of one's daily cycles may also make certain forms of reaching out to God better than others: when focus and presence of mind is sharpest then maybe deep communion with God works best to exercise one's heart of love. When senses are dull, then perhaps it is labor and physical forms of spiritual exercise that work best. In between the times of least and greatest focus, maybe an intermediate form of prayer works best: a mixture of visual imagry (non-verbal engagement) with some spoken or written patterns.

All in all, the many forms of being and doing have some worth and as such are a good basis of "worth-ship" (i.e. Worship). Likewise of making prayers: there are many ways, each suited to different frames of mind in one's day or lifecycle. One's heart and body may shift in condition, but what is unchanging is God's Word and the eternal effort needed to seek righteousness that does not stray into sin. Learning to appreciate "just being" in self and in others, rather than to evaluate accomplishments and achievements according to Earthly habits can be a challenge. But it one that is worth the effort to know better one's self and one's God and one's neighbors.

Avoiding rust by using one's talents - being in fellowship

Street repairs stopped Friday; Saturday's rain made Sunday's rust.

 

T-shirts and bumper stickers sometimes repeat the folk wisdom, "use it or lose it," meaning that a muscle, a skill, or an expertise needs to be exercised to remain useful and perform at top-level. The same logic seems to apply to the bucket of this front-end loader. When the city workers stopped Friday night and left the equipment parked on site during the weekend, heavy rains fell on Saturday night and by Sunday noon the shiny base of the bucket, polished by hundreds of loads of sand, dirt, and gravel now shows a vivid coat of orange rust. By extension to seekers after God's Way, there is a similar imperative to be active in one's use of talents, mental and physical powers, and the place in the world one occupies: not to sit still (although there is a time to meditate, and a time to vegetate, too) but to engage in the people and environment at hand. The photo is a good reminder to minimize rust by keeping active in fellowship, in study, in service, and worship, and so on.

The Zoom meeting of the First Congregational Church of St. Johns, Michigan for the first Sunday after the April 4 celebration took the book of 1 John, chapter 1 as the starting point to talk about how to be "Easter People," the Christ-followers who center their lives around the example of resurrection; born all over again, born from above. The concluding thoughts in the sermon put fellowship with God as something to aim for day to day and something to enjoy by fellowship with other Christ-followers. This is not an exercise in mutual self-righteousness; instead, it is a habit of interacting with others who share in common a humble, open-hearted, and other-responsive posture and mind-set. By living this way with fellow Christians, but also engaging in others not yet seeing and hearing God's love, the result is Kingdom Experience right now on Earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom of God is within you, but also when fellowshipping with others equally humble, open-hearted, and other-oriented, this same kingdom is put into flesh-and-blood form, even if imperfectly. No matter how short one falls from the ideal, by striving (one must use it) the goals come closer (not lose it). The corollary to "use it or lose it" also comes from folk wisdom, "It is better to wear out [from frequent use] than to rust out [not put to use]."

Word play - "out of love"; also Christian "nice"

Researchers of ESL, teaching English as a Second (or Foreign) Language, sometimes point to the observation that more than 3/4 of the meaning in language comes from context (place, time, non-verbal cues). Another large portion comes from prosodics (that part that is not vocabulary and grammar): tone of voice, pace, accent, rise and fall, and so on. Relatively minor in the grand scheme of things is the contribution made from word choice and correct conjugation and punctuation. These insights can be applied to the phrase, "out of love," when speaking of how one Christian reaches out to another -- indeed reaches out to a fellow human, regardless of affiliation with a spiritual tradition.

One interpretation is OUT of love; that is, the interaction should be built upon a foundation of love for one's neighbor equal to love for self.

One interpretation is OUT OF Love; that is, the medium in which the interaction is composed should integrate loving manner and meaning.

One interpretation is out of LOVE; that is, commonplace secular "love" should be ejected so that Agape Love can fill that void.

Based on the passage in which the original text (in ancient Greek) is used, the dominant meaning should be identifiable - one of these examples, or something altogether different. And yet, by the logic of "word play," even when the speaker or writer intends just one dominant significance for a phrase, since the overthinking mind can use mental gymnastics to conjure other possible meanings, perhaps the phrase can be both: it can carry the speaker's main purpose at that time in addressing a particular recipient of the message. But the meaning can also support these latter-day interpretations at the same time. The original use is the melody and the echoes of alternate interpretations are harmonic or overtone waves of expression that come with the phrase. In that case of sympathetic, passive reverberations, then "out of love" can carry along all these meanings.

A different kind of word play comes from scrutinizing the instruction to "be nice" to others. Of course, Christians are not the only ones who can do a good turn to strangers and friends; act, speak, or think charitably of others; or turn the other cheek and return kindness when hit with meanness. But somehow the self-identity of church goes involves demonstrating to self and others that one can "be nice." It is not only fellow believers and one's own self that needs to witness this way of approaching the world, but also in the eyes of people of other religions or of no religious affiliation that "being nice" must be demonstrated. But in one's mind, words, and actions is "being Christian" and "being nice" largely the same thing?

Curiously, "nice" is a word that has traveled from one extreme to the other in linguistic history. Four or five hundred years ago to be "nice" meant to be ordinary, common, not refined or elevated in any way. The connotation was bad, something like the archaic usage, "he is so common in his tastes for music" (meaning low-brow, mean or low). Gradually the word "nice" shifted from pejorative to neutral and now to its positive connotation as something desirable and approved of. So when people alive today use the expression, they fully intend a sort of halo effect or positive glow for the person or thing being judged as "nice." And yet there is the legacy of that earlier, low-down and negative meaning (fighting words). Like anybody else, Christians can exhibit both senses of this "nice" trajectory: mean or well-favored.

Returning to the question - is "being nice" an accurate way to characterize what Christians are/do/speak - is seems like "being nice" is a throw-away term. On the surface it seems benign and normal and positive. It is like the response, "I'm fine," to the automatic and often unthinking greeting, "how're you doing"? The banter of "all ok?" and "fine, sure" operates at the surface, not probing the depths and the roots. So, too, the description of what Christians are: "oh, they are nice people" or " who we are is nice people." Here, again, the meaning is simple and on the surface, not digging down to learn more. In some situations to dig around feels invasive or unwarranted; in other cases, such unrelenting engagement is what is valued most. So it is less about being nosy and more a matter of one's attitude (caring enough to inquire) and (self-) awareness (that skimming the surface is a danger to watch out for).

