The Great Whore

As we are reading from the Apocalypse (ch 17 now) in Morning Prayer, each day is a tantalizing bit of mysterious imagery full of all manner of possible meaning. As we are in a rather difficult time globally and the Israel situation with Iran is never far from our awareness curious people will ask me from time to time, "Do you think this is it?" I am too much a student of history and too impressed by how bad it has been at other times and in other places to think anything today is different in degree (much less kind). In fact, in many ways, even with all the troubles, life is safer and easier than it has ever been.

The Great Whore is on a scarlett beast. She is later called "Babylon the great, the mother of whores." Now anyone who studies the Book of Revelation in any depth finds out quickly that there are a half dozen approaches to the text, each with its advocates. I am pretty clear it is best understood symbolically (and that is why every theory of exactly what it means makes sense, it is intended to fit into various times and places because that is what it is!) The reference to "seven hills" is clearly Rome. [Which is why reformers were so quickly able to make the connection between the Roman Catholic Church and the anti-Christ] [Which is think is inaccurate, wrong, and a huge problem to this day, in case you wondered...]

I believe the writing is overtly symbolic and general. The ancient author employed the name "Babylon" because it came from the time of the Jewish Exile in the 6th Century before Christ. So Babylon was a code word for earthly kingdoms set against God's Kingdom. Clearly, in the 1st Century AD, the church would have seen Rome as embodying the same place in opposition to God. Also, hills (or mountains, an alternate translation, can mean empires) is a symbolic word. It is probably best to see the Whore as the principle of seduction at work at all times and places. It is the principle used by the Institutional Powers (in our age Nation States, in ancient times Empires and Kingdoms). Today the referent could be Russia, Islam, and the USA (none of which is God's Kingdom and all of which are Institutions governing on the earth)

An in depth analysis is not possible (read Stephen S. Smalley for the absolute best commentary on Revelation) but a few points are. The Kingdom of God is under constant attack. The images of "fornication" and "intoxication" are not literal. In other words, they are not about drinking and sex. They are about something wider and more subtle. The infidelity to God which comes from being seduced by all the pleasures of the earth (which, by the way, include sex and booze, but also all the other trinkets of consumerism). The "political" powers at work on the planet use such things to distract folks from the One Who Rules to those who rule among us. And that is the point. Traditional values like independence and hardwork and thrift are important for citizens, and I prefer them. But the seductive power of the Whore is she sates our appetites (whether we earn the money on our own or not). And our appetites are the road to perdition (whether we drive a welfare van on someone else's nickle or tool along in our paid-for-in-cash Lexus). It is easy for me to see how God's Judgment (which is what chapter 17 is all about) would be appropriate on a nation where there is so much pornography, living outside of marriage, alternative sexual couplings and, worst of all, wholesale murder of unborn babies. And conservatives are right to prophetically condemn such things. BUT, and I repeat, BUT... The concerns of chapter 17 are in a different direction. It condemns injustice and ostentatious consumption. It concerns hard working folks who spend themselves pursuing the dream of their culture (rather than the Kingdom of God). It is about people who would cut off welfare checks while pontificating on the sanctity of human life (and ignoring the living human babies in their innercity). It is about "The World" vs. "The Kingdom" and in that sphere we are all under judgment.

Good News. Jesus is "Lord of Lords and King of Kings"
Bad News. Each of us has citizenship in both Kingdoms. And sometimes we are so busy singing hymns that we do not notice we are living a lie.

Book of Revelation is given us as a template for every age. Each period has its Prostitute, strutting her wares and seducing God's people. She is in the church and outside. She is living in Liberal and Conservative communities (although looking different in each). We are always at risk of giving her our hearts. We are always at risk. But, God be praised, Jesus has conquered her, and the beast, and the other masqueraders who would be replacements gods. And this includes your business, your political party, your family and your own heart. So hang on, Jesus is coming. And keep your eyes open.

