Lenten Reflections: Escalation

"Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.  What do you think?”  “He is worthy of death,” they answered. Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him."

                                                            Matthew 26:65-67

Escalation. Pride's evil and deceptive ways widen. With each choice that Pride makes, the tensions in our relationships escalate. With each move of Pride, the battle is fueled and the ante is raised. More troops are sent in. We launch more offensives. Relationships don't die; they are murdered. Sin stands guilty as a war criminal. GUILTY. 

Anger gives birth to accusation. 

Accusation gives birth to action.

Action gives birth to violence. 

Violence gives birth to death.

Another relationship causality in the war of selfishness, with Pride leading the way. 

We count the costs of the war. We see the destruction. And yet we choose each weapon with great care, hoping for victory. 

Pride - 1  Relationships - 0 

Lent reveals to us that things are often backwards in the Kingdom of God. Pride has no place at the table. War in our relationships is unthinkable. Escalation becomes pacifism. And death becomes life. By living our lives through Christ, we find less need to slaughter our relationships, and more desire to heal them. We disarm ourselves, dismantle our military and end violence of any kind. Through Christ, we cherish each relationship as something of great value, more valuable than the temporary possessions we accumulate for ourselves. We count the cost of war, and realize that it's not worth it. 

Anger gives birth to forgiveness. 

Forgiveness gives birth to unity.

Unity gives birth to community.

Community gives birth to life. 

Lord, we realize that one of the most tragic losses in the war of Pride is relationships. So often we sacrifice those closest to us in order to protect the self. Help us to lay down our weapons and seek peace. Help us to cherish each relationship we have as more valuable than anything we possess, even life itself. Amen.              

Houses of the Holy

I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church. My family was faithful and dedicated to the faith, following the liturgical calendar as a guide to the rhythm of our lives. I made my first communion when I was 7 and was confirmed at 11, beginning my spiritual journey and life as a faithful Catholic. I trusted the Church and believed in it as a center for the delicate balance of my life. I've never been a typical Evangelical critic of the Catholic Church and still hold it as special and in high regard. Although, I left the Catholic Church during my college years, I still hold the many memories close to my heart and consider them essential aspects of my spiritual construct.

One of the clearest memories that I have lies in the simplicity of entering any Roman Catholic Church. Unlike many Evangelical and Protestant churches that are reminiscent of entering a concert hall just before the show starts, the Catholic worshiper is greeted with an overwhelming wave of silence. In an almost tangible manifestation, one feels the sense that they are being transformed from the brokenness of natural creation and ushered into the supernatural holiness of God's Kingdom. There is such a reverence for God and respect for His house, that you cannot help but feel the presence of His Spirit emanating from every corner of the richly and ornately decorated structures. The light gleaming from detailed stained glass, paints a visual interpretation of the Gospels that draws you into an almost real-time encounter with the ancient. You are captured and immersed in the holy.

No coffee or food enters the Catholic sanctuary. No idle talk or theological discussion continues from the outer walls. From a very early age, children are not ushered into Sunday School or nurseries, but taught that they are not only welcome, but a necessary part of the Church body. And because of this inclusion, children observe the same silence as their parents. Not from obedient fear, but more from a sense of awe. I still can remember the powerfully ominous aura of silence as we made our way to our regular spot in the church. We were in God's house, and although I fully understood and believed in the complete omnipresence of God, there was something special when we entered our family place of worship.

As I've made my journey from Catholicism through the detailed landscape of the Evangelical and Protestant Church, I've grown to realize that the differences that tend to divide us are not as great as we make them out to be. Most of us seek the same things from life and believe in the same essentials of the same God that all of us worship. Most of our discussions and even arguments can usually rest in the common faith in Christ and hope for the Kingdom He came to fulfill. Our divisions usually stem from the imperfections of man and not the complete perfection of God. Unity transforms. Division holds us captive and leaves us as we have always been.

But the one difference from my Catholic brothers and sisters that stands obvious to me each and every time I enter a Protestant Church lies in just that: entering the church. For I am reminded of something that seems to be missing. I'm reminded of something that captured my young heart as a child and still calls to me as a man. I'm reminded of how easy it is for the follower of Christ to place the emphasis on ourselves and allow it to deviate from God. I'm reminded that our world is loud but our spirits demand quiet. And even amidst the roar of chaos in our culture today, God's volume still rises above. But I am also reminded that our own voices can drown out the most thundering call of God.

