I preached on 2 Peter today. It is an amazing letter because it really confronts two primary issues with which we are dealing today: unbelief outside the church and false teaching inside the church. The critiques of Christian faith have really not changed much at all over two thousand years. A great deal of the "new" atheism is extremely old! Much of the "innovative" thought generated by today's "progressive thinkers" in the church is actually a rehash of the old heresies.
My starting place, however, was a core understanding of the human condition. I used dogs as an analogy. I am not a biologist and I am no expert on dogs, but I have read some articles, watched some educational tv and spent many hours with watching Caesar the dog whisperer. (All I lack is spending the night at a Holiday Inn Express!) I know that dogs are descended from wolves. I also know that dogs have a remarkable openness to breeding which quickly produces new types of dogs in a relatively short time. One example is the British bull dog, the stout and stubby creature we know was longer and sleaker not so long ago.
My understanding is that wolves mutated into wild dogs long ago. The animals lived close to human communities and were scavengers. Over time some were more interactive with humans. Humans learned to breed certain traits. So now we have poodles, German shepherds and pugs. Amazing.
Dog are apparently attentive to humans in ways that wolves are not. This quality of being humanized leads to the bonds celebrated in literature and film. There is a reason dogs are called "Man's Best Friend" rather than canaries or hamsters. Dogs learn to control their waste expulsion process. Dogs learn to provide help in tasks such as herding sheep or sniffing out drugs.
Like dogs, humans also must learn through relationships with other humans. A baby requires extensive nurturing and training throughout life in order to acquire language, social skills and hygiene. We are born with potential, but we also have a ticking clock. There is a point where it can be too late to ever learn some things. I think that is true of spirituality as well. As I said in my sermon, we all have the potential to be a "wolf man." In our faith life, we realize our potential to be Caleb. Caleb was a friend of Joshua. The word Caleb means dog. Humans, like dogs, must grow out of our natural impulses and desires. Our full potential is to be children of God. 2 Peter calls it a share in the divine nature.
Dogs share in our nature, and it frees them from some of the limitations of wolves. Dogs behave in ways that are like humans. It is a dim immitation, but you understand what i mean. Wild dogs just do not conform to our standards in the same way. Likewise, you and I are in a long process of learning how to be fully human and open to God's life. It is a struggle. We sometimes pull against the chain and want to run wild. God does not hold us so tightly and gives us freedom to make choices. When we observe the proverbial "train wreck" so many of us make of our lives it is clear that following our nature is not always helpful. I struggle with trying to figure out what a Christlike life should look like. So often I fear I am falling so far short. Yet, I find hope and joy in knowing that dogs are such a wonderful model for understanding human life. I can see the truth about them and ponder the truth about me and you. Our destiny is to transcend who we are today and to become one with God. Day by day, praying, studying scripture, loving and serving others conforms us to God. We pick up divine traits and share a bit more in the divine nature. That is even more amazing than a Great Dane!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Bloodshed
The convention is over. As has been the case the last several years, it was a low key affair without conflict. One highlight for me was worship. I was able to stop for some time and simply praise and thank God. The music was sublime and the setting was wonderful. One prayer did give me pause, it was a prayer modeled after the Lord's prayer from a perspective which is deeply affected by sexism. As I often say, today's solution is tomorrow's problem. In an effort to address the problem of how we treat women, the author of this prayer (from another continent!) ended up using language which is Modalism. That means it divides God into three functions (creator, redeemer, sanctifier) instead of three persons. See, the One God is three persons and all three are involved in each function. I am less distressed than others about using the Lord's Prayer as a model. After all, the English version we use is a translation of a Greek prayer found in the bible. And the Greek prayer is a translation of the Aramaic original. Based on my study of the Greek, I make my own modification most of the time. However, the translation we had in our worship went in the wrong direction, as I understand it, so I simply prayed it closer to the original.
