Tolerance

Everyone is different. Once we get past the obviousness of this statement we can begin to understand how profound the truth of it actually is. It means my opinion, no matter how strongly I believe in it, no matter how logical it is or how much supporting evidence I may be able to find, is in the end my own. You, being a free moral agent, may agree or disagree but that will not make things any less right or wrong. It simply means we disagree. 

Tolerance, in some circles, has a bad reputation. What passes for tolerance today is mostly the idea of being tolerant (more on this tomorrow). Tolerance frees us from the burden of having to convince-or having to be convinced-one way (mine, for example) of seeing things is the correct way and the other (yours) is not. Tolerance goes beyond mere lip service to an opposing point of view; we are now free to discern whatever truth may be lurking in the shadows of the ‘opposition’. Accepting one another as individuals helps us see the Imago Dei in one another. We can now be truly present to the one another. This is how tolerance moves from the realm of idea into a discipline we can practice.

Biblical tolerance cannot exist in a vacuum. It it must be accompanied by other virtues such as justice, mercy, forgiveness, humility, love. The Hebrew Bible has a word for this-hesed, translated as steadfast love, lovingkindness, kindness, unfailing love, mercifulness, pity and more. Hesed refers to an attribute of God and has nothing to do with the idea of tolerance, which more often than not leads to intolerance toward anyone whom I do not perceive to be as tolerant as I am. Tolerance, accompanied by hesed, is a way for us to mirror God, who puts up with a lot foolishness from His beloved children. 

Knowing, Being Known

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When our mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers. If you love someone but rarely make yourself available to him or her, that is not true love...mindfulness is very much like the Holy Spirit. Both of them help us touch the ultimate dimension of reality. Mindfulness helps us touch nirvana, and the Holy Spirit offers us a door to the Trinity.”

Excerpt From

Living Buddha, Living Christ 20th Anniversary Edition

Thích Nhất Hạnh & Elaine Pagels

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/living-buddha-living-christ-20th-anniversary-edition/id357991837?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

When it comes to God mindfulness becomes a two way street. He is always present to us, showing us steadfast love (see, for example, Ps. 23:6; 139:7-12; Jer.23:24; Lam.3:22-23). How often are we truly present to Him? When we pray, most of us, despite our best efforts, inject some of ourselves into our prayers. In Bible study we tend to do the same thing-this is how I understand that passage; this is what I think this means. Now I’m not saying these things are inherently wrong. Both Jesus and Paul invite us to let out requests be made known to God. Paul warns Timothy not to neglect the Scriptures; to study to show himself approved.  What I am saying is to be truly present to God requires a certain quiet mindfulness-removing ourselves from the equation, so to speak. We do that by not doing anything. We cultivate silence and stillness and listen. It is an acquired skill, but this is where transformation of the heart occurs. This is where we transition form knowing about to knowing; to allowing ourselves to be known. 

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my thoughts.

See if there is any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

“...it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God...And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:16, 27.

“...in returning to me

and resting in me will you be saved.

In quietness and confidence is your strength..” Isiah 30:15

Be still and know

Psalms 46:10 (NRSV)

“Be still, and know that I am God!

I am exalted among the nations,

I am exalted in the earth.”

“There are many conflicting feelings and ideas within us, and it is important for us to look deeply and know what is going on. When there are wars within us, it will not be long before we are at war with others, even those we love. The violence, hatred, discrimination, and fear in society water the seeds of the violence, hatred, discrimination, and fear in us. If we go back to ourselves and touch our feelings, we will see the ways that we furnish fuel for the wars going on inside. Meditation is, first of all, a tool for surveying our own territory so we can know what is going on. With the energy of mindfulness, we can calm things down, understand them, and bring harmony back to the conflicting elements inside us. If we can learn ways to touch the peace, joy, and happiness that are already there, we will become healthy and strong, and a resource for others.”

Christians would call this opening up our hearts to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Or simply trusting God. 

Isaiah 26:3 (NASB)

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,

Because he trusts in You.

Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Excerpt From

Living Buddha, Living Christ 20th Anniversary Edition

Thích Nhất Hạnh & Elaine Pagels

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/living-buddha-living-christ-20th-anniversary-edition/id357991837?mt=11

This material may be protected by copyright.

Mending the Breach

“They forgot God, their Savior...

Therefore he said he would destroy them—

had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him,

to turn away his wrath from destroying them.” Psalm 106:21,23.

“And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; I have returned their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 22:30-31

What a difference in outcomes! The Psalmist tells us Moses, by standing in the breach, averts disaster for his-and God’s-people. Ezekiel has just finished describing a thoroughly corrupt society, from royalty to priests to prophets to government officials. No breach-mender here; Jerusalem will experience the full force of God’s wrath. 