Christianity and Karma

I was asked a few days ago what my church's position on the election was. What I told him was true, though probably not accurate. (The accurate answer is the "official" Episcopal church would endorse Obama and hope he would be less conservative). The truth I shared was my official position on the election: The American people as a body will get what they deserve by electing whom they elect. He seemed to like the answer and it is a truism so it is true.

Pondering the election results (not just nationally but locally, even down to our new school board) got me to pondering the issue: what do we deserve? And for some reason I found myself recalling the words of the fomer Memphis coach (currently at Kentucky) John Calipari. I know that John is a Catholic and from what I heard he was a church attender. I know nothing of his personal faith. I do know that he regularly referred to "karma." I also know that Catholics do not believe in karma. But of course, it depends on what you mean by the word, doesn't it?

Karma predates Buddhism, but it is spelled out in the Buddhist faith. One key concept, and one which makes it anathema to Christians, is that in our previous lives the choices and actions we engage in create the good and bad of our current lives.Here is a handy overview http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/karma.htm

I do not believe in previous lives. People who do are not Christians (though they may be a hybrid of some sort). Therefore, I cannot and do not believe that my current life is a result of previous lives. However, there is some room to discuss the karma-like understanding of life offered in the Sacred Scriptures.

Proverbs 22:8 He who sows iniquity reaps calamity, and the rod destroys his labor.
Hosea 8:7 When they sow the wind they shall reap the whirlwind
Sirach 7:1-2 Do no evil, and evil will not overtake you; avoid wickedness, and it will turn aside from you.
Job 4:8 those who plow mischief and sow trouble will reap the same

The NT continues to express the same idea in Paul, Galatians 6:7 No one makes a fool of God! A man will reap only what He sows and even the Lord Jesus, Mark 4:24, Listen carefully to what you hear. In the measure you give  you shall receive and more besides.

 My concern is this is true. And my worry is that choices I have made, the decision to do bad and wrong things, continue to produce fruits in my life and, yes, in the lives of my children. (They are the recipient of blessings and curses from me, their father.) And others I care about also suffer from my previous choices. I obviously do not think it all begins on the other side of death. In other words, I do not think the reference is heaven and hell. It starts now.

As I made clear last week, I firmly believe we need a savior. I also believe this life, here and now, is real and meaningful. I do not think the only thing that matters is "pie in the sky when we die." I am convinced that the life we have, here and now, and to some extent, the life we will have forever after, are intimately connected to the choices we make. It is not always clear to me how Jesus rescues me from my sins. I am aware that today, in many ways, I am suffering, sometimes greatly usually moderately, for the sinful choices I made as a younger man. And you are, too.

So where is the hope? How can one live in peace and joy when every day we are confronted with the fruits of our misdeeds? When we just cannot shake the reaping of what we sowed?

Well, there are two things that bring me comfort. One is this, I get what I deserve. There is justice. And I am receiving what I so regularly claim I want others to know: justice. What is fitting for them is fitting for me. To carry on with courage and endurance is the right thing to do. However, this provides only a small amount of comfort!

The second thing is this. Jesus Christ, in the incarnation, in living on earth, in His ministry, in His suffering, crucifixion and death,He has reaped for God what God has sown. The eternal God made the world. That was His choice. And because He chose to create, to love and to relate to us, He, too, reaped a harvest. The harvest was death, but God is stronger than death. Resurrection and life. That is the comfort, the suffering ends, death is not the last word. Life. Beauty. Joy. Love.... GOD, God is the Last Word. And that is what matters most.

So as I (and you) continue to experience the fruits of our lives, we can know, we deserve it and we will be rescued from it. And in the meantime, we can bear it with courage. And we can have insight into the lives of others and even compassion. And we can be gentler and kinder knowing the truth.

Fruit

I am regularly "challenged" by parishioners because I am not as upbeat as they would prefer. It is something which weighs on my mind and heart. As a young man I was known for my sense of humor. I was voted the funniest boy in my graduating class. And for my whole life I have been blessed with the ability to quickly make humorous connections and bring people to fits of laughter. But there is that other side. Dark moods fall suddenly upon me, sometimes for no discernable reason. It is not the debilitating depression we hear about from the clinically oppressed, but it is a sadness and worry which impacts heart and visage. And it manifests in my teaching and preaching.