On the outside, from the spectator's seats, what the Christians do, say, and what is internal may superficially be no different that any old person "being nice," the similarity may well diverge, since the Christian will be reminded of Jesus' example; of the idea of grace undeserved; and of mercy to others and for oneself. The non-Christian may or may not touch on some of these other things, in a fragmented way, or by chance as a bundle of meanings that connect closely. At the receiving end of "being nice" perhaps all this discussion is "distinction without difference" and the end result is about the same. But at the giving end of the "being nice," certainly, the experience of engaging with another Child of God will have particular meaning different to a non-Christian. In the end, doing right things in a right way and with a right heart is not exclusive to Christians. But for the Christian who is taking part there will be specific and resonant meaning the hearkens to Bible, to Jesus' example, and to a foretaste of what may be expected of heaven as on Earth.

Red-letter Bible versus a blue and green-letter edition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_letter_edition

Many people who have opened a Bible will have discovered that some editions contain red-lettered passages to show words spoken (quoted) by Jesus of Nazareth. Leaving aside the path of transmission from fly-on-the-wall taking down the Aramaic words into written Greek (New Testament or 2nd Testament), this visual display does enhance the reading experience by raising a flag and calling for the person's careful attention. Thomas Jefferson did something similar by using a razor blade to remove the passages not attributed to Jesus, thus leaving him with ribbons of print to assemble into what is entitled for download or purchase the Jefferson Bible.

But what would it look like if there were a blue letter edition with instances in both Testaments in which lessons, illustrations, or examples about Christian and Christ-like relationships appear. That way the followers of Christ who browse the passages could see instantly the points concerned with desired relationships. Some thinkers and doers of Christianity have foregrounded relationships as the coin of the realm serving as currency for making "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven."

Others have pointed to one's own heart and that of the people one is in relationship with as the foundation for Christian society, community, spiritual development of maturity, and so on. Turning again to the printing press, let us suppose there were a green letter edition in which all fragments, passages, parables, and admonitions regarding one's heart or that of others is spotlighted. That way the followers of Christ who browse the passages could see instantly the important description, explanation, and exercises affecting one's (sacred) heart.

Merely producing aids like this will not affect Christians, though, unless they actually read and talk about it. By studying the red letter edition the person can learn a lot about Jesus. From the blue letter edition the same person can focus on practical and philosophical aspects of relationships with others as they begin, blossom, and bear fruit. By reading the green letter edition this person can emphasize the joys and sorrows of one's heart all across the range of human maturity - from the ego-centered stage to the other-centered stage until at last reaching a balance of self and other so that "love your neighbor as yourself" really does come to be.

There are so many paths and circumstances that lead a person to follow Emmanuel, Lamb of God. Some arrive by accident, others by upbringing, and still others through deliberate decisions and searching. Taking for a moment an analytical approach to the arc of Christian life that begins with "the milk and later is ready for the meat," all three colors - red letter, blue letter, and green letter editions - would play a part in the stages of the person's spiritual growth. This does not discount the rest of the chapters and verses of bibles as filler to be overlooked. It is still important to know the context connected to a particular string of colored letters, whether red, blue, or green. How then might a "new" Christian proceed? 

Taking the "faith without works" idea, being and doing Christianity involves individual relationship to God as well as communal, congregate worship and works, too. One must work out in their own time and circumstances the connections to others and to God in conversations, caring, sacrificing, praising, seeking, and so on. It is an embodied,  tangible experience to grow into and grow beyond, too. So the red-letter edition helps the person to know Jesus as a person and as God's Living Word. In that edition, Jesus is the main character. Much of what Jesus' teachings and examples dwell on is right-relationship with God and with one another (Love God. Love your neighbor as you love yourself). So the blue letter edition would help a person to embrace those instances. And then the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray, The LORD's Prayer, makes the plea for [may it be that] "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven," or in the title of Leo Tolstoy's book, "The Kingdom of God is within You." In other words, when the LORD's Prayer says "Thy kingdom come," that kingdom is of your heart: achieving peace, abundance, righteous attitude and word and deed all starts there, inside the person.

Now suppose that a person went through the day and year, indeed a whole lifetime, after taking to heart what is revealed in the red, blue, and green letter editions of the Bible. As life's experiences, both joys and sorrows, glee and irritation, come and go this person gains an appreciation for self, other, and indeed the wider arena of God's creation from nano-size to galactic dimensions. Compared to the uniform black and white of  printed and spoken Bibles, these colorful editions filter and simplify the lens so that the essential strands of Jesus' life, relationship dynamics, and the heart ecosystem stand out from the rest of the text. That way a person can chart the progress of their own growth and the conditions of the people who touch one's own life.

=-=-= ADDENDUM image & words from reader, Henry F. "Jack" Brown in Michigan

page from J. Brown's marked Bible (key to colors, below)

[quoted with permission] I do something like this in my Bibles.  Red for prayer, green for salvation, Brown for Christian living, yellow for sin and warnings, blue for God's promises, black for judgement/consequences, mauve for trials, challenges, blue-green for God's help, purple for the work of the Holy Spirit and healing, orange, when God speaks directly, light green for the work and example of Christ.

Playing with analogies - God's relationship to his many people

 

Analogies sometimes fit closely, other times they fit loosely

Translation is an issue that people who scrutinize the Bible spend time on. Important changes happen when ancient words from one language are put into the terms of another language many generations later. Some words have important shape, texture, and reverberation (connotation) that may be lost in the new language; or rather, the new language may unintentionally add its own characteristics that were not present in the original language. But before the text is fitted into a new "set of clothes" there is the imperfect way that a raw experience is captured in words. Just as God is infinite and cannot really be contained by just one name (at least 99 names are spoken of the Creator), so it is with some meanings and experiences that come to us in verbal form. The very act of articulating something in song, poetry, narrative, parable, or historical recounting runs the risk of adding unwanted overtones or the opposite, incompletely conveying the full depth of meaning. And even when the original text and the translated one are tailor-fitted, there is no accounting for the readership. Each person brings their own collection of images, meanings, associations to the words they hear or read, partly from personal history; partly from historical moment; partly from culture of the community they belong to. There will be some readers who take a literal interpretation of all words given on the page, but others will favor a looser reading to allow wider application and poetic value. This same imperfect grasp of a subject takes place at the level of analogies, too: sometimes shining a spotlight on a quality of likeness but incidentally leaving other important qualities unlit.