Our church buildings are not magical. They hold no powerful energy that rushes through us as we enter the walls that contain our physical worship. I have felt God's presence more tangibly walking on a beach or standing on top of a mountain. But what stands unique is the physical attribution that we designate to our church buildings within our world. For as we spend the millions of dollars and carefully craft each doorway corridor, we make a claim that we make to no other structure: This is God's House. In a world of building man-made Kingdoms, the church is still the one building that we set aside for Him and only Him. Perhaps we would be more aware of that if we left the coffee in the entry way next to our egos. Perhaps we would hear God more clearly as He welcomes us into His house, if we turned our proverbial volumes down and allowed ourselves to be awed by His hospitality. Perhaps we would regain some of that sense of reverence that the Catholic Church still enjoys and find that we are not only in church to experience a good time, but to capture a taste of the holy as well.

Lenten Reflections: Forgiveness

"Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” - Luke 23:34


Forgiveness. Not always easy. Not always fun. Not always accepted. 

Forgiveness sometimes sucks.

Forgiveness is not easy because forgiveness relinquishes control. To forgive, we have to let go and letting go doesn't come natural to us. We are obsessed with controlling ourselves, others and every situation that intersects our relationships with each other. 

"Trust in the Lord....."  Sure! As long as I get to keep control over every aspect of my life, no problem!

Forgiveness. Control. Power.     

"I refuse to forgive you!"..... Because if I do, she wins.   

"They don't deserve forgiveness because of what they did!"..... Because they need to suffer as well, and if I refuse to forgive them, they'll suffer too.

"How can I refuse him for what he did to me?"..... If I do, I'm weak. I'll feel weak. I'll be perceived as weak. 

Refusing to forgive gives us control, right? It gives us power. We feel strong. And we need that strength to carry us through the pain inflicted on us. 

"You hurt me, now I'm going to hurt you!"

Really?

When we refuse to forgive, it's as if we pour salt on our own wound and expecting it to hurt someone with no wound.

Who really suffers from our lack of forgiveness?

Him? Her? You? Me? Them? Us?

Refusing to forgive doesn't just effect the offender, but the offended as well. It effects those around us and those not even involved. Refusing to forgive effects the collective. The community. Unity is destroyed.

There can be no barriers in unity. There are no barriers in the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is forgiveness, not holding on to hurts and pain.

The Kingdom of God is unity, not division.

The Kingdom of God is release, not control.

The Kingdom of God is not conditional, but limitless.

As we make our way through Lent, one of the aspects that we focus on is forgiveness; not just the forgiveness that we freely and graciously receive from God, but forgiveness of others. We can't truly embrace Lent while refusing to forgive, and we can't embrace Lent without receiving it as well.

Lord, as You have forgiven us unconditionally, enable us to forgive others unconditionally. As we give forgiveness, help us to receive it as well. Help us to realize that refusing to forgive does not give us control, make us strong and put us above the offender. The pain is only multiplies and unity destroyed. Help us to build unity through unconditional forgiveness for one another. Amen       

Lenten Reflections: Positive

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8

The choice is ours. Negative or positive? Dark or light? Hatred or love? Anger or peace?

"What do you want from me today, God?"

"Really? Did you read what Paul just said, or just skim over it to fill up your quiet time?"

"No, I read it!  Really, God!  I just...." 
 
Be true.... What is truth?

Be noble.... Like the Presidential candidates?

Be right.... But I'm usually wrong.  

Be pure...."But I'm contaminated. No one else is pure. Why should I be?"


Be lovely...."But I'm ugly, just as the world around me."

Be admirable...."No one cares when you're admirable, God. But when you're detestable, people pay attention."

Be excellent...."I've seen excellence in action. And I don't want it."


Be praiseworthy...."Praise who?"

Definition is critical. Clarity is essential. Negative or positive? Man or God?

Pure? Self-righteous hypocrite

Lovely? Vanity

Admirable? Better than YOU

Excellent? Success at all cost 

Praiseworthy? Arrogance  

It's ironic how we so often ask God to reveal his will for us. When His words so clearly tell us, you would think the answer would be clear. But freewill leaves us with a choice.