What is one to do?

Sunday, while preaching on the Great Commandments to love, I shared that "loving God more than anything and loving others as much as myself" is terrifying. I am not adept at either and it seems that failure to truly love could be fatal in the eyes of Jesus. Now, in my discussions I have come to see that there are two kinds of people. Those who think God is merciful so they do not fret about failures and those who think God is serious about His demands (and have a corresponding concern about the future judgment). Inspite of my best efforts, I fall in the latter category.

With this in mind, I prayed MP yesterday and read the Gospel in Luke 13. It starts out with Jesus commenting on "the evening news" for His local area. A group of people were crushed by a falling tower and another group was massacred at the Temple. In both cases Jesus makes two things clear. First of all, the tragedies did NOT mean that these people were worse than others. Jesus is clear, there is not a direct correlation between evil and personal tragedy. God does not visit doom on people that way. But He also says, "repent or something worse will happen to you." So there is an ultimate connection. And that ultimate connection has eternal significance. And that makes me afraid.

Then He tells a tale about a fig tree. It has not given fruit so the Master says, "Chop it down." This is a judgment. No fruit equals no need for you to be around. The steps from connecting the fig tree to Israel are short. This is transparent imagery. And another step brings us to the church. No fruit means chop it down. No fruit means it is useless. There is, however, a word of hope. An unnamed vinedresser (Jesus?) makes a request. Give me one more year to "throw dung." The Greek word kopria only occurs twice, here and Luke 14. It is not a commonly used word. And the idea of dung as grace bedazzled me in 1982 when I prepared and preached my first homily in seminary. To paraphrase "the poo-poo in our lives may be the merciful hand of God's grace trying to produce some life and fruitfulness out of our otherwise death-sentenced fig trees."

Can grace appear as dung? Are those bemoaning the recent elections ready to open their eyes and see God at work among us? Are those sitting in pews ready to hear God's demands and judgments? Are those who skip church prepared for the same? Are those who laugh and joke (woe to you, says Luke's Jesus) ready to weep and mourn (for lack of fruit)? And are those oppressed by worry, sadness and fear (Blessed are you, says Luke's Jesus) prepared to embrace hope and joy?

I worry that the church's lack of fruit demands God's condemnation. I fret about the salvation of those entrusted to my care. I worry that our nation's misplaced values (sorry, I think both sides) invite God's doom. I worry that I am lost in a haze of confusing and contradictory truth claims. And I worry that I worry....

But I know this, there is hope for "one more year." God's hunger and desire is that the sinner turn and live. And life in Christ produces fruits. So ponder that: your choices and your actions. Ponder how your faith is creating God's works. And embrace the "dung" of life because it may be Jesus at work trying to save you!

Salvation and the Bible 5: Mission

Having finished up the OT over view, one point I wanted to make clear is that the norm for God is to mediate salvation. It is in and through humans that He saves. Another issue, that act of saving seems always to be costly, both to the recipients and the 'saviors.' This story seems writ large into creation and is fertile ground for meditation on the question, what kind of world do we live in. I made the point that the OT is really where we get our foundation for understanding salvation, what follows is the conclusion of my talk. I will add some final reflections in a couple days.

So salvation is a BIBLE-wide concept. And with that foundation we look to the NT. The Greek word, sozo means

to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; from injury or peril

to save one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health

to save in the technical biblical sense

to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment

to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance

What if “To save in the technical biblical sense” is applied to all the usage? What if the OT reference to the God who saves Israel is also a technical biblical usage? How does that impact our understanding of God’s work among us?

More importantly; How does it change our view of the ministry of healing and exorcism?

The word sozo occurs 113x in 101v in the NT

However, the first appearance of the word salvation is in the OT Genesis 49:18. It recounts Jacob blessing his sons, but the verse seems to be prayer unexpectedly dropped in.

