Genesis 1

 Yesterday I shared about my frustration with "Rational" people who make fun of the bible but generally pick-and-choose and misrepresent what the Bible says. I am also distessed by much of the "Christian" response to such arguments. Often times the Christian caricature is based on the silliness of actual Christians. Is it possible to be seriously minded and a Christian? YES! I leave it for others to judge if I am able to demonstrate it myself.

There are two accounts of creation in Genesis. In the first chapter the language is majestic. It is very structured and repetitive. There is a seven day week. Each day God says something and then we are told how it unfolds. Each day God "saw it was good." Each day ends with "there was evening, there was morning," and the day of the week is numbered. The high point of creation is the sixth day, the creation of men and women. The point of creation is the seventh day of rest, the Sabbath. If this were an academic blog then there could literally be hundreds of pages written. Comparisons would be made to similar creation accounts belonging to the ancient neighbors of the Jews. (I always assume that a primary purpose of every Jewish writing is to, in part, refute the competing beliefs of their pagan neighbors, something modern people rarely if ever consider). We would also study the language to see patterns and significant vocabulary which has additional connotations. We would reflect on the numerical issues (all Hebrew letters serve as numbers) and the roots of the words (each word is part of a family with a host of deeper meanings) and overt and covert symbolism. We would look for puns and clever plays on words (the authors love to do that and in the English translations this is lost). There are other exercises in which we would also engage. But I am no scholar and I do not write for scholars. That sort of work is beyond my scope. My point is this, anyone who reads Genesis 1 and disdains it as prescientific silliness better be ready to display more in depth analysis than that. This is a piece of literature worthy of respect regardless of whether or not one is a believer.

Instead I offer these reflections on Genesis 1. (It might be a good idea to read it.) The message of order is emphasized. The entire creation proceeds in an orderly fashion. The story reflects a belief in an ancient, chaotic body of water. Emptiness, void, chaos, darkness. These are evocative images (and not a scientific theory). It is a judgment on the world without God. Things tend to disintegrate (that is a scientifc theory). The word of God is spoken and it conveys the power of order. (The truth of that is a debate found in philosophy but not in the world of science.) God orders through speaking not acting. In other ancient myths of creation, the world is a result of great battles between gods. The debris of the battle is the stuff of creation and our world. In Genesis, the story is mythic, but ut is not a myth. What do I mean by that? It is mythic in the sense that it conveys a mystery too big for our langauge. Creation is not explained and described; it is declared! The details of the unfolding process are really left out. In myths we get the details (e.g., the exploding body of a dead god become stars in teh sky) but the story while sounding historical is clearly not historical. Here in Genesis, we are told the meaning of the world around us.

Creation is good, by God's own judgment. Humans are in the image and likeness of God. This speaks highly of t he value of every human life and the potential vocation of each human being. (Now remember in the ten commandment it says that we should make no image of God. That is important. God is the one who makes the image. This is also important later because of the claim in the NT that Jesus is The Image of the invisible God.) Lastly, the Sabbath, a center piece of Jewish faith and practice, is the culmination of the process. We need to understand what the message is here. God saw everything that He had made and it was very good. we share in the task of co-creators with God. Our task is to be fruitful and multiply. Our task is to govern the world. Take a breath and relax. Rest. Know that God is the source of all creation.

Tomorrow I will say something very controversial, but for now, rest and reflection on God's creative acts!

Making Fun of Bible

I stumbled across another "conversation" between a "Christian" and a "Rational" person today. These usually appear in the Comment Section after an article I have read on line. It was dealing with a social problem I was researching on education and inner city children. The "Christian" person said that things would be better if we practiced a "biblical based morality." The "Rational" person responded that the bible teaches genocide, murdering children for offenses and abuse of women. Well, gosh, who isn't uplifted by this level of in depth discussion????

Let me begin by saying I do appreciate the criticisms of "biblical morality." From earliest times, church leaders have struggled mightily with much of what is in Scripture. St. Augustine wrote about this in 400, for example. Numerous theories on reading the bible have been crafted just because it is not easy to interpret the bible in many places. It is also not so simple to define "THE biblical morality." So serious minded Christians have struggled and debated and prayed over the biblical texts. The early church fathers and teachers dealt with serious criticism from their pagan neighbors for hundreds of years. The "Rational" critic of teh bible would do well to remember that and not be as simplistic as the Christian whom he criticizes.

But in trying to be fair to the "Rational" people, I must admit I am often times frustrated by their approach. For one thing, I rarely hear them apply the same sort of reasoned criticism of their own beliefs. I also notice that when they make fun of the bible they usually engage the most simplistic lilteralist. While picking on the weakest argument may make it easier to win, it rarely helps to find the truth. Lastly, our culture has any number of its own blatant moral defects and the ethical system embraced by a large swath of secular culture includes an embrace of its own easily lampooned morality. Joshua behaved in accordance with the established expectations of his age. We do the same. He could probably point out things we accept that would be shocking to him.