Another positive, I thought that there was serious discussion about a focus on basic Christianity. Many voices shared a concern about things which I hold dear. I was able to share my beliefs in a setting which was not hostile and people listened and heard. Something which I had said last year at convention found their way into this year's document. That is progress. Several years ago it was very contentious. At times it was so heated that the atmosphere was like combat.
There was, however, for me, an experience of bloodshed. As I left on Saturday, I was able to go to the Germanown Lifeblood Center. I have a special type of blood which is used in transfusions for babies. My iron counts had been running low so my doctor told me to give it a rest for awhile. It has been several months since I last gave. However, the Lifeblood folks have called regularly because there is a shortage for the babies. I decided to give again a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, my schedule is pretty full most of the time. On Saturday I had a small window of opportunity. So I ran by and gave. I met a nice Catholic woman from St. Augustines. She was giving as a start off to Lent. The nurse attended St. Mary's where I started out as a priest. After giving blood I grabbed a sandwich and went to church to pray with our healing group. At five o'clock we had eucharist. Around five forty I read the words of Jesus, what we call the consecration. "This is my Body, given for you. This is the cup of my blood, shed for you. Do this in memory of Me" Sometimes in my head I sort of reflect on this using diferent language. I think things like, "I give My body and blood for you, now you go do the same thing, give your body and blood for Me, give your body and blood to others." I do not change the words at the service. But I do twist their meaning, just a bit, for myself.
Whenever I give blood, at some point as the bag fills I pray for all those who will interact with it. I pray for the babies who will get it. I pray for their families. I figure whenever a baby needs blood the family has got to be stressed. I thank Jesus for letting me do this in memory for Him. I thank Him for His bloodshed for us. I thank Him for the insight. And I find myself in a very good mood. It is faith, or hope, or joy. So there was bloodshed this weekend, but not at convention! It was shed by me, in imitation of Him. Today, again, you and I will literally and figuratively give our lives over to others, for His sake. My prayer is that the awareness will put you in a good mood, too!
Another positive, I thought that there was serious discussion about a focus on basic Christianity. Many voices shared a concern about things which I hold dear. I was able to share my beliefs in a setting which was not hostile and people listened and heard. Something which I had said last year at convention found their way into this year's document. That is progress. Several years ago it was very contentious. At times it was so heated that the atmosphere was like combat.
There was, however, for me, an experience of bloodshed. As I left on Saturday, I was able to go to the Germanown Lifeblood Center. I have a special type of blood which is used in transfusions for babies. My iron counts had been running low so my doctor told me to give it a rest for awhile. It has been several months since I last gave. However, the Lifeblood folks have called regularly because there is a shortage for the babies. I decided to give again a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, my schedule is pretty full most of the time. On Saturday I had a small window of opportunity. So I ran by and gave. I met a nice Catholic woman from St. Augustines. She was giving as a start off to Lent. The nurse attended St. Mary's where I started out as a priest. After giving blood I grabbed a sandwich and went to church to pray with our healing group. At five o'clock we had eucharist. Around five forty I read the words of Jesus, what we call the consecration. "This is my Body, given for you. This is the cup of my blood, shed for you. Do this in memory of Me" Sometimes in my head I sort of reflect on this using diferent language. I think things like, "I give My body and blood for you, now you go do the same thing, give your body and blood for Me, give your body and blood to others." I do not change the words at the service. But I do twist their meaning, just a bit, for myself.
Whenever I give blood, at some point as the bag fills I pray for all those who will interact with it. I pray for the babies who will get it. I pray for their families. I figure whenever a baby needs blood the family has got to be stressed. I thank Jesus for letting me do this in memory for Him. I thank Him for His bloodshed for us. I thank Him for the insight. And I find myself in a very good mood. It is faith, or hope, or joy. So there was bloodshed this weekend, but not at convention! It was shed by me, in imitation of Him. Today, again, you and I will literally and figuratively give our lives over to others, for His sake. My prayer is that the awareness will put you in a good mood, too!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Environmental Theology
So just got home from a long day of convention. There was all the typical business of convention with a smattering of reports. One really awesome one, which our parish supports, is a half way house in Humboldt, Tennessee. They were wiped out by flooding but have been rebuilt by the generous efforts of many churches in the local area. There have been several divine interventions which just make you smile. It is so lovely when things just fall into place. As I have written before, either you believe in coincidences or you believe in God. It is a choice at some point.