“I wait for your salvation, YHWH”

I am inclined to give special prominence to things which appear first. I am tempted to think that there is a special message in this first appearance of the word salvation. It is something for which we WAIT. There is a future aspect to salvation. And Jesus certainly told us “to watch and wait” in His parables and exhortations. There is great wisdom here. Salvation is something for which we wait, even when we have it. In healing of mind, body and soul, we experience HERE AND NOW the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom. The finger of God is among us and the fruits of the new Jerusalem are manifest. Yet even as we celebrate we know there is more. There is, in a real sense, the realization that healing is a foretaste of the kingdom. It is a 'commercial of coming attractions'. It is a 'free sample' at a grocery store, enough to excite our taste buds and make us hunger for more. It is real. It is here. And it is something for which we wait. Anxiously!

COME LORD JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Salvation is, in a sense, going home. It is a return. A return to Jerusalem, perhaps a return to the Garden. And it is always an unmerited gift. God saves not because we deserve it but because we need it. And while unearned, it costs everything. Long days trudging through the hot desert sands. Constant conflicts and battles, bloody and brutal, as they fought for every inch of the land which God had graciously given them. Day and night, under constant threat and duress, the people of Israel struggled and fought to find their way. They worked so very hard to receive the free Gift from God’s hand

That work and battle continues today.

Their story of salvation is our story too.

You and I, fallible humans all, have been chosen to be vessels of salvation. We are the sacrament of  healing/salvation. We are the sacrament of Jesus.

If we understand that we live in a world which is ultimately under God’s control, but not yet directly under His dominion, then we also understand our task.

We are to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

We are to go forth and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We understand that we are not orphaned, that He is with us always, but we are also clear that He has ascended to His Father and we are to wait, patiently in hope and courage, for His return. And we know that we are not merely to stand looking up at the sky, but like the apostles in Acts 1, we are to return home and engage in the every day work of proclamation.

Healing the sick and exorcising demons is the most effective way of declaring God’s Kingdom. Salvation is, in the end, inclusion in God’s Kingdom. Salvation means we belong to His people. Some day, as Revelation 21 says, that Kingdom will come.

God will make His home among mortals. He will dwell with us and we will be His people. God will be with us, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, death will be no more, mourning and crying and pain will be no more…to the thirsty He will give from the spring of the water of life. He will be our God and we will be His children…. There will be no Temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb will be its temple, and there will be no need of sun or moon, because God is its light and the Lamb is its lamp.

Salvation impacts mind, body, heart, soul. It renews all creation, every relationship. It makes us healthy and strong. And it begins today.

It frees us from sin and punishment, yes, but also the consequences of this earthly sojourn. Today we declare to you that God does hear, He does see, He does know and He does remember His covenant with you. God has come down to save His people, again and again, temporary rescues which give us hope in the final rescue.

He sent Noah, Abraham, Moses and Joshua. Ultimately He sent Jesus, and now, in this day, Jesus has sent us.

To declare a time of favor.

To set prisoners free.

To forgive sins.

To cast our demons.

To heal the sick of mind, body and spirit.

And all we need do in response is believe. Perhaps, like that Father at the mountain’s base the best we can do is say “I do believe, help my unbelief.” But let us live in this faith, however weak or flawed, each day. Let us cling to it. Let us act like people who have been sent forth with Jesus’ Spirit. That is what our world needs and hungers for. It is why the church exists.

Come Lord Jesus

And until you do come in glory, come in us to do Your work!

Salvation and the Bible 4:History & Mystery

Yesterday we looked at Genesis' creation account. In summary, we see that the Biblical text tells us that from the beginning humans had to work, to labor and to struggle to conquer and subdue creation. There was also a need to guard the garden. Such concepts led me to suggest that earth was always intended to be a place of struggle, but that the Fall of Man with the first sin added curses to the situation. Since then it has gone from bad to worse. With a need for a savior made crystal clear, the next phase is the unfolding story found in the rest of Genesis. In my talk I added this: "Sometimes I wish I could remove the words 'God can do anything' from the Christian vocabulary. Too often it leads us to ignore the reality of creation and the rules God plays by. He might have been able to do whatever He wanted, but since He made this real creation He is also under the limits which He self imposed."