"God is Love" presents a foundation for people to relate to the Creator, and for the Creator's basis of  relationship with his/her creatures. In one way of thinking, "God is love" is the sum total of the Christian message; all else is just added detail. The language of English has just this one word, 'love', to fit into all kinds of settings (parent-child, friend-friend, husband-wife, patriotic feelings, favorite foods and experiences, etc). Ancient Greek has at least six different terms that fit the differing kinds of love: Eros, Storge, Ludus, Pragma, Mania, and Agape. People eager to "know" God (English with just one word; other languages with one that means 'know facts' and another that means 'know a person or place') often start by remembering that "God is love." But can a mortal creature even embrace an immortal one of infinite dimension? Does "knowing God" mean just making contact with the Great I Am, rather than to encompass the vastness within the best of one's ability and the size of one's heart? And during the course of spiritual development and maturity does one's "knowing God" get deeper? wider? more integral or intimate in connectedness? Analogies might shed light; but then again, analogies might misrepresent by putting emphasis in one place at the expense of another.

"Knowing God is like wading or even swimming in the ocean" could be one way to express the vastness that one can be immersed in: size, saltiness, tidal action, undertow, changing weather and season, shifting light in a 24 hour cycle, and the diverse creatures from animal and plant kingdoms at mega and nano scales. A person can know the ocean (i.e. God) in some important ways, and feel connected, too. But so much about the relationship and the nature of the ocean is left out: mid-ocean phenomena, long-distance currents, migratory patterns, deepest ocean life and geological processes, and so on. The more years one spends on the ocean shore, the more that one has the opportunity to observe patterns and behaviors, reflect, meditate, and interact with it. This corresponds to the expanding knowledge of God that may be possible; never getting to the entirety, but nevertheless gaining incrementally more experience and closer embrace.

"Like a child you can enter the kingdom of God" or as the King James Version (Matthew 18) says, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Thinking about children's way of being in the world more closely, the first condition is sense of security to create conditions of trust. Then there is relatively low self-consciousness and relatively high curiosity. From this lesson about being like a child, it seems that the precondition to know God is trust and safety/security; that the relationship is unassailable and will not be broken. On that basis love (of God; from God) can grow. No matter how much Bible study, self-mortification, spiritual exercising, and uninterrupted worshiping that one does, this very first step to know God is the single-most important: you must "show up" and "be present" for a relationship with God to form and then thrive.

"Gravity is a weak force but it pervades everything, just like God's presence." Short-term forces, distractions, cravings can overcome this inexorable but weak force of nature. But that power is always present, working its force if only one pays attention: sun or rain, night or day, in times of joy or sorrow, that force is ever-present.

"Seeking a righteous life to minimize sinful straying is like sailing a boat: the wind may shift directions and you must respond in order to stay the course." To enter "the narrow gate" that Jesus points to, a person must take care to minimize sins that lead off the main road into dead ends. The sailboat image works because of the dynamic interplay of wind conditions and the vigilant steering on the rudder. But whereas the sailor strives to arrive at a destination, for Christians there really is no final knowing of God; no final destination. Merely to be in motion, on the lake, and steering with vigilance is the goal.

In the end the scriptures are one of the main sources to get to know God's ways, God's creation, and God's love. Mystical or direct experience of God is another (chancing upon a burning bush is well documented, too). At the same time the very same texts can be an obstacle since some will cling to the letter of the page and not hear the larger voice and what is communicated between the lines. Owing to the way that society changes along with the meanings associated with certain keywords and figures of speech, as well as the habits (and abilities) of reading, some harm can come from insisting on one's own interpretation of a passage. But "like looking in a rear-view mirror" it sometimes is possible for a section of the Bible to point toward a larger meaning that goes beyond the mere surface description that lies right in front of you on the page. For example, God's steadfastness can be seen in a story, nevermind the particulars of names and events that happen to be recorded.

Thomas Jefferson tried to discard all except direction quotations of Jesus (like today's "red-letter Bible") to bring himself closer to knowing God. But depending on what translation that he worked from (very likely the King James Version) the same properties inherent in moving from one language (and century) to another language and century remain in the strips of pages that he assembled. Therefore, there is greater merit in discerning what the text shows about God's being than there is in splitting hairs when it comes to one word compared to another, for instance. Playing with analogies can be revelatory and even a purposeful intellectual or emotional exercise, but this powerful tool can be used well or can be misused. So "handle with care" should be printed as a warning on the side of the package.
 

Voting for country, not party; voting 'God is Love'

 

Only 1 in 50 or fewer front yards are displaying election signs in fall 2020. This one differs to the others because it seems to interject candidate Jesus of Nazareth among the other contenders for state, local, and federal positions that now are contested.

Two weeks ago a radio segment with someone from a Catholic organization offered to interpret how the many varieties of Christians can justify in their own minds the need to support one party or its opposite. When pro-life (anti-abortinn) is the overriding issue, then Trump's promises make his candidacy the one to support, despite the rest of his life, business, and use of these past 3.5 years in the office of President for the wealthiest country on average. But when abortion is less prominent than social justice, then the conclusion is to align against Trump and vote for the democratic challengers. In this way, "people of the book" can be diametrically opposed with each other and still be guided by Christian teachings.

Where words intersect, fields of meaning do, too - 3 examples

 Rescue. Self-righteous. Knowing (God's grace). During today's weekly "Tuesday Men's Bible Study" (online video meeting during the pandemic) we wrapped up 2 Timothy starting from chapter 3, verse 10.