This year we spent several hours talking about Green Theology. Our speaker, who is a very nice young man, shared with us numerous biblical references to our relationship to the earth. He rightly, in my opinion, explained that salvation includes the world and the Lord God is coming here to establish the kingdom. He even critiqued Gnosticism!
The issues of how to live in the world are very serious. I think all of us can agree with the commitment to not pollute or waste. The problem is the world is complex. I think that we forget that today's solution is tomorrow's problem. The decision to recycle is one thing, making decisions on climate change is something altogether different. I know that we have had ice ages in the past and we recently experienced a time of seriously cooler temperatures, called the mini-ice age, since the Middle Ages. I am not sure what can be done about global warming. I am sure that rich people buying carbon credits so that they can burn all the energy they want is not the answer. I am also sure we are making decisions today which will affect tomorrow. The problem is, some ideas look good today and may make it worse tomorrow. The world is a weird place. Logic is not always accurate. Good intentions are not enough. Fortunately, I do not have to give good advice on this one, it is over my head. But I do know that environmental theology runs the risk of becoming nature worship. Indifference to the world runs the risk of becoming abusive and sinful. There are always risks. It is part of the struggle of life on our journey of faith.
This year we spent several hours talking about Green Theology. Our speaker, who is a very nice young man, shared with us numerous biblical references to our relationship to the earth. He rightly, in my opinion, explained that salvation includes the world and the Lord God is coming here to establish the kingdom. He even critiqued Gnosticism!
The issues of how to live in the world are very serious. I think all of us can agree with the commitment to not pollute or waste. The problem is the world is complex. I think that we forget that today's solution is tomorrow's problem. The decision to recycle is one thing, making decisions on climate change is something altogether different. I know that we have had ice ages in the past and we recently experienced a time of seriously cooler temperatures, called the mini-ice age, since the Middle Ages. I am not sure what can be done about global warming. I am sure that rich people buying carbon credits so that they can burn all the energy they want is not the answer. I am also sure we are making decisions today which will affect tomorrow. The problem is, some ideas look good today and may make it worse tomorrow. The world is a weird place. Logic is not always accurate. Good intentions are not enough. Fortunately, I do not have to give good advice on this one, it is over my head. But I do know that environmental theology runs the risk of becoming nature worship. Indifference to the world runs the risk of becoming abusive and sinful. There are always risks. It is part of the struggle of life on our journey of faith.
Parallel Worlds
Our church is having its annual convention right now. I have attended ten others and this is my eleventh. the make up, among clergy, is very different. There are a half dozen new faces, people of whom I have heard but do not know. Relations are generally friendly, but I also know that we are divided in many ways.
I have lain awake for some time, pondering and praying. It is an occupational hazard. I remembered something my son said many years ago when in grade school. I had gone to have lunch with him at school. As we sat at the table set aside for visiting parents he pointed toward the corner. "Dad," he said, "if you bring a peanut butter sandwich to that table, those kids will die." At that time, I was aware of peanut allergies, stories appeared in multiple media. Even so, it was sort of stunning to hear my eight year old mouth the words, especially with such a haunted look in his eyes. Life and death.
As I headed upstairs this morning to write this, the heater had just kicked on downstairs. It was relatively chilly downstairs. The computer is upstairs, as are my kids bedrooms. Last night it was stifling up here, so I put on the air conditioner so they could sleep. One house, two "climates"! As I turned that paradox around in my head, it suddenly became a metaphor for the church.
The church is made up of people. The same people we see everywhere. The great divides we see in our society are reflected in the church. There are folks who consider traditional believers to be "haters." As one lady worded it, "he is an offense to God and I think he is disgusting." She was talking about me. Now lest it appear that I see myself as an innocent victim, I assure you that I have expressed myself in strong terms on many occassions. For example, I think much of the Modernist theolgy is heresy. I think much of the Post-Modern theology is as well. I have shared that belief in public. I try to be kind, but I am also honest.