The Biblical story continues with Noah and the ark, and ten generations later Abraham.  As we will see, salvation almost always has human mediation. In Genesis 6, Noah builds the ark, as God directs, but Noah is the one who puts in endless hours of labor. He is responsible for a boat load of animals and his extended family! God does not snap His fingers and make it happen!

Likewise, Abraham is a vessel of salvation. Genesis 12 is the remarkable narrative of this event. Ironically, like Adam and Eve, he must go into exile. “Leave” God says. "Leave your country, your father’s house and your land." SALVATION comes at a cost. To receive the promise Abraham must give up everything.

And I think one sees here a preview of the demand of Jesus

[Mk 3:35// Mt16:25// Lk 9:24] “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel will save it”.  This is not arbitrary, it is at the heart of how the world works.

Here is the paradox of salvation and grace. Salvation is a grace; it is free, but it costs everything. And God’s promise to the world is funneled through the travels and travails of Abraham and Sarah (and her aged womb).

Abraham got his orders. "Leave it all, your home and identity. Leave everything. And Go." So salvation requires faith. God promises, we trust and act. He gives Abraham no indication of the destination; just a demand that he leave everything and go. TRUST is all he has. The cost of Abraham’s salvation and the cost to Abraham to become a link in our salvation is EVERYTHING. And it his faith, an acted-out-flesh-and-blood- wandering-homeless-to-only-God-knows-where-faith which makes it happen.

What is the promise of salvation? The words echo in Genesis12:2-3. God says, "I will make you a nation. I will make you a blessing. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Through you, Abraham.

When I read Jewish commentaries, I am struck by their struggles to explain exactly what this means. Perhaps, they say, it is the amazing contributions the Jews have made to humanity, after all a disproportionate number of Jews have been hugely important in a variety of fields. Maybe it is law or Jewish understanding of Justice. They just aren’t clear.

But you and I know. We have little trouble explaining this message of blessing.

The answer is the very first line of the very first book of the New Testament, Mt 1:1, “The beginning of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham.”

Yes in deed. Abraham is the first father from whom has come our Salvation. Jesus is how Abraham has blessed all the peoples on earth!

The story of Abraham’s descendents (Israel) twists and turns through endless family squabbles and conflicts. They are not always faithful. They are portrayed, warts and all, for us to see. And eventually the seed of Abraham, grows so large that the Egyptians forget about Joseph and see them as a threat. And in the book of Exodus we encounter the paradigm of salvation which undergirds the entire Bible.

You know the story. The Jews are sorely oppressed and placed in forced labor. Their sons are marked for death at birth. There is great suffering. A baby, mysteriously spared when he is placed in an ark (the only other use of this Hebrew word is in Noah's story) amongst reeds and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, grows up. His name is Moses. When he comes of age the plight of his people moves him. He intervenes and kills a cruel Egyptian task master, but soon after he flees for his life when he learns his deed is known. Moses then “saves” a young woman who is being mistreated by bullying shepherds at the watering hole. Like any action hero in the movies, he single handedly makes short work of them and helps the damsel in distress. Moses ends up marrying the girl and takes on a new life.

Meanwhile, the book of Exodus tells us, the people of Israel groan and cry out. God hears, we are told. God remembers His covenant. God looks on them and He cares.

In Ex 3 we read about the Burning Bush. God reveals Himself to the amazed Moses. And God shares with Him His heart. I have seen the misery. I have heard the cry. I care. So I have come down to save them…. And then lastly I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt.

Always, again and again God acts through human agency and mediation. God acts, but it is in and through a person, a free person, a person who can decide.