Wikipedia for 2 Timothy, (screenshot)

Rescue: save, salve, salvation, salvage. All these words overlap in some ways. While the Greek of Paul becomes "rescues me" in the New International Version (English), perhaps the original choice of wording in Greek had a different set of intersecting family of words and their fields of meaning different to this lexical string that resonates in English. In any case, when reading or hearing 2 Timothy from chapter 3 to the end, "rescue" does seem to convey a little from all these differing meanings since there is an aspect of being salvaged, saved, and and salved when the moment of rescue comes (unexpectedly).

Self-righteous: self-centered, self-serving, selfish, and the family of "idio" words to mean 'self' (idiosyncracy, idiotic, idiopathic, the Id). Maybe this one rose up from the discussion, rather directly from the text. Since "servant's heart" and "love your neighbor..." are prominently foundational in the Gospels and epistles, SELF (and getting over one's self fascination and anxieties) necessarily is meant to be minimized in order to make space in one's eye and heart for concerns of others. So the several facets distinguished in each of the members of this family of words shed light on dangers of foregrounding "self" and thereby blocking out "other" from one's awareness and care.

Knowing God: know about, know of, by known as, knowledgeable in. English is hobbled by the conflation of 'knowing' a person or place or subject intimately and 'knowing' about the facts pertaining to a subject or person or place. Others of the Indo-European languages make this difference clear by using different verbs according to the situation: knowing a person's name or profile is not the same as knowing that person all one's life. With God, too, there are people who seek "the facts" of God more than seeking to KNOW the creator as a dear friend, parent-figure, and giver of infinite grace and abundant life. So when the NIV footnote for 2 Timothy points out that 1/2 of the humans ever created happen to be breathing during the 21st century, but most of them do not KNOW God or the promise of salvation and other vivid teachings, the emphasis of the footnote writer seems to be "the facts" rather than the personal relationship of a person to God.

Each of these illustrations that came out of this morning's conversation point to the way that meanings overlap and make indirect meanings that echo or ripple out from the initial source. This property of words - that they belong to families of related words, but that meanings and emphasis in one expresses a significant distinction - is a kind of demonstration of the glory of creation: it has so many facets that may at first seem unrelated to each other, but upon further reflection important intersections can be traced so that hidden connections and family resemblances can be revealed.

Outsider religious way versus seat of power

 The roots of the Jesus Movement to fulfill the teachings of YHWH center on houses of worshipers meeting secretly, since neither the Establishment of Jewish leaders, nor by extension the Roman occupiers wanted to see something that did not conform to peaceful social order and status quo. Later, the early church spread along the trade and transportation routes around the Mediterranean basin and attracted not only Jews far from Jerusalem's sway, but other God-fearers, as well as pagans - citizens of Rome, its slaves, and those from inside and outside the Empire.

The status of outlaw sect of Judaism changed overnight with the declaration by Constantine at the beginning of the 4th century C.E. that Christianity would be the State Religion of the Empire and that he would be its champion in the wide world (the Edict of Milan in 313, which declared tolerance for Christianity in the Roman Empire). His pledge to do this if YHWH would allow military victory thus was fulfilled after defeating the attackers at the battle of Milvian Bridge.

From now on the followers of The Way could own property, govern themselves openly, establish schools of learning and all the things that make a group of people an organization and perpetuate it until at last becoming a self-sustaining institution. Hierarchies grew, buildings were endowed, traditions of knowledge expanded, and doctrinal hairs were split ever more finely. With power comes corruption. Reforms came and sometimes gained traction. Sects splintered and power in the World grew bigger and bigger.

Importantly, Jesus answered Pilate by saying "my kingdom is not of this world." And a good deal of the meaning behind the phrase of the Lord's Prayer, "...Thy will be done; on Earth as in Heaven," is about one's own heart. That is, the Kingdom is not something standing on the surface of the planet, but instead dwells within each practitioner's own heart: the person's attitudes, habits of talking, strength of relationships, daily exercise of care for others, expressions of humility and also unshakeable faith, and so on. Therefore, the watershed begun with Constantine the Great to bring Christ-followers into the light of the world to freely worship and evangelize, is a mixed blessing and curse. The blessing is the reduction in persecution. The curse is the accumulating power, generation by generation, that imposes temptation and corruption.

Given the choice of fringe religion and mainstream institution, perhaps most would opt for today's model. But maybe there is a third way, neither institutionalized rigidity nor small-time desperation. Perhaps the sweetest form of The Way is to be in the World but not of the World; blessed by the material well-being and physical abundance that may be put to good use, but not redirected from stewardship of God's creation and distracted by stewardship of "stuff" bought or bequeathed from the faithful.

The question remains: can it still be Christianity when there is wealth and power and prominence involved?

Us versus Them restated as "we together"

Early August 2020 the guest on the weekly radio show, "On Being," was the poet Marilyn Nelson, in a rebroadcast of the original 2017 conversation with host Krista Tippett. She compares God seekers who expect to find God and God-at-work somewhere outside themselves ("magic mentality") to the people who see God at work in all places and times, including in their own selves ("alliance mentality").

Image search result for 'Marilyn Nelson poet' (8/2020)

Quoting the interview (full text link appended, below), she says:

I think people who have a “magic mentality” believe that God is something out there that we have to find to connect with and people who have an “alliance mentality” know that God is inside of us and in our connections with each other and with the world, that God exists within and between, not exterior to us, but within us and between us. I think that’s what he was trying to say... There is no separation. We are a part of God. That’s — isn’t that the ecstatic experience? We recognize that. And some people know that just naturally. Other people have to learn it. [emphasis added]

Other authors and thinkers from the Stewards of Earth tradition in Abrahamic religions have said something similar with regard to perceptions in public about "nature" versus society, or  "the natural world" ---as if the definition of "nature" consists of everything apart from human lives. Whereas industrialized, Western societies have cultivated an imaginary separation of human (cultural and technologically mediated) environment from all of the land and waters that people require to live, other societies have viewed the human/non-human boundary as much blurrier and movable. One instance of the "nature" concept being cut-off from human life comes from the translation into Japanese from the English concept of "nature." There was no exact pre-existing Japanese word, so a new one was coined, ShiZen (the kanji character 'shi' means "of itself" and 'zen' means something like "wild vitality").