So our diocese meets and I know it is a gathering of two worlds (and probably many more). We live a parallel existance. In our local parishes we preach and teach our versions of the Christian story. Much of it overlaps. Much of it doesn't. One big "lunch room." But I know, from past experience, that I have an allergy to what they are teaching. I have seen the ravages within my own soul, made manifest in my own life. The Traditional Christian faith, the words of Scripture, the old ways give me life. The other view is tasty to them. They love it. Just like I love a peanut butter sandwich. But like my son said many years ago, peanut butter sandwiches can be deadly. For me, the theology so popular in the mainstream is just that. Deadly.
Over the years I have learned to co-exist inside the church. Many moved on years ago. Some started new churches, others began to attend else where. Too many quit altogether. We have held together, far fewer than before, but it seems that is pretty widespread. I am no longer in pain at our convention, but I am saddened that it is not a time of excitement and renewal. I am sure some are feeling that. It is parallel universes, after all. Yet, I intend to go today. I will contribute what I can when I think I should. I will spend time praying and I will see old friends and smile and talk. I will be nice to those with whom I disagree and be pleasant, if not overtly friendly, with those whom I strongly disagree. It is what we do in the church, in the world. And the church is the world. The real world. Perhaps we only learn true love in community with the ones with whom we disagree. Perhaps we only grow into the fullness of Christ trying to be faithful yet loving, honest yet kind in a world composed of all types. Perhaps being comfortable is not the goal. Perhaps...
I have lain awake for some time, pondering and praying. It is an occupational hazard. I remembered something my son said many years ago when in grade school. I had gone to have lunch with him at school. As we sat at the table set aside for visiting parents he pointed toward the corner. "Dad," he said, "if you bring a peanut butter sandwich to that table, those kids will die." At that time, I was aware of peanut allergies, stories appeared in multiple media. Even so, it was sort of stunning to hear my eight year old mouth the words, especially with such a haunted look in his eyes. Life and death.
As I headed upstairs this morning to write this, the heater had just kicked on downstairs. It was relatively chilly downstairs. The computer is upstairs, as are my kids bedrooms. Last night it was stifling up here, so I put on the air conditioner so they could sleep. One house, two "climates"! As I turned that paradox around in my head, it suddenly became a metaphor for the church.
The church is made up of people. The same people we see everywhere. The great divides we see in our society are reflected in the church. There are folks who consider traditional believers to be "haters." As one lady worded it, "he is an offense to God and I think he is disgusting." She was talking about me. Now lest it appear that I see myself as an innocent victim, I assure you that I have expressed myself in strong terms on many occassions. For example, I think much of the Modernist theolgy is heresy. I think much of the Post-Modern theology is as well. I have shared that belief in public. I try to be kind, but I am also honest.
So our diocese meets and I know it is a gathering of two worlds (and probably many more). We live a parallel existance. In our local parishes we preach and teach our versions of the Christian story. Much of it overlaps. Much of it doesn't. One big "lunch room." But I know, from past experience, that I have an allergy to what they are teaching. I have seen the ravages within my own soul, made manifest in my own life. The Traditional Christian faith, the words of Scripture, the old ways give me life. The other view is tasty to them. They love it. Just like I love a peanut butter sandwich. But like my son said many years ago, peanut butter sandwiches can be deadly. For me, the theology so popular in the mainstream is just that. Deadly.
Over the years I have learned to co-exist inside the church. Many moved on years ago. Some started new churches, others began to attend else where. Too many quit altogether. We have held together, far fewer than before, but it seems that is pretty widespread. I am no longer in pain at our convention, but I am saddened that it is not a time of excitement and renewal. I am sure some are feeling that. It is parallel universes, after all. Yet, I intend to go today. I will contribute what I can when I think I should. I will spend time praying and I will see old friends and smile and talk. I will be nice to those with whom I disagree and be pleasant, if not overtly friendly, with those whom I strongly disagree. It is what we do in the church, in the world. And the church is the world. The real world. Perhaps we only learn true love in community with the ones with whom we disagree. Perhaps we only grow into the fullness of Christ trying to be faithful yet loving, honest yet kind in a world composed of all types. Perhaps being comfortable is not the goal. Perhaps...