SO what about the hard things in the bible? What is one to think? We can investigate together in the days ahead.

Does Worship Matter?

The Old Testament prophets were very focused on a couple of themes. One had to do with not worshipping other gods. The Jewish history as recorded in the Old Testament makes it clear that this was an ongoing problem. It is rather ironic that the sacred book of the Jews is so self critical. Unfaithfulness to the Lord is the norm for much of the narrative. God makes it abundantly clear that this pursuit of other gods is the reason for Israel's demise.

On hte other hand, it is also clear that worship without justice is unacceptable. The Lord rejects such worship in the strongest terms. At times the language is very strong. Going to the Temple without treating the needy with justice and mercy was a waste of time. God says He rejects those offerings.

So church attendance, without an accompanying commmitment to the service of the poor, would seem to  be offensive to the Lord. But there are times when people imply that church attendance is offensive and that is not the point of the prophets. I daresay the lack of justice is the issue. Sleeping in on Sundays is not the point of their message.

It might be helpful to reflect on what it is God asks of us and not simply look for excuses. As I said early Sunday morning, there is little reason to think God needs our worship. If you have followed what I have written about the last few weeks I hope I have made it clear that it is us who need to worship Him.

Church attendance

I got here at 7:30 this morning. In an hour or so about 85-100 people will begin filing into the church building to worship. At 11:00 a similar number will do the same. Last evening we saw over 40. Normal weekends 215-235 people are here. Statistically, we are normal. About four in ten of our members show up each week. Sixty percent of those who say, "St. Andrews is my church" do not show up.

Does it matter if people show up? Does our relationship with God really need a church? I am of two minds. On the one hand I am a priest. I became a priest because I think going to church and being church matters a great deal. It matters enough that I have committed most of my adult life to this work. I am self aware enough to know that it is also my job. I support my family on this work so there is another reason why I want to see the church thrive. On the other hand I know that "going to church" on Sunday can simply be a mindless activity. Most people have quit going because even when they were going it probably did not make an impact on their lives.

But in the end, if the church is the sacrament of Jesus, then the work of the church is the work of Christ in the world. The primary way that Jesus does things today is in and through the church. We are "the Body of Christ" as St. Paul says. The problem is church members who view the church as something they do when it is convenient. Or the church is where they go to "get something." Worshipping God is not always fun. Does God deserve an hour or two of thanks and praise? Is He diminished when we sleep in? I do think He deserves worship but I do not think He needs it. I do however think we need it. I do believe God draws near a people who love and honor Him. I do believe God withdraws from a people who do not do this.

My guess is the world would be different if the people of the church acted like church. In my imagination I can see all 500 of our people crammed into this place for multiple services. I can imagine them radically generous with their time, talent and treasure. I can see this as a place which makes a huge impact in the lives of other people, especially broken people. I can imagine children growing up in an environmnent where hope and joy are present. I think it would be better and I think it is possible. But I also know that all of us, myself included, are not terribly adept at making God the center of our lives. So this morning I plan to pray for the desire to love and serve God, in me and in you and in them. It isn't much, but it is a start.

The Church

Edward Schillebeeckx wrote a book that  is the basis of most of my thought. In it he says that Jesus is the Sacrament of God. It was helpful to me because I understood the incarnation more clearly. It also made sense of the world I live in, something I have tried to reflect on the last week.

In simplest terms: God is invisible. Jesus, the man, is the person "in and through" Whom God is present in the world. There are deep philosophical questions about how spirit and matter interconnect. The sacramental understanding is probably the best way. So God is present in the flesh of Jesus (the meaning of incarnate).  Jesus ascended to heaven after He rose from the dead. The earliest followers of Jesus had an experience of the Spirit of Jesus unleashed on the church. In John's Gospel Jesus breathes on the apostles to give them His Spirit. In Acts there is the famous Pentecost event. Some readings of the crucifixion note that Jesus "handed over His Spirit" can be double meaning; that is, He dies and also a sort-of-Pentecost giving over of the Spirit. Some folks will argue long and hard about all this. For me, it is clear that the life force of Jesus, The Holy Spirit, is now shared with His followers (the Church). In and through the church Jesus is active in the world. So our activity is, in fact, the on-going saving work of Christ (until the great consummation of creation).

The rituals in which we engage are acts of Christ. So are the works of loving service. Where is Jesus? Where is God? The Church should answer that question in its daily activities! But all sacramental acts are not equally transparent. Sometimes we are weak signs and symbols. That is why there is so much doubt and question about church. More to come.