The rest of the OT is the story of EXODUS. It is the first story of SALVATION. It is the basis for understanding the NT story and Jesus.

Salvation is a rescue from a bad situation. It is a situation, in part, or our own making. It is also a situation, in large part, over which we have no control. It is a situation created by humans, sometimes our friends, frequently our enemies. It is a situation created by fallen nature. And, Jesus declares, it is a situation under the influence of The Ruler of This World, the demonic Prince, Satan.

Salvation includes many dimensions, but it is always connected to COVENANT. God promises His people and God delivers on His promise. And the covenant is CORPORATE. God saves His people. "I" am saved because He saves "us". The Lord did not take single individuals out of Egypt, one at a time like the run away slaves of America’s Underground Railroad. Instead, He takes the whole group. Being saved is infinitely personal and God saves each one. But it is not in isolation and it is not independently of others. It is a group excursion. And the group’s behaviors impact the personal experience of each and every one.

Eventually, Israel becomes a kingdom, then after civil war, two kingdoms. Sin is punished. First Israel is destroyed, the tribes lost forever. Later Judah suffers the same fate and is exiled in Babylon. But through Cyrus of Persia, we read that God saves His people. The story of the “second exodus” is found in Nehemiah and Ezra, which are filled with transparent references to the story of Exodus.

Exodus is the Jewish Good News, it is their Gospel. It is a story which spells out in concrete form that our God is a God who saves. And because He has saved, over and over again, we can trust Him To Save in days ahead. He is faithful to His covenant promises and we look ahead to the ultimate fulfillment of His promise to make His Kingdom among us.

And the connection between OT and NT is clear. The night before He died, Jesus gathered with His friends in the upper room. He took bread, He took a cup and He celebrated the Passover.

This is my Body broken for you.

This is my Blood shed for you.

Looking ahead to the next day, Good Friday, and His crucifixion and death, Jesus ties His sacrifice to the blood of the lamb on Passover. He is priest and victim, He is the sacred, once and for all sacrifice, which procures our salvation. Like the OT Joshua, the NT Joshua (Jesus is Greek) leads us into the Promised Land, first washing us clean in our own Red Sea experience, the waters of Baptism, the “red” sea of His saving blood.

Salvation and the Bible 3: Creation

The day of the conference I was the second speaker. The speaker ahead of me spent the last few minutes of his talk reflecting on The Garden of Eden. He talked about the original perfection and its loss and about God's desire for the world and its inhabitants. He good naturedly and jokingly said, "If anyone says different call them a heretic and burn them at the stake!" Knowing what I was about to say, I was a bit nervous. Let me share it here and my reflections after....

CREATION

Let’s start with creation and look at Genesis. The actual creation accounts are different from the story told in my childhood religious education. In our religion books we had pictures of Adam and Eve. Remember how she tastefully combed her long hair and he modestly stood behind bushes to spare our young eyes anything too revealing? They were usually surrounded by wild animals, most notably a lion and some sheep. In their naked, primal innocence, we learned, everything was perfect. Perfect. Until the apple mishap and ever since….misery! Booo! They blew a perfect deal!

Reading the Bible with that story in mind, it was many decades before I actually saw that the Biblical account was not quite so simple or perfect….

Let’s look at Genesis 1:26

The human is made in God’s image and likeness. For thousands of years people have debated about exactly what it means to be the image of God. Some think it refers to reason. Others free will. Perhaps it is creativity. Recently I read that Jewish Law forbids any images (idols) and the only image of God is us. I think there is something there! Whatever the case, everyone is clear that humans have a unique and special place in creation and image/likeness is a way to express that.

Now, I want to look at the Hebrew words which are usually translated as subdue and dominion. (see the Blueletter Bible for an awesome online resource! http://www.blueletterbible.org/ )

Kabash sounds like cavash (Qal) and means to bring into bondage, make subservient to subdue, force, violate, dominate, tread down

Radah (Qal) to have dominion, rule, subjugate

(both verbs are in Qal)

These are conflictual words which seem to imply that the planet was not totally friendly from the beginning. These words appear numerous times in the OT and usually depict events with a violent edge to them; often times about oppressive invasions. Therefore, it seems that, BEFORE the sin of Adam, planet earth was not perfect or compliant. It has always been a struggle to keep things under control. The original state of things was chaos and perhaps the remnants of chaos were still present.

