Limboland

"Peter, feed my sheep." "You betcha, Lord.  But I'll be limiting that to those who agree here on this document I made up."

Lots of pastors, mostly presbyterian or congregational, might eventually admit they either can't or won't or don't want to give you discipline (refuse communion, voting privileges, etc) unless you first stipulate agreement to their right thereto.  Their "membership agreement" usually has clauses to this effect tucked away in there somewhere, so this becomes the contract they think covers their butts should you think to sue if you later get disgruntled with said discipline.


Wimps!


That discipline is a biblical obligation on a pastor, whether or not the sheep agree ahead or no.


And what of those who haven't officially signed up?  Are they in some sort of fellowship limboland where they're missing some of the privileges that accompany the obligations they haven't yet taken?  Oddly, most pastors often comfort themselves with the idea that those gentle folk "have been coming for years" without becoming members. What they really mean is that all have enjoyed the important benefits of the arrangement, and the pastor hasn't taken on the risk.


But what, then, were nonmembers missing out on?  What do they get when they become members?  I bet if you ask them after they sign up, you'll hear that they feel really committed now, and fully accepted.


How sad.  Like all the members of Christ's body, the Church, these people have been some of pillars holding up the place.  Yet the local pastor has subtly engendered doubt and insecurity in them because of his own insecurity in taking on his obligations.

Fearful music

I didn't know there was anything in the player when I hit the button.  But soon poured out the best Chopin I've ever heard.  He's so immediately emotional, yet not raw.  Disciplined, controlled, but totally there and true to feelings most of which are out of my grasp.  Chopin and Mozart give for me close to a divine take on music.  It makes me think that

• Mozart swung on God's rib cage, with it's structure and architecture
• Chopin swam in God's veins, in its turbulence and changing pulse

I wonder how Mozart would have felt if he had heard Chopin.  I wonder what all of us will feel when Jesus sits down at the keyboard.

Unharmonizing the Gospels

Have you seen those books "harmonizing" Matthew, Mark & Luke?  Beware the trap.


Think of all the Gospels as movements of a symphony.  God laid them out so that we would hear each section individually and serially (though maybe not sequentially, since we don't know of a given order).  Layering them on top of each other would add noise.  You'd miss much detail -- for example, the powerful drumbeat coming from the repetition of themes.

I'm not saying we can't benefit by occasionally checking out a side-by-side reading.  Maybe we could fill in some historically curious gaps -- especially helpful for budding historians.  But this probably isn't the main way to extract more of the intended Truth.  He is a capable enough write to have given more detail, if He'd been intending a history lesson.


Here's an example which our family came across as we read Luke 7 -- that place just after Jesus had raised from death the only son of the forlorn widow.

14And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.  18And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.

Preachers often tell us about the drama going on here in John's psyche:  "Is He really the one? -- Maybe I've had it all wrong!"  So when when we read these verses, we asked each other:  "Wait, why didn't John go check this out himself?  Why send two followers to investigate the most important person in your life?  Maybe John is stuck in jail?"
 
But if you don't "import" these concerns from the harmonizing mistake, then you're not distracted with the idea that John is wondering what kind of revolution Jesus was bringing afterall, or when Jesus was going to get off the pot and start getting real change done.  Some other quiet little theme can now tap on you.


It may feel like God is portraying John as a kind of Holy Spirit himself in type and antitype.  So about this "looking for another" -- this is exactly what the Spirit does NOT have us do or need.  And the need of confirm and reaffirm Him in our minds (who IS this Jesus, really) is exactly what the Spirit satisfies.  We're supposed to recognize that John (and we) really need to feel the peace that Jesus is the answer to all our pressing needs.  And the Holy Spirit is the mechanism of comfort Jesus gives us to see Himself.  So John is like a foretaste of what we get from the Spirit.


We risk deafness to snippet of these sweet sounds if we stack all the scores on top of each other.

Preachers playing hide and seek

Don't get me wrong, I love parsing the Word's words.  Detailed exposition has it's place -- just not so much in, or as, preaching.

Take the Bible.  There's some decent preaching, amen?  But how many expository "sermons" do you find in the context of all those biographies and poems and personal letters?

If God finds historical tales and personal thoughts as a suitable (even preferred) means to deliver His Word, maybe our preachers ought to give that method a go.