In the particular phrase, above, "We are a part of God," there is a poetic double-meaning, or perhaps it is best described as ironic reflection. One meaning is "a part" or one of many pieces that all together contributes to the whole. Another meaning, this time a clever pun, is "apart" or separated from the rest. Taking the spoken word and transcribing it as "We are a part of God" means that we cannot be separated from God since we are integral to what and who and why God is. But taking the spoken word and transcribing it as "We are apart of God" means that we stand outside of God's ways and spend our waking hours seeking a way back in.

[from https://onbeing.org/programs/marilyn-nelson-communal-pondering-in-a-noisy-world/#transcript ]

Jesus as the model, St. Paul as the coach

So much of the 2nd (New) Testament seems to be comprised of letters from Paul to the various congregations and synagogues around the Mediterranean who knew him. He offers encouragement, admonition or correction, and instruction to guide them, either in reply to things they brought to him, or in his circular, general teaching letters. While there were many things in common between both men, clearly they play different parts, both then and now, for those who follow the Way, narrow though it is.

Authors in many decades have lined up the words and meanings of each teacher to see if the message from Jesus and the demonstration of God's love by Jesus somehow is filtered in particular ways, due to Paul's own biographical pattern and life themes.Their formative experiences were not so far apart in time, although Paul (Saul) is from Tarsus to the north of today's Israel, while Jesus is from Nazareth, still within the orbit of greater Jerusalem. Saul had privileges in education and refinements of life, while Jesus grew up with modest means. Maybe most striking of all is the fact that Paul persecuted the Jesus followers at every turn until the point of his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. Jesus and those who came after his time and public ministry were the object of punishment for officials like Saul.

For those early congregations that Paul fostered, he was regarded as the nearest thing to the flesh and blood Lord and Savior; lamb of God. And so it is natural that they would model themselves on Paul's example in his person, as much as they would aspire to be like Jesus in the stories passed down. So instead of comparing and contrasting the Jesus message in the lens of Paul versus in the lens of Jesus as committed to print in centuries after Paul's time, perhaps it makes more sense to separate their functions: Jesus as model for each person to look to like a homing beacon, Paul as Paraclete - one who walks alongside a person to encourage and share what burdens there may be.

"Be like Jesus," or "follow Paul's advice about what to seek after (positive examples) and what to avoid (negative examples)" may be heard. But inundated by consumer culture and the urge for "liberty," "low maintenance," "convenience" or fun, "path of least resistance," and "least restrictive environment," modern minds can easily be distracted from Paul's guidance or Jesus' example. The surrounding society invites us to search for our identity, find out who we are, or just "be yourself."

Going back to the imagery of the Bible, we are meant to be God's person, not our own impression of what might be interesting or likely to attract peer accolades. To be God's person means to produce "good fruit"; Fruits of the Spirit come from a particular tree. These attributes that grow from such a Jesus-rooted tree will not appear on other trees. We grow into the person God wants us to be; fulfilling our fully integrated ("you are the branches, I am the vine"), God-fearing and loving selves. We incline always to seek to be closer to God and to be loving of neighbor as also of ourselves.

The modern currents, flows, and undertows swirling around us may pull us toward the easiest, most pleasant, or least uncomfortable path, but whether the way is convenient or it carries friction, that is incidental to being God's person in the wide World. Sometimes the modern society and God's way may happen to run together; other times they may intersect as the paths cross, or the roads may be diametrically opposed (mutually exclusive) to each other. No matter what the surrounding society may urge, it should first be God's way that we seek and if it happens to coincide with the society's culture and language, so be it. Where the two ways differ so be it. also.

Ephesians 5:3-10, being warry of self-satisfaction

In the weekly Men's Bible Study we heard the list of old habits that the recipients of Paul's letter were wont to do. This is followed by reference to living in the light and not wallowing in the dark.

³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^{[a] 6} Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷ Therefore do not be partners with them.
⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.  [source at Bible Gateway.com from NIV]

The distinction of light and darkness reminds me of Barbara Brown Taylor's book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, about all the important developments noted in the Bible that *do* require dark. Elsewhere in the Bible there is reference to darkness and light being identical in God's knowing: there is little  difference since all is known to God, with or without photons to stimulate one's visual cortex.

Continuing on the theme of light, visibility, seeing-as-knowing (at least among mortals), it seems that perfect vision leads a person to believe that everything has been grasped; to see is to know. And yet there is much the eyeball misses: the old guy searching in vain for something right in front of him, the person disregarding pandemic preventative measures because the virus is invisible to the naked eye, the edges of the visible light spectrum that are just beyond human capacity (but which dogs can see; and the things that birds can 'see' but not with light to perceive the Earth's magnetic lines). The line from St. Exupery's book, The Little Prince, sums up the limitations of the visual senses that lead a person to assess and judge in confidence the appearances that present themselves: "It is only with the heart that one can truly see."

By extension, also the book of James emphasizes deeds over words. This form of engaging others can change one's heart as a side-effect, but rote good deeds do not "make merit" or improve one's Godliness, since only by grace (not by works) is a person forgiven and salvation advanced. A person who is preoccupied with doing good deeds can easily be lead to the sense of achievement and rest: that all efforts are completed and all duties are fulfilled; vigilance can be relaxed, and the awareness of opportunities to lend a hand can dim.

A third instance for a person to be led to believe that a goal has been accomplished is with knowledge; it could be the Gnostic game of "secret knowledge" (if only I knew the key Bible passage, mysterious number, or symbolic meaning, then my spiritual growth can reach perfection), or it could be more pedestrian knowledge gained by memorizing, reading commentators, taking part in seminars, and so on. All three of these instances - seeing in the light, accomplishing tangible results in one's deeds, and adding to one's store of knowledge - have some value as a process that leads to something else, but can also be a danger in leading the person to self-satisfaction, perceiving the goal has been attained and therefore that no further (self) examination is needed.