Thursday, March 3, 2011
More on worry
The most frequent negative command in the bible is "do not be afraid."
As a counselor we always said that anger and fear were related. Anger and depression are the emotional response to fear. Yesterday at Morning Prayer we had the same Gospel reading as we did on Sunday. It does not happen very often, so when it does it catches my attention.( Matthew 6:25-34)
Jesus basic premise seems to be "God provides." He points out the birds and the flowers and makes mention of God's providence there. Then He asks the question, "Aren't you of more value than these?" That question is at the heart of the current debates of our society. Are humans of more value than the rest of creation? Evolutionary Naturalism would say "no." In the godless view, we humans are just part of a vast, accidental system. We do not have any inherent value. We are no different than birds, flowers or any other living thing.
The Judaeo-Christian view, which affirms the value of all creation (God said it was good!), has a different view. We believe that human beings are in the image of God. We believe that human beings have a unique relationship with the creator. We believe we have a moral responsibility to one another (as well as the world). Humans can pray and worship, that is what sets us apart.
So in a world where we are constantly told that we do not matter, is it any surprise that there is an increase in tension and worry? Fear and worry are the fruit of "being alone" in a cold, dark, vast universe. Jesus offers us a different view. He invites us to believe that our God will provide all that we need. One reason why church community is so vital is because we need to be in connection with people who can verbalize to us the fact of our being valued. Yesterday I wrote about the delay between trauma and the consequences of that trauma. Each of us, aware or not, has a deep hunger for real relationship. One of the saddest things is how we live side by side without ever being witnesses of God's love in a radical way. We need to take advantage of the opportunity given each day to make an impact in the life of others. We are called to awaken hope, to bring to light the dignity of human personhood and to challenge people to live like children of God (and not by-products of blind biological reactions to unintentional natural forces).
So fear not! Be brave! The word comfort literally means (com = with, fort = strong) to strengthen one another. We need to be a comfort to one another. One final word, lest this become too "pie in the sky," Jesus ends this exhortation to faith and courage with the realistic reminder that it will not be easy: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." Today's trouble is enough.... He does not say that we will be sheltered. He does not say we will avoid problems. He says don't be focused on the worries in the days ahead, we have enough to deal with right now. I think it is good advice. In reality, most of the things we worry about never come to pass. Looking at my life right now, it is very good. It has been very good for a long time. I need to be greatful for that and spend more time trying to make other people's lives very good (salvation) and less time worrying about what could go wrong. Seek first the kingdom of God!
As a counselor we always said that anger and fear were related. Anger and depression are the emotional response to fear. Yesterday at Morning Prayer we had the same Gospel reading as we did on Sunday. It does not happen very often, so when it does it catches my attention.( Matthew 6:25-34)
Jesus basic premise seems to be "God provides." He points out the birds and the flowers and makes mention of God's providence there. Then He asks the question, "Aren't you of more value than these?" That question is at the heart of the current debates of our society. Are humans of more value than the rest of creation? Evolutionary Naturalism would say "no." In the godless view, we humans are just part of a vast, accidental system. We do not have any inherent value. We are no different than birds, flowers or any other living thing.
The Judaeo-Christian view, which affirms the value of all creation (God said it was good!), has a different view. We believe that human beings are in the image of God. We believe that human beings have a unique relationship with the creator. We believe we have a moral responsibility to one another (as well as the world). Humans can pray and worship, that is what sets us apart.
