In The Thicket

There is much said and written about the found violence in the Quran and some interpretations of its voice.  Media and politicians and some church leaders are quick to point the finger at the text as the reason for the violence of terrorism, war, treatment of women and children and its own form of law.

 

I am no expert on Islam but I do read the Christian scriptures and am constantly challenged by the violence there in, the violence accredited to heroes of faith, and the violence that emanates from or is sheeted home to God. And I am always challenged by the violence of the cross as the central focus of our faith.  It doesn’t matter how I read the texts, last weeks or this weeks, I am left with a sense of unnecessary violence as an integral part of my faith.

 

This violence is in full view in the Genesis reading of the binding of Isaac – the akedah – and the intervention of God at the very last moment to rescue the boy. It is often this intervention that is spoken of as the compassion of God but the reality is that Isaac was facing death at the hands of his father because of a command apparently given by God. Human sacrifice was prevalent in Abraham’s time. even though it had been banned by his people it still had a deep hold over the people and their understanding of God. Otherwise there could be no story. Abraham would have dismissed this idea as a madness and left it behind. He didn’t’. He went along with it.

“Not only do the prophets condemn such sacrifices in honour of Molech, but the Hebrew Bible even notes the power of such sacrifices when deployed against Israel in battle:

When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom; but they could not. Then he took his firstborn son who was to succeed him, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And great wrath came upon Israel, so they withdrew from him and returned to their own land. [2Kings 3:26-27]

The story of Isaac—horrific as it is—must also be read alongside the even worse story in Judges 11 where Jephthah offers his daughter as a human sacrifice in fulfilment of a vow.” (Jenks) It is a confronting story to read. There is no intervention by God; no last minute testimony to their faith, as the story of Abraham and Isaac is often interpreted; it ends as it was intended to, with the father killing his daughter to maintain a vow.

 

In the story of Isaac we get the straying sheep stuck in a thicket and all ends well. But does it? Has the damage been done? Have we ended up with a tainted God, a God who is not afraid of using violence and who is not impartial – he saves Isaac but not the daughter of Jephthah? Has this image of God continued to haunt the church, not the least through the interpretation of the cross as the inevitable means to solve God’s relationship problems with his creation?

 

Modern day atheists such as Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins and others cite this seemingly in built desire for violence as the reason to dismiss any discussion of a god or God’s existence. You and I have our own stories and questions regarding the seeming disparity in justice, fairness and compassion shown by the world to those we love and care for. Where was God? Why did God allow such and such to happen? Why did God do no thing about this tragedy or disaster? Many who no longer profess faith can point to a moment when the perceived disparity between a God of love and a God of violence changed their heart and mind.

 

We cannot simply pass this off as an Old Testament anomaly. There is much in the birth of Christianity that raises the same questions. The history of the church in all its forms is replete with violence ranging from inquisitions, crusades, persecution of witches and women, the abuse of children and more seem to make a lie of the image of God as all consuming love.

 

What are we to do with these stories and experiences and how are we to frame or reframe the image of God? How are we to read the scriptures and the history of the church containing many such stories in such a way that we too do not find it all too incongruous and slip away ourselves?

 

We could:

·      Simply ignore that they are there and go merrily on our way oblivious to the impact they have on others – the ostrich approach;

·      Embrace them and spruik a wrathful God who will do what ever he please to whomever he pleases, but never to us  - the bring it on God approach;

·      Spend copious amount of time to study the research and academia and develop an appropriate intellectual understanding of why this would be so in this particular time for this particular people - the there is always a rational reason for stuff we don’t like approach;

·      Simply accept the incongruous nature of evolution of thought and understanding and get on with living out our understanding as truthfully and respectfully as possible – the living with the questions approach.

 

Living with the questions and the questionable seems to be the way faith and understanding has developed or evolved. It does not come pre-packaged fully comprehended ready to roll. It has to be grappled with, argued about and lived to become real. There is a sense that the stories which disturb us are a part of that process. Abraham’s almost murder of Isaac was stopped when Abraham had an insight and recognised the foolishness of his ways. Jephthah fails to stop his crime because his vow was more important than the outcome and he didn’t recognise the very same insight. The accrediting of the process in both cases to God forgets the cultural impulse to child sacrifice and the incredible growth in understanding required for Abraham to change his mind. No wonder the story is told with God at the centre, Abraham had to frame his experience this way to explain how he could do such a tremendous about turn.