Trouble is, you'd have to really know your subject -- and by that I mean the Bible and yourself and us.  You'd need to do the heavy lifting of expositing the Word, yourself and the rest of us in your head and heart, ahead of time.

Then you could stand there like some kind of prophet -- because that's what we need to hear.  You could tell us what the Word's words mean to our lives.  You'd lead us through the forest of the Word, rather than having us watch you hide behind the syntax of a tree or two.

Ew

My five year old is grossed out about taste bugs on her tongue.

Yak, yak, yak

The first lie says God is full of hot air.  Macho, bullying bravado born from His own weak male ego.  That we can be adults too, deciding for ourselves what's right for us, threatens to topple His self-image as the only legitimate Decider.  But we, just as much as He, are the goddess Gaia.  So, on the contrary, self-empowerment strongly supports our owning a piece of that fruit.

In January 2010, I read a concise regurgitation of this deception by one of our American Eves.  An Episcopal priest and shrink (appropriately), Ms. Astress was cited in the Denver Post as helping revive the popularity of meditative labyrinths.   

"We're always told what to believe, what to do.  We're told.  We're told.  We're told," she said. "The labyrinth evokes our own deep intuitive wisdom about ourselves."

Church of the Happy Clappies & Old Farts

Luke 5

And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at  the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.  ²⁸And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

²⁹And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.  ³⁰But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

³¹And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  ³²I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

³³And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?

 ³⁴And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?  ³⁵But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

³⁶And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.  ³⁷And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.  ³⁸But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.  ³⁹No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.

Interesting how it seems that Jesus identifies his ministry while on earth as new stuff, but concludes that the aged, older stuff is better.   As I read this passage, I think He is telling us that while there is nothing wrong with us enjoying those temporary events that might come our way in life, we shouldn't expect them to last, nor cloud the deeper values.  In fact, what is new and fresh and happy and stimulating now will start to mellow and soak in and become part of the living history and fabric of our being.  He's telling us how to look at our lives and appreciate what's happening from cradle to grave.

There's Levi, fresh from a lively life of worldly action.  Big house, successful job, lots of money, lots of friends; but obviously something is missing and gnawing at him at how all this is going to waste in the grave and he won't really mean anything in the long run.  Not that there's something wrong with any particular element, it's just that a key ingredient has left all the parts without perspective and lasting purpose.  So what good is it to "have it all" when you can already taste the sour rot it's all infected with?  When you can feel the powdery dust of age and decay developing on the fine furniture?  It's all empty without that ..., what is it?  What's missing?

We're not told in Luke what Levi saw in Jesus.  Obviously he was primed and ready though.  In keeping with the attributes that made him a good businessman, he jumped on the opportunity when it came his way.  He saw in Jesus the answer; all the pieces of the puzzle.  Now it all made sense, and he jumped in with both feet.

Levi immediately put all his stuff to good use.  If it's all gonna burn, he's gonna make a torch out of it, and light the way as best he can so others can find their way to the Answer.  Feast and furniture will bring friends over to become exposed to the Truth.  I don't want to waste my stuff.  It's best use is to joyfully show off Him whom we love.

A new Christian, or a newly revived, often shows a bit of intoxication and stupor to us crusty, dusty, oldies.  They sing interminable "I love you Jesus" choruses, arms softly swaying.  They hug you and every neighbor with hippy flair.  Years later, nearly to a man, they've either left the church altogether or taken on a moderate, peaceful calm with touch of cautiousness.  They've either moved their foolishness to another venue, or they've seen their happiness turn to a wise joy.

Jesus tells the jaded and prideful, using leaders that the Levis of this world should be expected to have a bit of a comparatively shallow approach, all dancy and happy.  How often does the perfect storm of Truth and Goodness and Love and Joy touch down right in front of you?  Life will soon enough knock them down. John and all the old dead guys more deeply and accurately saw the larger picture, so fasting and prayer had become permanently mixed into their blood.  Both are right.  Neither should be rejected, but you will see the lighter duty become deeper and more solid with time.

Old farts need to give space to and have patience with the excited new guys who've just discovered the world.  Maybe we can regain and remember a piece of what this whole thing is about.  And the charismatic, frenetic lovers ought to occasionally put some energy into sitting down with and exploring the perspective of some of the wise old lords.