Marriage

I think a marriage ceremony best illustrates what I am trying to say happens in the ritual called baptism. What happens at a wedding? A man and a woman come together before witnesses. They exchange vows and make commitments. They publicly state their intention to be husband and wife. They enter into an institution which is very old and honored in most cultures.

Well, there you have it. Have they been changed? Yes. They are now legally a partnership. There is a moral expectation that they will forsake all others and be faithful to one another. Can a newly maried person go out that night and "party" with someone else. Yes. Do the vows make the love perfect? No. But there is a difference between someone who is in a vowed life and someone who is not. How often have we heard about couples who live together but do not want to get married because it will "ruin" the relationship. Obviously such people believe that marriage is real and does something. Even a sham marriage is still observably different than a non-marriage.

When people sincerely seek to be a married couple then the activity of the ritual does in fact increase and intensify the relationship. That is why people, including very often the groom, get emotional at a wedding. There is something real taking place. But it is not magic which makes relationship suddenly easy. There is still a struggle.

What is God doing in a marriage? Well from my view point He uses marriage to teach us to love. Love is something we are not very good at much of the time. There is a reason why half of marriages end in divorce. Most of us are looking to get something. Marriage is a symbol of giving. But BOTH parties must give or it will not work. Marriage is a sign of Jesus' love for the church. Jesus, the groom, marries the church, the bride. Baptism is our entry into that relationship.

The way God shapes and forms us is slow. The ritual marks the beginning of the process. Just like birth changes everything, but the process still continues. Is God active in weddings? We invite Him to be, I guess no one can prove He is, but neither can one prove He isn't. I do know this, if we have eyes to see then we can discern Him there. I know that if our expectations and assumptions are rightly ordered to reflect the real world and not our own desires I think we will see God more clearly. Unfortunately, I think much of the time my wishes and fantasies make that harder for me than it needs to be. But in the end, if we can see how a wedding ceremony does make something happen, perhaps we can also see how baptism does the same.

Baptism 2

So getting washed clean resonates as a spiritual action by people, but does the ritual really do anything or is it all psychological?

Baptism is an action which God does in the world, in and through human agency. We cannot baptize ourselves. That is a fundamental, though overlooked, part of baptism. In baptism I am acknowledging that I am the problem. Me and my choices are contributors to the evil, pain and sadness in the world. I am acknowledging a need to be made clean. There is a real sense in which I receive baptism.

Baptism is also entry into a people, a community. By virute of that initiation rite I become part of a group. Membership, as they say, has its privileges. It also has its responsibilities. There is a self-gift involved as well.

My biggest disappointment with baptism is it is so mundane and ordinary. There is not enough "magic" in it. I want the water to make something amazing happen. I want baptism to give me (and others) super powers. I want to be able to look at a crowd and see baptized people are happier, nicer, wiser and just plain better than other people. I want God to do something with baptized people that makes everyone say, "wow, I want some of that water on me!" In other words, I want baptism to be an ESCAPE from real life!

So is baptism efficacious? Does something happen when we get baptized? Does getting baptized save us?
Yes, it is efficacious, it does what it says. When we are baptized we become God's (adopted) children. We become by His gracious act, part of a people called out of this world to live as His followers. In light of that, yes, something has happened. Is that something salvation? Here is where it gets dicey. I have heard all the great debates about baptism, faith and salvation. To be honest, I do not buy into the starting place of many of these debaters. We live in a world of limits and exceptions to the rule. There is mystery, too. I think that baptism makes me clean and makes me God's child. I also believe that I can choose to get dirty again and I can be a prodigal who wastes his inheritance in wild living. But God has made me clean at my core so the dirt can be cleaned off (in repentance, confession, penance and reformed life). And God has made me His child forever so I can come back home and be reinstated.

In my first real job I was hired to be the supervisor of a child care center. Prior to that I had worked part-time as a janitor while going to school. I was due to start on Monday. That weekend I was mopping floors. I remember standing in that empty building on Sunday afternoon and thinking, "tomorrow I am in charge." It was weird. Baptism is like that. I am really His today, even though the fullness of that new state is yet to be totally manifest. But as I do the grunge work of mopping, I know tomorrow is coming. In the meantime I have to do what I am supposed to do. No escape from life. And it is not always fun or easy. But it is necessary. And I am confident in the promise (okay, not always, but trying to live confidently!). So, yes, I am saved by baptism and yes the salvation is not yet fully revealed. I trust God works in baptism so baptism is necessary. And I believe that I can throw it all away if I choose. So I try to choose not to throw it away. How about you?