In the end, the premise upon which God knows all the creatures, including each person, is love; or maybe a better translation is something Buddhism's Loving-kindess, an agape basis for caring for self and others. Once a person accepts this fundamental relationship of belongingness, then strangers are not really strangers, but instead are in the same family of God that everyone and everything belongs to. There is the instruction to strive to move one's heart and being ever closer to God's ways and will; and to take Jesus as a flesh-and-blood role model. But knowing that Jesus is infinitely closer to God's ways than we are, or could be, a better first step would be to see among one's peers some examples of habits, routines, phrases and aspirations that are closer to our own - ideally a step or two ahead of our own condition, but not in the pinnacle position of Rabbi Jesus. Even when it is not immediately clear how to be more like Jesus, at least there are many temptations and distractions to discard and disallow: knowing how NOT to be like Jesus reduces the universe of possible ways to be. Then the remaining alternatives in this narrowed field come into sharper focus.

God of Abraham in the Internet Age

Two subjects come to mind during the Covid-19 pandemic. One is rapid reliance on the video conferencing service called Zoom. Since middle March many churches and their small groups and discussion circles have been using Zoom Meetings to interact online, following the directive for "stay home, stay safe" that the Governor of Michigan issued, and which she extended a few days ago with legislature approval until April 30.

After the Easter Sunday worship and well-wishes, along with prayers at certain points in the Order of Worship, a few reflections on the on-screen experience came to mind:

<>Briefly seeing and hearing church friends is very positive.

<>Perhaps (virtual) coffee hour, small group (book), or prayer would work to similar effect?

<>Music adds zest and ?intimacy (shyly vulnerable from feelings of Performance  Anxiety), thereby inviting us to be players not spectators.

<>The kernel of the sermon, to know that God is there when times are uncertain, speaks loud and clear. It seems to be the Incarnation of what faith means, to go forward, even when uncomfortable or unsure. 

The other subject is the presence of Christian-signifying words and images in the mostly secular Social Media.

This screenshot from the day after 2020 Easter shows the resurrection message: heavy stone rolled away from the tomb. The scene and story are familiar, but it seems out of place to see this on Facebook in the midst of the advertisEMENT, inane op/ed darts expressed by some postings, and the mix of business, non-profit, and personal photos and experiences. Following the old thought-provoker, "What Would Jesus Do" (wwjd), it is possible to see Jesus going to places where is people can be found. In the Internet Era, the place where many of his people can be found is online. So, yes, it should not feel incongruous or dissonant when a religious representation appears in the middle of the other things. It should not, yes, but nevertheless, it does stand out; if for no other reason than because of the historical and cultural clash of sandal-clad rabbi contrasting the shiny young stars that can be seen showcased on social media.

To catch a fish - reflecting on the path of spiritual maturity

Tuesday Men's Bible Study bowed to the Covid-19 social distancing imperative in Michigan and put to use the ZOOM online meeting service. We wrapped up Ecclesiastes and settled on the next book, Ephesians, to begin next week. Part of the conversation sparked by chapter 11 onward was the stages of development as one matures spiritually - not by chance, but with some effort on one's own part.

One image that came to mind was the way that there is something in common for a total beginner ("the heart of a child") and a person with considerable experience or expertise in any field of endeavor, including spiritual growth, in this case. For both points along the trajectory the experience is highly personal or personalized. Using the illustration of fishing, one of our leaders described the progression in one's development. First the object is to catch a fish, any fish. Next the goal is to catch lots of fish. After that the challenge is to get the biggest one. Anglers with a lot of experience may try more difficult styles (fly-fishing), or more difficult fish, or circumstances that call for a lot of skill. Possibly the next higher step will be to go after a specific fish that resides in a particular place and may even have a name given it by the fisher. In other words, for the beginner the sensation of hooking a living creature produces a very personal encounter. Later stages include increased knowledge and pool of experience, perhaps more analytical (or software apps) relationship to the outing. At the highest level here, though, the person with the fishing tackle is taking things personally: pitting self against one particular fish, matching wits. Maybe there is an even higher level, when the angler achieves satisfaction purely by approaching the water and replaying the hundreds of experiences and hours on the water - no fishing gear involved; the outing is almost entirely conceptual. It is a state of being present at that time and place, fully immersed in that world.

display case, Grand Rapids Public Museum, grpm.org 9/2019

Transferring the fishing example to Spiritual Development, perhaps there is a similar unity between newcomer/beginner and the person with very deep wells of experience and vision. For the beginner it is easy to get lost in detail, so they seek direct, personal experience to connect to the worship process. For the very mature seeker after God's way, too, there is an appetite for direct, personal experience: less teaching and analytical precision and more of the holistic synthesis of the overarching glory. Each relationship, decision point, and interaction in a day turns into intensely (God-filled) personal moments of precious value. Interestingly of the fishing analogy and the spiritual growth situation, all that is real and what matters to the beginner and the master can be found in the same place: that same stream or lake (fishing place), or that same social interaction or pause to pray (seeking God). What has changed is not the setting but the way that it is viewed and therefore engaged in.

The other rich analogy that came up was of sailing, emphasis ING; the process, the gerund for that verb. (1) Recreational sailors may have a particular destination to aim for and as the wind shifts, the person must adjust the sails, read the puffs of air hitting the water ahead as a precursor to hitting the sailcloth, and turn the tiller as the boat deviates from the aim. In other words the process is in flux, dynamic rather that firmly set in place. This illustrates the way to seek after God's will: as one is buffeted and pushed off course, so long as the person firmly holds the destination in sight, the it is possible to make corrections as needed to line-up with the goal. (2) In contrast to the recreational sailor, there is the "straight-line sailor" who does not hesitate to furl the sails and turn the ignition on the auxilliary motor in order to traverse in the shortest distance (straight line), expediently getting to the destination. So if the paramount value is arriving quickly, there is logic in motoring/sailing to get there. But if the goal is gett+ING there (i.e. the experience produced along the way), the GETT+ing there (as in, objective attained), then the straight-line control and impatience will minimize the time and exercise of tactics and skill that sail+ING makes possible. This illustrates the way to seek after God's will: as one strives to know God more and more, "getting there" (as in final epiphany and omniscience) is not as meaningful as "getting... there" (the days and hours and events of one's life along the path). 