Genesis 2:15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Two more words to look at in Hebrew.

‘abad (sounds like avad) (Qal) to labour, work, do work, to work for another, serve another by labour, to serve as subjects, to serve (God)Shamar (Qal) to keep, have charge of, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life

These two words also imply struggle. To do labor and work means one is working and doing labor. It does not mean a free and easy, never ending vacation. And if Adam was to watch, guard and protect the question is: Why is their need for protection? from who or what?

So, from the beginning, the earth seems to have been somewhat challenging. There was a degree of “out of control” and a need for humans to work and struggle and battle to keep control.

And there is one other point: in Genesis 3:8, we read that “they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day.” While we often see the close intimacy of God with humans here, I think it equally important that we also recognize that the absence of God was apparently the norm during the heat of the day. In fact, we are told that Adam and Eve are able to hide from God, so that He has to call to them.

This picture of God is very anthropomorphic and primitive, but that is the nature of the narrative. It does, however, indicate that from the beginning, even before “the fall”, we had some distance from God, even though He made Himself available. God was simply NOT always around. Human autonomy was coupled with responsibility. We were, at least sometimes, left on our own.

Sadly, with the decision to disobey, things got worse. Human relationships are damaged. Human relationship to the earth is cursed. There is pain in childbirth. There is animosity between man and the serpent. But hidden in all of this, say the Church Fathers, is a promised savior. “He will bruise your head and you will bruise his heal.” This refers to the battle between Satan and Jesus, our salvation.

And so we have the setting to discuss salvation. A world in which challenge and struggle was already present is now a broken and cursed world populated by broken and cursed people. Expelled from the Garden, the humans inhabit a more dangerous world. They get some clothes to wear, but the angel’s sword bars any hope for return to Eden. That way is forever closed. The need for salvation is established.

The Bible indicates that God takes us seriously. We are ordered to dominate and protect the world. Our choices and behaviors play a part in the ongoing creation of the world. God has made room for us and given us freedom. Without freedom we cannot love or obey. We would be little more than glorified sock puppets. A Stepford wife may appear outwardly to be perfect, but she is not human. Hers is an empty and faux-imitation of love and devotion, because she is merely a robot. Any pleasure she brings is a meaningless fantasy.

God wants us to be His loving, obedient children. So He took a chance and set us free. And the rest, for better and worse, has been history.

I think these texts are important for purposes of meditation. What was life like "before" the Fall and how is a material and limited creation going to impinge on "perfection." In explaining my image to the group, and in trying to affirm the previous speaker, I suggested mine was a nuance of his position. Eden was good, it was very good. But probably not complete. It was potentially perfect, but the fact is it was lost. And if it could be lost then in what sense was it perfect? It is certainly our belief that in the end we will not lose "the Kingdom" (usually called heaven). SO the Garden was potentially but not a fully realized experience of the fullness of the Kingdom. And conflict and struggle take on a new meaning if that is our original purpose. Maybe our childhood imaginations have ill-equipped us for the reality of life. We will continue the story of Genesis and its impact on understanding salvation tomorrow...

Salvation and the Bible 2

“SALVATION” Healing Conference Talk October 2012

Talking about salvation to a bunch of Christians is a treacherous thing. It is a doctrine about which many people have very firm beliefs. In days gone by some people even fought and killed each other in their arguments. Even so, I want to ponder Scripture together in the hope of providing some useful ideas.

Our world is a tough place, full of suffering, death and sin. We are too small and weak to defeat the forces at work against us and within us. We need help. We need a Savior.