 

If we are seeking a squeaky clean narrative of the evolution of the understanding of humans interaction with the Divine then we won’t find that in the scriptures. If we are seeking a nice neat interpretation of stories such as today’s Old testament story then we are fooling ourselves. The path to spiritual understanding and experience is a prickly one, as prickly as the thicket that caught the lamb. Not to learn to live with incongruous stories of an evolving relationship, and to learn to live with all our questions will find us  running the risk of abandoning our faith. Embrace the questions and the messy stuff, it is the only way. 

Salt & Light

Matthew 5:13-20

What an ordinary image Jesus gives us in this passage from Matthew! How very different to the way we describe others and hand out accolades to sportsman, movie stars, politicians and icons. they are rarely described in such ordinary, material terms.

Salt and light. Everyday stuff we take for granted. Salt is in almost everything we eat, it is in the sea, it is in our sweat, it is so passé and  everyday. Light makes it possible for us to move around without knocking into things, separates the night from the day, gives vision in the dark and is just there. We dont think about it. We don't make a big thing about it. We walk into a room and flick the switch or pull back the curtains and there it is. 

In the times we find ourselves in,  many questions are raised as to how we are to live and whether our living does make a difference. In a world of noise, bravado, bigness and exaggerated success we may find ourselves being belittled for our smallness, our littleness, our seeming powerlessness. People are playing loose with the truth, with facts and with the lives of others in order to protect their own positions or to build or bolster their own egos. People are denying their values and their cultural history for short term gains and accolades. Governments throughout the world, as well as business people of all types, are selling their soul to maintain power, markets and investors. Yes, the obvious example is the President of the United States, but ours and other governments are watching what they say and how they respond so that they too do not become the object of the bully.

Bullying takes many forms and not simply reserved for the one on one relationship. Nations bully nations, politicians bully other world leaders and the use of power in such a way not only fractures unity but demeans those who are the perpetrators of such bullying. Any acquiescence or failure to call out such acts makes us partners in the crime. It is in these moments that we are called on to be the salt and light, even at the risk of our own wellbeing and lives. The greatest evil is not that evil is done but that people stand on the sidelines watching without moving to intervene. Spectators who could change the situation by getting involved but don't. Again in the world of the smart phone where every person is a video camera operator, people make conscious decisions to video atrocities rather than stepping in to stop the injustice. A quick look at the tv news reminds us of this. A picture may speak a thousand words but an intervention saves lives.

Light and salt are ordinary images, couldn't Jesus come up with something sexier and more exciting? Why light and salt?

Because being for the mystical transcendent in this life is indeed ordinary and as essential as salt and light. We no longer need to strive to live sin free lives or to be saints of perfection and immaculate conception. We are called simply to live seamlessly in such a way no-one notices but everyone sees the way you live. Being a fully alive human being requires we inculcate the essence of Christ in our ordinary being engaged in the ordinary act of living.

This sounds simple and it is, but it is not easy. Just as we do not think about the role of salt and light , we do not think about how our living is seen, recognised and indeed, impacts the world. We take our lives for granted. We also take our understanding of ourselves and the world for granted, often not being conscious of just how our actions and words impact on others. What is normal  and acceptable for us may not be so for others and an innocent comment may in fact not be so innocent when heard through the ears of another. Our harm may be unintentional but it is, nevertheless, harm.

Living intentionally is the essence of the images of salt and light. Living each and every moment with intent and being aware of our intent is vital.  It is why many wise people suggest we speak less, listen more; that we use less words and more thought. It is the letting go of the need to be visible and heard above the noise of all the others who have the same need. It is the capacity to fade into the background but remain authentic and real in a world that has ceased to be such. There comes a time in our lives when we begin to understand that all we built is built on sand and all  that it is is a monument to being noticed by people who have already forgotten. We are left with a few grains of salt and shafts of light and recognise that this is all that matters.