In both analogies - fishing as a process of growing capacities & sailing as a dynamic environment that is all about the experience of covering distance (not simply seeking expedient arrival) - the way to get closer to God and know personally one's creator is a long, patient process involving intention and effort in which much of the reward comes in the doing and being, rather than deriving from any sort of finish line, final project, or ultimate understanding.

Cain and Able in tension; intention

Men's Bible Study is taking up Ecclesiastes after a long couple of years. The line about "chasing after the wind" and futility in trying to build one's tower of earthly or worldly achievements is always fresh and relevant, especially in immigrant societies, where identity of self and in the eyes of others comes from "what you DO" and not "who you ARE" (your relatives and line of family trophies from the ages). And during the age of consumerism, where status can be staged or posed by material goods accumulated, the Ecclesiastes message that all that striving is meaningless does rebuke the myriad day-dreams of what to buy, what to build next.

in tension? intention? [clipart.com royalty free]

Interestingly, one of the Bible Study guys keeps a copy of the multi-lingual Bible open and found that the source word for 'meaningless' is the name of Able, the one whose sacrifices pleased God and whom brother Cain murdered. Playing with the words that intersect with 'meaningless' casts a little light on this advice about not confusing one's worldly glory with spiritual glory: meaning, intention, purpose, goal, target. Contrasting this is 'sin' -- as in the technical or literal/visual sense of "missing the target" or getting off the track when aiming to seek God's Will. In other words, Sin misses the goal; sin gets off track from the purpose, sin is the absence or the fouling of meaning. Thus "sin" and "meaning" are in opposition; they are in_tension (wordplay - at least for English - for 'intention' or the thing one is aiming for). The provisional conclusion, then, is that the tension between sin and righteousness is a basis for intention, and by extension also, meaning.

Worshiping with others - 2020 annual Worship Symposium

Something happens when a worship space fills with people who mostly don't know each other, but who all come with some sort of prior Christian worship experience and now are willing to try to fit into the general order of service that may well be unfamiliar or possibly contradict or at least contrast their own worship habits at a home church. It is a kind of affirmation that seems to emerge from this experience of not being in control; not knowing how things are supposed to (or may be expected to) go. Everyone seems committed to going with the general flow of events and not judge or criticize or compare or condemn. So with nothing to defend, the overall experience is fluid. Those attending are guests of the hosting worship leaders and can let go of any worries, responsibilities, or performance anxiety. Instead, the main purpose is to be a gracious guest and accept what has been prepared and now is being presented, inviting participation as much as one is able or comfortable to do so.

This photo collage comes from the opening worship in the campus chapel of Calvin University as part of their Thursday-Friday-Saturday Worship Symposium at the end January every year since 1997. It shows the miraculous transformation from pre-worship space mostly empty, to the seats filled and voices raised (complete service online), to the assembled worshipers departing the chapel.
[click the photo for larger view]

Thursday, January 30, 2020 at the Calvin University chapel

 People come to the annual event from all over North America and many countries overseas. So only a few of the repeat attendees will know each other by face, and fewer still by name. Probably for most of those worshiping this morning the experience is a peculiar mix of familiarity (yes, this Bible is one that is identical or at least bears a family resemblance to one's own) and strangeness (order of worship, styles of music, customs of greeting one another). When one almost exclusively worships with the same people, same place, same weekly time/day, then any worship outside of that seems slightly unfaithful in a double sense (being absent from one's familiar co-worshipers; but also being present among strangers in a strange place and acting in ways unfamiliar). Somehow, the space is filled with fellow worshipers who have possibly similar mixed feelings and despite that, the overall experience together does flow, does teach, does inspire, does ring true to the God one seeks after.

When I pray; Precious Jesus

etymology online for "prayer" click for larger display

Personal statements differ from more distanced, 3rd person descriptions. Here is a flash of insight from Barbara Brown Taylor's chapter on experiences praying,

...my sense that there are real things I can do, both in my body and in my mind, to put myself in the presence of God. God is not obliged to show up, but if God does, then I will be ready. At the same time, I am aware that prayer is more than something I do. The longer I practice prayer, the more I think it is something that is always happening, like a radio wave that carries music through the air whether I tune in to it or not.
     An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, page 190

My own process of aging and wondering at things around me included a time near the start of middle age when I started going to a weekly 7 a.m. Men's Bible Study. Most of the other 5 or 6 guys were older than me and had been meeting to read, chew on, and reflect on the Bible a few lines at a time, going from the start to the end of any given chapter, sometimes taking months to complete one chapter before polling everyone to pick another one. One guy in particular has a powerful way of directly engaging God and the Word of God that included the phrase "precious Jesus." At first I doubted the genuineness of what seemed on the surface to be a cliche or set-phrase. But little by little I learned to see how deeply this meaning was for him. It was personal and he was not shy about professing it before the others sitting around the table.

That feeling of confidence and lack of performance anxiety in putting something very personal in plain view is what helped me to do something similar; treating prayer as a direct expression of what can be articulated or sometimes is too big or small to fit properly into words, but at least can be hinted as. As a result, a few times I have paused at restaurants or other public eateries to say a brief, usually silent prayer ahead of rushing to the plate. And at family gatherings when asked to pray before mealtime, I don't feel too shy either.

Each week at the Men's Bible Study there is an opening and a closing prayer that is pretty open-ended, but normally includes at least one element of praise for God, and one element of thanks to God. Otherwise there is a mix of supplications for people named in the circle, for our own hearts, and for fellow believers. What seems to matter most, though, about getting accustomed to praying to punctuate events, but also when anxious, afraid, uncertain, or even when full of hope, is that by pausing long enough to collect some calm and to quiet one's heart something important seems to happen. Rather than to trust in one's own powers and direction, the posture of prayer demonstrates to self and others that answers lie outside of one's control, wishes, or power. Furthermore, the certainties of a hard heart also loosen up by the habit of prayer as one can see the shortcomings of people, including oneself. In other words, the more one prays, to better one hears and the more carefully one listens to one's own heart, and listens also to the people in one's life at work or at home.