So in a world where we are constantly told that we do not matter, is it any surprise that there is an increase in tension and worry? Fear and worry are the fruit of "being alone" in a cold, dark, vast universe. Jesus offers us a different view. He invites us to believe that our God will provide all that we need. One reason why church community is so vital is because we need to be in connection with people who can verbalize to us the fact of our being valued. Yesterday I wrote about the delay between trauma and the consequences of that trauma. Each of us, aware or not, has a deep hunger for real relationship. One of the saddest things is how we live side by side without ever being witnesses of God's love in a radical way. We need to take advantage of the opportunity given each day to make an impact in the life of others. We are called to awaken hope, to bring to light the dignity of human personhood and to challenge people to live like children of God (and not by-products of blind biological reactions to unintentional natural forces).
So fear not! Be brave! The word comfort literally means (com = with, fort = strong) to strengthen one another. We need to be a comfort to one another. One final word, lest this become too "pie in the sky," Jesus ends this exhortation to faith and courage with the realistic reminder that it will not be easy: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." Today's trouble is enough.... He does not say that we will be sheltered. He does not say we will avoid problems. He says don't be focused on the worries in the days ahead, we have enough to deal with right now. I think it is good advice. In reality, most of the things we worry about never come to pass. Looking at my life right now, it is very good. It has been very good for a long time. I need to be greatful for that and spend more time trying to make other people's lives very good (salvation) and less time worrying about what could go wrong. Seek first the kingdom of God!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Root Canal
I went to the dentist yesterday and got the news! I have a dead tooth and a dying tooth. He asked me if I had ever had trauma to the teeth. "Well, let me think...." In second grade I got hit in the mouth by an 8th grader and it chipped the front right. The one next to it was pushed back a bit when my face and the back of someone's head collided. I cannot remember who. I do not recall when. It is all part of my distant past, a time I refer to as "my youth."
So I found myself pondering many things:
Life is a series of losses and gains. We change jobs and we move. Or we keep our jobs and stay put but other people go. New people show up and some become friends. Friends leave and become memories. All the events have impact on us. Sometimes it takes a very long time for the consequences to be manifest. A blow to the mouth half a century ago will impact my time, my wallet and it will probably not be totally pain free. It makes me realize how significant small things can be. Fortunately, I have the money to pay for it and when it is done my mouth will have teeth in it. Still, it is amazing to think the connections in our lives. It makes me want to avoid inflicting any trauma on others. I also wonder about emotional traumas from my youth. Are they manifesting themselves now, too? In light of that, I need to be real careful about how I treat people!
So I found myself pondering many things:
- First of all, "Seriously, a forty five year old trauma killed my tooth? Is there not like a statute of limitation on trauma induced tooth death?"
- Secondly, "Root canal, isn't that one of the images comedians use in their stand up acts to indicate the worst thing? It seems like root canal is synymous with pain.
- Thirdly, how much is this going to cost me? (answer, a whole lot)
- Lastly, pondering my weekly schedule, I just wondered about when I could find time to do all this.
Life is a series of losses and gains. We change jobs and we move. Or we keep our jobs and stay put but other people go. New people show up and some become friends. Friends leave and become memories. All the events have impact on us. Sometimes it takes a very long time for the consequences to be manifest. A blow to the mouth half a century ago will impact my time, my wallet and it will probably not be totally pain free. It makes me realize how significant small things can be. Fortunately, I have the money to pay for it and when it is done my mouth will have teeth in it. Still, it is amazing to think the connections in our lives. It makes me want to avoid inflicting any trauma on others. I also wonder about emotional traumas from my youth. Are they manifesting themselves now, too? In light of that, I need to be real careful about how I treat people!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Twitter, Blockbuster and Ice Boxes
Today at Rotary one of the members stood up and as a lead-in to a funny story asked, "How many of you follow Twitter?" No one raised a hand. While we have a couple of folks under forty, for the most part it is a "mature" group. The kind of folks who do not follow Twitter.
Earlier in the day I was at our local middle school to participate in a school evaluation. I was talking with a mother and a teacher about change. We were discussing the recent closing of Blockbuster video. It was a huge loss to us because that is where we went to get our movies. We remember when it started, watched it expand and do a booming business, and have now seen it die. I guess it is time to learn a new method of getting movies.