So what might standing in the breach look like today, especially considering our current political climate? Here’s a thought. People who feed off negative emotional energy-fear, anger, hatred-don’t care what side the energy comes from. Fired up protesters outside a rally are just as good as the fired up base inside the rally. Our enemies know this and are quick to exploit it; particularly on social media. Which goes a long way towards explaining why Trump is so in love with Twitter. Understand, I am not condemning protests across the board, or social media. I am saying there is a better way to do them. 

There is a growing body of research today indicating connectedness is a basic human need (see, for example, Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness; and The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Abrams). One common thread running through both books is the way our brains are wired for empathy and cooperation. This does not mean we need to agree with each other on everything. It does mean we need to listen to one another, really listen. It also means less time arguing on social media. I’d be willing to bet very few minds have ever been changed in any substantive way because of a Facebook post. If you absolutely must post or tweet, do so clearly and concisely, resisting the urge to label (which is the first step in the process of dehumanizing your opponent). Make your point and move on-which implies you must have a point to make in the first place. When posting or tweeting, it may be helpful to go about it as if you will actually see your (perceived) opponent face to face. Soon. Like, for example, Sunday morning in church. This is a basic, easy to remember principle. Proverbs says “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Remember Jesus’ teaching on anger (Matthew 5:21-22. In fact, this might be a good time to just go ahead and review the entire Sermon on the Mount). See also Romans 12:9-21. 

Which leads me, more or less, to my main and final point. God told Ezekiel the corruption in Jerusalem was so complete there was no one left to intercede. Matthew 5:23-24 instructs us to reconcile with whoever may have something against us before we offer our gifts at the alter. These days we may not offer gifts; we do offer prayers and intercessions which are easier and more effective-at least on our end-when they are not clouded over with anger. Or guilt. And speaking of prayer, may I be so bold as to suggest ‘Lord come to his/her/our assistance. Lord make haste to help us’. Or ‘Thy kingdom come’. 

Fear, anger and hatred need an object. Jesus has mended the breach between heaven and earth. What breach will you mend?

Peace

JRG

Salvation Rights

Salvation Rights

“Agape is not a weak, passive love. It is love in action...love seeking to preserve and create community...The cross is the eternal expression of the length to which God will go in order to restore broken community...The Holy Spirit is the continuing community creating reality that moves through history..If I meet hate with hate, I become depersonalized, because creation is so designed that my personality can only be fulfilled in the context of community”

Martin Luther King, quoted by Peter Mommson in Plough Quarterly; Spring 2018.

We are saved as individuals; we are saved into relationship-with God and with one another. Scripture provides ample evidence;

see, for example, Jn 12:32; Ro 12:5; Eph 2:1-22; 1Pe 2:5. How does this effect our individual rights and liberties? Again, scripture has much to say: 1 Cor  6:1-8, 8:7-12; 9:12,15, 19-23; Phi 2:1-11; Gal 6:2-5. See also Mat 5-7. This relationship with one another and with God is called The Church and we are saved into it but we are most definitely not called to hide within it. We are called to influence culture, demonstrating and preserving God’s truth by being His presence-to be salt and light in the world. In the world because it is where we are; there is no place else where we can be. Today, as in Martin Luther King’s day, we are not living up to our calling, as evidenced by the church-at least a sizable portion of it-attempting to redeem secular society by political means. 

We are not redeemed, nor does the Church exist, to enable the exercise of individual rights-this is what brought down the curse to begin with-“But the serpent said to the woman...God knows that when you eat of it...you will be like God, knowing good and evil...the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise...” Ge:3:4-6 (NRSV). Exercising individual rights and liberties at another’s expense-especially when the rights in question rob another of their God-given dignity-is simply the modern version of knowing (and deciding) good and evil for ourselves without input from God. This is where conflict inevitably arises-my good is not always your good. Whose good gets to win?

The above referenced passages, and many more, indicate that, contrary to modern thought and practice, the one who surrenders often wins. It is as Jesus teaches-“Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 (NRSV). Surrendering individual rights and liberties is one way of denying ourselves to save ourselves; one way agape love builds and preserves community. Insisting upon our individual right to...(fill in the blank) almost always pits one against another, breaking communion (and community) and in the end no good, greater or lesser, is accomplished. In order for one to win another must loose. Any time one looses we all lose. The word ‘lose’ itself is defined by SIRI as “to be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something);or to cause (someone) to fail to gain or retain (something). Life as God intends is not a zero-sum game. The more we give of ourselves (lose) the more we receive from God (win) Who, by the way, loves to empty Himself into His children. As if emptying Himself were even possible...