Like any habit, it develops and emerges over time and through frequent use. At first that might take the form of collective, unison (printed or memorized) prayers. Later there might be opportunities to pray by improvisation, without great rehearsal. When the circle is small, there is a blanket of trust to support the awkward first steps. A bigger, more public setting may overwhelm, by comparison. But with more and more experience, even a prominent speaking role is within one's abilities to engage in.

Looking back, there is a lot of worth (worth-ship; worship) in the phrase "precious Jesus" and I am thankful to my fellow seeker for that.

Rough and tumble? Consumerism vs. Christ'ism

image search "coupon" collage shows full color wares to buy

How best to follow Jesus when descriptions show him challenging the status quo of Pharisees and the strong language and actions he metes out to his all-too-humanly-frail disciples? He demonstrates infinite love and patience in many ways, but also insistence and impatience about fools and foolishness.

Ever since the "single use" disposable approach to mass production, distribution, consumption, and landfilling, the worldview of consumerism and advertising has almost completely dominated our societies: to spend (therefore to earn) is to live. That seems to leave little time to reflect and seek relationship with God, all of creation, and one's neighbor. So the iconoclasm we read of in the Bible by Christ's example seems to be less Pharisees (although the legalism, head-smart but heart dumb, bull-headed self-assuredness can be seen today in pulpits and lay leaders and followers, too) and more a problem on consumerism that blinds us from seeing each other. Perhaps in our time to "be in the World but not of the World" means to reject the many incentives and rewards of buying more and more. And it means not to measure self-worth or the success of others by brand of clothing or personal automobile. So long as we consist of flesh and blood, the body will be blessing and curse at the same time; something that shapes our engagement with all that is around us and thereby a source of being prey to temptations. And yet, when eternal life or else damnation is at stake, the present moment of living is no time to obsess about 'being a nice person' if that separates you from God and God's will, or it separates you from one another as a wedge instead of a bridge. In the end, following the Jesus example, is to "speak truth to the power" that so dominates our minds and times: consumerism and reducing and simplifying the world of experiences into "maximizing utility" as an economic animal.

Grace is similar to Mercy in that it is given, no matter if merited, earned, or paid for. But it differs in that grace makes whole, holy, completed. By contrast, mercy is granted in place of expected punishment or debt that is owed; it does not by itself create wholeness or completed relationship (repair). And grace differs to righteousness, too. Righteousness means being attuned to God's word and desires, in tune with God by direct and correct relationship. Grace repairs and fills the gap that separates self from the Creator. And so with respect to Jesus' example of himself disregarding The World in order to keep in constant prayer and communion with Father/Mother God, this idea of grace is central, because it fills any gap or separation or shortcoming.

With something like 1 in 4 residents in the USA defined by income as impoverished --this in the wealthiest and most resource-wasting society on the planet-- Jesus would surely engage directly and persistently with people struggling to survive. Again and again the ones with ears to hear and eyes to see are the ones he meets at the margins of society, the edge of the road, or the outer part of gatherings. People who are ill, or who are impoverished, or who have been humbled by circumstance (or possibly by their own disciplined habit) are most primed to embrace the message of love that is abundant and unending, without conditions and status.

Yardsticks to measure your past life, now, or to sketch what is next

THINKING ABOUT WHAT COUNTS

 There are many ways to shape your life, leaving aside the factors outside of your control like nature (what you are born with) and nurture (how the events and people around you affect things). For example, you can identify some things about influential people in your life or ones you hear about in books, news media and entertainment, or figures from the Bible. Either consciously or in ways you are less aware of, these personalities offer a model or sometimes a pathway to lead you toward the person you become and continue to come to be.

The thirst for meaningfulness (in God's eyes, in peer's eyes, in your own eyes) can be expressed by achievements that are visible or may be intangible and not readily visible to others; kindnesses done for other living things along the road of life, for instance. Dreams or aspirations of one's own or inspired by others may include meaningfulness as the fruit of the efforts as well as costs for that undertaking.

Another major form that people may use to measure success, or its lack, is worldly acumen and rewards produced: the more stuff (or less tangibly, the more experiences) gathered equates the the more achievement. Worldly measures might include consumer victories: satisfaction from bargaining for a good price, avoiding costly monetary liability, freedom from debts, and so on. Or the trophies might fit the bumper sticker, "The person who dies with the most stuff wins."

Doubtless there are many other ways to estimate one's own value among the living, but from the Rabbi Jesus example, perhaps relationships and lives touched by one's efforts - either adding net positive things to those lives, or by lessening the negative parts of those others' lives - are the best yardstick for knowing your measure.

Analytically, the motivators of meaningfulness, material shrewdness, or building relationships of depth and breadth can be discussed independent of each other, but going about one's day or lifetime these all work together, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. And yet, even if it is artificial to separate these from each other, doing so helps to make clear which mindset leads the others at any moment: is your decision based on maximizing utility (homo economicus) and pressing the levers of political economy, or is the main organizing principle for why you are driving your life in a particular direction mainly about meaningfulness, something that resonates as the main point which positions all else in secondary or dependent roles. Or maybe the lens through which you see the world and view your own self, as well, is concerned with quality of relationships, the ways that one person helps another to bridge difficulties, grow into a bigger person, do the right thing, and pay forward or pay back blessings they have known. Of course this same discussion of individual lives can also be broadly projected on the various zeitgeist of a certain generation or century; or indeed upon a whole culture, language, or society - what is primary and what is regarded as secondary in lifetime worth?

No matter which current flows strongest in your life at a given stage, the others will be also be present because even the holiest aspirations and intentionality takes place in a world of gravity, calories, hungers and thirsts. So material circumstances cannot simply be dispensed with. Nor can the deep-rooted desire to express and recognize meaningful words and deeds. As for living and loving relationships, there must necessarily be good days and bad days; not forever frozen and unchanging in tone and texture.

Having a yardstick, or at least being aware of the one you most often turn to, is an important step in assessing, estimating, comparing and discussing earlier situations and also for planning the future use of time and energies that give shape to the life that you now live and the one that you want to live in days to come.