When I was a boy, my grandma called the refrigerator an ice box. It was an interesting term to which I gave little thought. It was not until years later that I figured out that the term was literal. When she was a girl that is what they had, a box with a compartment for a huge block of ice. There were people who made a living sellling ice. For a while....
I write all this because last week I read an article about blogs. Blogs, it said, are dead. Well, let me nuance that. Young people do not blog. They facebook and Twitter. My guess is it will be some time before that impacts the people who would read this blog. But clearly, I am not reaching out to twenty somethings here, even if I secretly hoped that might happen. I wonder if there is anyone under 35 who reads this...
The question for me is what does it mean to live in a world where the "next new thing" is literally on its way before the latest "new thing" has just arrived? I read in Newsweek that Facebook was a major player in the middle east uprising. Young people there are connected. Facebook, where many middle aged people catch up with old high school friends, is an integral part of a very significant social revolution. Cell phones, smart phones, cameras and texts have been obviously part of the story.
The statement, "there is nothing new under the sun" is true in a sense, but it is also not the whole story. You and I live in a time of rapid change. Wedding a sense of the timeless with the capacity for rapid change is a huge challenge. What does it mean to believe in an eternal God when everything is temporary? Certainly churches are experiencing the same struggles as business and family. Change is not good or bad. Improvements are good. Some change is an improvement, but not all change is for the better.
In the days ahead, changes will confront us with new challenges and new opportunities. The one constant is God, yet for many of us, the mode of understanding God is shifting. Sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes like a hammer to the head. We do well to be reflective to see how we are unconsciously being pulled into the new world in which we live. It is our world whether we like it or not. Old answers need to be spoken in new ways. Just like Jewish belivers in Jesus had to adapt their message to Greek Gentiles, and later to European pagans and more recently to those in the southern hemisphere.
Earlier in the day I was at our local middle school to participate in a school evaluation. I was talking with a mother and a teacher about change. We were discussing the recent closing of Blockbuster video. It was a huge loss to us because that is where we went to get our movies. We remember when it started, watched it expand and do a booming business, and have now seen it die. I guess it is time to learn a new method of getting movies.
When I was a boy, my grandma called the refrigerator an ice box. It was an interesting term to which I gave little thought. It was not until years later that I figured out that the term was literal. When she was a girl that is what they had, a box with a compartment for a huge block of ice. There were people who made a living sellling ice. For a while....
I write all this because last week I read an article about blogs. Blogs, it said, are dead. Well, let me nuance that. Young people do not blog. They facebook and Twitter. My guess is it will be some time before that impacts the people who would read this blog. But clearly, I am not reaching out to twenty somethings here, even if I secretly hoped that might happen. I wonder if there is anyone under 35 who reads this...
The question for me is what does it mean to live in a world where the "next new thing" is literally on its way before the latest "new thing" has just arrived? I read in Newsweek that Facebook was a major player in the middle east uprising. Young people there are connected. Facebook, where many middle aged people catch up with old high school friends, is an integral part of a very significant social revolution. Cell phones, smart phones, cameras and texts have been obviously part of the story.
The statement, "there is nothing new under the sun" is true in a sense, but it is also not the whole story. You and I live in a time of rapid change. Wedding a sense of the timeless with the capacity for rapid change is a huge challenge. What does it mean to believe in an eternal God when everything is temporary? Certainly churches are experiencing the same struggles as business and family. Change is not good or bad. Improvements are good. Some change is an improvement, but not all change is for the better.
In the days ahead, changes will confront us with new challenges and new opportunities. The one constant is God, yet for many of us, the mode of understanding God is shifting. Sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes like a hammer to the head. We do well to be reflective to see how we are unconsciously being pulled into the new world in which we live. It is our world whether we like it or not. Old answers need to be spoken in new ways. Just like Jewish belivers in Jesus had to adapt their message to Greek Gentiles, and later to European pagans and more recently to those in the southern hemisphere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)