Martin Luther King makes a couple other points worth noting. One is the cross as restoring broken community. It isn’t just about getting your sins forgiven or going to heaven when you die; God was, as Paul tells us, reconciling us to Himself. Restoring us to communion with one another is part of the reconciliation process. Because the nature of the Trinity is self-emptying love (other- centered, if you prefer) our lives are meant to be other-centered. This is what restoring broken community means. To paraphrase Paul, in Christ there are no black or white, brown yellow or red; no gay or straight; no Republican or Democrat or Libertarian or Socialist or Tea Party. There is only “all of [us]...one in Christ Jesus”.

The second point worth noting is “creating reality”. Another way to say this is restoring normalcy. The situation we have in this country today is not normal. It is not God’s reality; it is the reality we create when we allow the gospel truth to be compromised; when we redefine our worldview to fit our definition of right and wrong. Don’t ever let anyone tell you God’s reality is not practical or obtainable or for this present age. Just as one chronically homeless creates a new normal so as to cope with a new situation and, as a result, comes to fear the old (housed) normal; so we have created a new normal to justify our self-centered way of life. Like Jesus, Paul and the Church before him, Martin Luther King is calling us to return to God’s normal; to life as God intends. This life is possible, and it is time. 

Peace

JRG

Who is My Neighbor; Who is My Samaritan

Regarding the Baker and the Same Sex Couple; or 

        Who is Your Samaritan 

When Jesus said turn the other cheek He was not saying ‘stand there and let someone wail on you’; He was saying ‘you be the one to break the cycle of violence’. When He said ‘give your clock as well’ He was not saying give away all your clothes, He was saying ‘be the one to go beyond the minimum effort required to serve your brother or sister’. When someone asked Him ‘Who is my neighbor’ He said said ‘whomever needs your help-and by the way, your neighbor may be a Samaritan’.

It is quite possibly Jesus will say to the baker “Well done, good and faithful servant”. It is also possible He will say “I sent that couple to you, why did you turn them away?”. It is even possible He will say both. 

Insisting upon our individual rights, our civil liberties, is always the American way. It is not always the Way of Jesus. 

We Are Loved

You Are Loved

You are loved. Forget everything you think you know about theology. Forget the doctrine. Focus on these three words. You are loved. YOU are loved. You ARE loved. You are LOVED. Maybe I am loved might be a little better. I am loved. I AM loved. I am LOVED. We’re on solid Biblical footing here. For God so loved the world, He gave…But God demonstrates his own love for us in this…This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us…For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God. God loves you and Jesus loves you. It’s a fact. Not just a sentimental children’s hymn with a catchy tune. A concrete absolute one-hundred percent reliable take it to the bank that’s a fact Jack fact. Yes it is. And you (or me for that matter) will never make any real progress in actual Christian character formation until we can get our heads around it.

What brought all this on was an encounter I had this afternoon with a person in the grip of addiction. This person had come to see me last week, maybe the week before, desperate to get clean. I know a guy so I made the call, hooked her up. I’m not completely sure what happened next but I’m thinking it was something like one step forward three steps back. Anyone who has ever suffered through an addiction will immediately understand. If you haven’t you probably won’t. Anyway today was a one step forward day, albeit rife with concern over when the three steps back would come. All I could think to say was ‘Know you are loved’. ‘You are loved and love never gives up and neither will I’. It was a powerful moment and not something I’m accustomed to. I’m pretty sure I love this person. Not that lusty erotic romantic love that defines so many of our relationships but true Godly love; Agape love. It is a gift from God and seems to be making a difference in both our lives. A faith building love; a love that dares to hope all that good stuff in the Bible about healing and protection might just be true, even for normal everyday people.

So here’s something to think about. What if all healing, wherever and whenever it is found, comes from Jesus. What if it is not dependent on whether or not the one healed is a believer but totally dependent on God? That some are healed and some are not may seem arbitrary or even cruel but we only see one side. God told the prophet Malachi “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse…put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” What if love is the full tithe? Or prayer or "to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?” What if healing is part of God's blessing?

We are not just loved. We are made in the Image of God; we bear the Imago Dei even if it is a little more tarnished in some of us. We are what He made us-His craftsmanship, His handiwork, His masterpiece. We are loved and that love is meant to be shared, but we can’t share what we don’t know. We are loved. Believe it. Know it. Share it. We have a lot to discover and a lot to share and a whole lot of people who need healing.

Peace JRG