This is exciting because it allows us to celebrate our incarnation for what it is, our reflection in the transcendence of being. It values our every action and places it within the evolution to wholeness God our creator has set in motion. We do not have to wait to do a big thing, to make a difference or to be recognised. We do make a difference and we are recognised for our enlivened selves. 

As I would say to our students, you have everything within in you that you need for your life to make a difference. Just be who God has created you to be, reach within and unlock the transcendent and live your ordinary life to its full with full and focused intention. Minimise your life to maximise your impact, diminish your visibility to increase your presence, become one with all in order to be yourself.

In other words, let your light shine, be the salt that brings to life the wonder of life and the light shining into the darkness all around. There is no magic to this. Just intentionally allow the transcendent empower your being, and as ordinary as you may seem to be, you will add to the extraordinary beauty in the world. 

Living Into The Resurrection

Last week an 8 year old boy walked into his classroom in a school in the US prepared for show and tell. When his turn came he produced his fathers coat. He put his hands in the pockets and produced 50 small plastic bags containing drugs. It was a surprise for his teacher but an even bigger surprise for his father when he came to collect his coat!

Show and tell is always a surprise as Thomas found out - yet Thomas's experience came from his questionning of the claims of his fellow disciples.  The claims of Jesus' resurrection were not so much unbelievable for Thomas but required him to have an encounter with Jesus. When this happens he doesn't do what he said he needed to do - touch and feel the wounds on Jesus body - being shown the present Jesus was enough for him to see.

In discussion with a patient re treatment and drugs a doctor recently said,'do not give any drug or doctor the power over your life. See for yourself and decide.' Important words in a world where science has become the most powerful good news and where people give away responsibility to others - primaily through diagnosis - hallelujah, I have an excuse for my behaviour.

Thomas did not give his power to live into the ressurrection story away to others who had seen Jesus.  He retained the right to move into the resurrection experience at his own time and space. Interestingly Jesus honours that and makes it possible for him to do so. One little meeting was all it took to kickstart Thomas' into a new man, but it was accomplished at his pace.

The resurrection is key to our faith. The possibility of hope and light after the dark night of the soul which was Good Friday and the subsequent Saturday transforms the life of those with Jesus, and has the possibility of transforming ours. Yet it is more than the physical resurrection story of Jesus. It is how we see the world, the circumstances of our lives and where we are now.

I fear too many Christians are locked into a world view that is Good Friday - their life is dark, of little hope and they cannot or do not see the green shoots of resurrection rising under their feet. While they know the world has changed, and they need to embrace that change, they are locked into failed mindsets, pointless ideological positions and structures which prevent them doing so. Perhaps they are locked in Saturday, the inbetween space betweeen despair and hope unable to make the move into full blown possibility. They can see clearly what has happened, the world has changed, yet they can't see what is coming, so they stay where they are, waiting for some certainty before they move forward, before they embrace the green shoots of hope that is the resurrection.

Living in the resurrection is a dangerous place. It asks us to leave behind old paradigms and ways of doing things and of being in the world, and to embrace risk, ridicule and failure. It asks us to see for ourselves the possibilities and to seek after them with all our being. It asks to see what is all around us - life, hope and adventure - it asks us not to give away our power to others, to the what if's,  to the looming disaster and the perceived certainty of failure. It says too us all things are possible, it says to us go on, step out and discover the excitement of being alive when you where once dead, trapped in fear, locked in Good Friday or Saturday.

In the movie the best exotic marigold hotel the Indian proprietor of the hotel says, 'Everything will work out in the end; if it hasn't worked out, it's not the end.' If you haven't seen the movie, please do so. It is a movie about the resurrection, those who choose to embrace and those who choose not to, who want what they had, not what is there for them now. The characters embrace, slowly the possibility of the future and in doing so discover themselves. Each grows into the idea and experience in their own way and time, some, alas, do not.

And that is the truth about resurrection and being resurrection people - it is something we grow into. We grow into a changed viewpoint, a new perspective on the world. We see it differently and we do life differently.  We take control, we push the boundaries, we explore new posssibilities and take enormous risks, aware that if it doesn't work out this time, it's not the end. The resurrection is our life now and it's our choice whether to live it or not. Choose to be a resurrection adventurer and go for the ride of your life. It will challenge and scare you, but it will always be full of surprises and new experiences. Go on, I dare you!