But even the positive can be manifest in the negative.  

Truth or lies?

Positive or negative?

The positive unites. The negative brings separation.

The reality is that when we're in union with God, choosing the negative is much less likely, if not impossible. Unity with God is essential as we journey through this world, and unity with one another makes the trip that much easier. It's positive. It reveals God's Kingdom.

Positive.

When we disconnect, we dwell in negative spaces. We become complacent and mindlessly roam through areas of life, clinging to whatever adds temporary light. We disengage with one another.

Negative.

Lent is a time when we examine the negative in light of the positive. We embrace the negative so that we can cling to the positive. Lent is about choosing; choosing God's words or man's. Lent is about definition; defining what is truth, and rejecting what is false.

Lord, we know how easy it is to choose the negative, even when we think we're choosing the positive. Enable us to define the positive through You eyes, through Your words, and through Your Spirit. And as we find truth, unite us closer to You, so that we can unite closer to others.         

I Disagree = I Hate You

Over the last few months, I have become more and more frustrated with division in the Church. It seems that even within the most accepting Christian communities, disunity finds it's way in, stakes a claim and develops a stronghold. The roots dig deep and are unyielding to movement. In the effort of creating open and accepting communities, we sometimes produce just the opposite. Conservative Christ followers open their doors of acceptance to "seekers", allowing them the honor of joining their "open" community, but only if you develop the same mindset. Come as you are, but only if you leave as we are.

Conversely, liberal Christian churches are just as guilty, creating an atmosphere of tolerance but only remaining tolerant if you agree with each and every aspect of their particular theology.  Rather than unity in the Church, we end up with a chaotic mess of anger and division that is hardly what Christ had in mind from the beginning.   

I try to remain as neutral as possible, realizing that we all have something to contribute to the mix. I love the words of a pastor that I used to work with who when asked about his political views said, "I love the idealism of the democrats and the pragmatism of the republicans and hate the hypocrisy of both." Rather than choosing sides, I try to see the inherent good in all people and celebrate that. By the same token, I despise hypocrisy and will point it out, regardless of theological beliefs or political ideology.  Being fairly outspoken and opinionated, I tend to get attacked from both sides. I suppose that makes me an equal opportunity offender.

When looking at divisions in the Church, I always go back to Paul's interaction with the Stoics and Epicureans at the Aeropagus in Athens. (See Acts 17:16-34)  I suppose you could classify Paul as the Conservative Fundamentalist, and the philosophers as the spiritual seekers, maybe Universalists.  Maybe just Rob Bell followers. Had to stick that one in there!  :)  I actually love Rob Bell.  But either way, Paul is presenting the truths of Christ to a group of people with very different beliefs; the antithesis of the truths that Paul is defending.  In essence, he's asking them to reject their pluralistic philosophy and beliefs, and embrace a very narrow view of theology.  Both parties had ample opportunity to begin throwing stones, especially the Athenians who were more threatened that Paul.  Division could have developed and the discussion shut down before it even began.

But something refreshing happens at the end of this discourse. Paul finishes saying what he has to say, making clear the truths of God and his belief in the resurrection through Christ. "When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” At that, Paul left the Council." (Acts 17:32 & 33)  

We see three interesting things in this small verse that I think can help all of us avoid some of the divisions that inundate faith communities from time to time.

1. Face it. There will always exist people that firmly and angrily disagree with you, and from time to time, you will respond with anger to those who disagree with you. (some of them sneered)  It's going to happen. We're all messed up people. Let us do the best we can to keep our hearts open and loving toward one another.  "Love one another" leaves no room for hate. (John 13)

2. Dialogue can continue, even when we adamantly disagree. "We want to hear you again on this subject." Translation: I respect your views and beliefs. I love you and would love to talk again sometime. I'll buy the coffee! 

3. Change the subject! End it! When disagreements arise and come to a stalemate, we need to learn to leave it alone for a while.  "At that, Paul left the Council."  None of us are ever going to agree on everything and it's impossible to change someone views just by a simple conversation. That's a good thing!  We all don't have to share the same beliefs in order to celebrate community together.  Disagreements do not have to equate to anger or hatred. 

Let us learn to to rejoice in what we agree on, but also celebrate our difference as well.  The journey of life and faith would be a pretty boring if we all walked upon the same path.