Unlike other world religions the Christian Gospel, as descended from the Jewish Gospel, is not so much a plan to get saved as it is a declaration that GOD SAVES. We announce ‘He has saved,’ we demonstrate, “He is saving” and preach ‘He will save’. Salvation is God’s gracious activity. This is GOOD NEWS. We need only believe it, trust God and live accordingly.

   How do we best proclaim such salvation? To me, one problem is the way we talk about God. Let me illustrate:

In May 2008 a young flight attendant (Eder Rojas) took some paper towels into a rear bathroom and lit them on fire. His plan was to put the fire out and proclaimed a hero. However, to no one’s surprise, but his, he was found guilty and is serving 6 years in prison and was fined $100,000. No one has hailed him as a hero.

The problem is sometimes the way we talk about God sounds like He is a divine version of Eder Rojas...

God, we are told, is in complete and total control. He is pulling the strings and causes everything that happens every moment of every day. I often hear people say in the face of tragedy “Everything happens for a reason,” and the implied reason is God did it.

But this raises difficulties.

Does God create a drought so we will pray for rain?

Does God cause cancer and heart disease so we will pray for healing?

Is God ruining people emotionally, physically and mentally and then just healing a few?

Now He is God so if that is how He operates, so be it. But then we need to say “He saves us from the damage He does to us.” And our catechisms should indicate he behaves like a parent with Munchausen by proxy syndrome.

The Bible’s story of salvation does not sound like this. Yes there are occasions when God visits punishment on His people, but those are identified as special exceptions, not the constant norm. I do not think that God brings disease upon a person and then swoops in to heal and expects hymns of praise. Now I also admit that the complexity of creation far exceeds my capacity to understand. I am not smart enough and there are too many moving parts. However, it seems that in the midst of all that complexity, we can still know that God does not start fires so He can look like a heroic firefighter.

This may seem a slow motion way to address the issue of salvation, but we need to consider what it is from which God saves us. And I think it a bad idea to assume He saves us from Himself. I think it a bad idea to believe that God does harm so He can undo it. Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes the reason is not simply God. Sometimes it is the nature of a finite creation, a creation populated by free beings, beings who can choose and have chosen evil.

As we turn to the Bible, I want to begin in the OT. When Jesus rose from the dead the Gospels say that He taught the disciples by opening the scriptures. The only scriptures Jesus that had is our OT. There was no NT. So we can safely begin there. In fact, I would say ignoring the OT is a reason why the concept of "salvation" has been drained of much of its power in our current church situation.

Now I do need to add one clarification. In the OT there are places where God is depicted as the sole source of all events: "for weal and woe." However, it is best to understand that in light of other religions and their polytheistic beliefs. Israel made a radical claim that there is only ONE God. There are not multiple sources of reality. There is no cosmic war between competing divine entities, nor are there two principles, one good and one evil, which are the source of a schizophrenic creation. In earliest strata the first Jews/Israelites did not have a developed theology. They were not a theoretical people and their language is quite concrete. For example, in talking about time God does not live 'forever' but from age to age. So identifying God as the cause of everything they are actually declaring there is one God. Later, we note the appearance of lesser spiritual beings who are identified with evil, culminating with the NT and its notion of spiritual warfare, demonic forces and Satan. This may seem overly nuanced, but in the Bible word pictures are telling a story. We need ears to hear their message...

While the plain and literal reading would seem to be "God causes good and ill" it is probably not accurate. Remember, what was plain and literal three thousand years ago is no plain or obvious to us. Our assumptions are much different. While this does not prove my point I hope it makes it possible to at least entertain it. However, it is true that God is THE SOURCE of all creation and by virtue of that the AUTHOR (ultimately) for all that happens. He is the First Cause. But the creation has autonomy because He governs it by "physical laws" and as handed over free choices to the creatures. While the ultimate source of everything that happens, He is not the proximate and sole cause. The guy who stabs his neighbor is not a puppet doing God's bidding. God made the guy and created the elements formed into the knife but the man chooses to use the knife. The Bible also says God does not tempt us to evil. [tomorrow we will look at Genesis...]