I'll begin with a confession: I go to church with old people. Now our church doesn't smell like moth balls; we don't have afghans hanging over any pews; and we don't have those old wooden attendance boards at the front of our sanctuary. We do have more than a few walkers. We have a hearing aid blow like the final trumpet about every other worship service. We do open hymnals every Sunday. While we have our fair share of children, youth, young adults, and median adults, I must confess that I go to church with old people.
To be honest, I've never thought I needed to confess this. I mean, I've always gone to church with old people, and until recently, I've never thought about doing otherwise.
I was checking out at a book store when the clerk looked down at my books on theology and preaching and said, "You must be a pastor."
"Yes," I replied.
"You're awfully young to be a pastor. You must pastor a church full of young people."
"No, we have people of all ages- even senior adults." (See, I don't call them "old people," I call them "senior adults." Job security I guess!)
Shocked, the young man said, "You pastor a church full of old people?" Those are the words that came out of his mouth, but his expression made me wonder if I had said, "I pastor a church full of the Taliban." This young man was flabbergasted that a 31 year old guy would not only pastor a church with old people in it but also find joy in doing so. He proceeded to tell me about his church that didn't have any old people so they didn't have to worry about tradition, it wasn't a big deal to change anything, and the music made you want to dance rather than go to sleep. Turns out, there are numerous churches like this in the OKC metro- and most metros.
Now I'm not judging other kinds of churches. I believe the Kingdom of God has many expressions, and I've learned to find beauty in the diversity. It's not that I despise churches with no room for senior adults; it's just that I don't understand them. I don't understand why we would question churches without racial, class, or ideological diversity, but we are fully comfortable with churches that contain only one generation. Heck, church growth models even seek to create churches like this. I don't understand why we throw out the baby of good tradition with the bathwater of paralyzing traditionalism. (I believe it was Jeroslav Pelikan who said, "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.") I don't understand why we succumb to the cultural myth that newer is always better and anything old (or anything that looks old) is to be avoided. I don't understand why we place so much more emphasis on styles of worship that appeal to age demographics than the content and focus of worship which appeals to God. I don't understand why younger people are so resistant to stereotypes, but so quick to generalize about senior adults. I don't understand why we would intentionally create a church where our children would never rub shoulders with those of other generations, where we rarely sang the hymns that have sustained the faithful for ages, and where we never do a funeral. (How do we celebrate resurrection when no one in our church has ever tasted death?) I just don't understand.
Is it possible that many churches have bought into the rampant marketing strategies of our culture which says anything old is to be remodeled or discarded for something new? Is it possible that in our efforts to reach out to the marginalized in our culture, we have been blinded to how we often ostracize the elderly? Is it possible that some of our cool churches are as ghettoized as some of the more traditional ones? Is it possible that we have placed more emphasis on who we are attempting to attract than who we are attempting to reflect? Is it possible that, in an effort to be fresh and new, we have turned our backs on thousands of years of Christian wisdom before us?
One of the great joys I've had as a pastor is sharing life with the senior adults in various churches. They have taught me, corrected me, encouraged me, and inspired me. They have made the church better in a myriad of ways. Here are a few:
1) Senior adults bring the wisdom of the ages rather than the fad of the moment. Their multitudinous experiences deepen the life of the church and enrich the practices of the church. They serve as an indictment on the "cult of the new," those in our society who believe novelty always trumps truth. Seniors can speak wisdom (not advice, but wisdom) into the lives of those further downstream. For example, this last Sunday, one of our senior adult women spoke in worship about a 3-4 month period in which she lost her son to brain cancer, a grandson in a car wreck, and a sister in law to a heart attack which took place at the grandson's funeral. It is enough to make Job cry. At the end of her story, she pointed to our congregation and said, "God never left us, and God will never leave you. It's going to be OK." Everyone was moved, regardless of whether you were 91 or 19.
2) Senior adults bring perspective to the church. Their mere presence offers a sense of transcendence. They are subtle reminders that the church was here long before I was born and will be here long after I'm gone. At every one of their funerals, I'm reminded of our task of carrying the torch they leave behind. As their bodies become more feeble, I'm reminded of the frailty of humanity and our desperate need for God's healing. They help us think beyond today.
3) Senior adults bring life to the church. I know this seems backwards, but I've seen it too many times. Senior adults do not resist change; they resist empty and vaporous change. They care very deeply about their children and grandchildren (and the nature of the church at which they will feel at home). They love God passionately, and they model care for their neighbor. For example, we have a group called "Pray and Sew," which is a group of older women who gather once a month to pray and sew (we are very creative with our names). At first, this group seemed harmless enough- just a bunch of cute senior adult women sewing and knitting. However, over the last 4 years, they have made thousands of first class garments for hospitals, nursing homes, grieving families, and the military. Their ministry reaches all around our city, our state, and our world.
I have no utopian views of old age, nor the senior adults which compose our identity. It's not really the age of a congregation I'm concerned about, but the vision of it. Surely, churches should reflect their communities demographically. But even more than reflecting our community, the church is called to reflect our God. When churches begin to "target" a certain demographic, I can't help but feel far removed from Jesus whose target audience was....well... whosoever would come.
And so, I will continue to treasure the old people of Spring Creek. We will follow Jesus together, laugh together, and cry together. I'll continue to push a few wheelchairs. I'll continue to hear stories from days gone by. I'll continue to wonder if the distinct odor of Ben Gay smells anything like the ancient offering of incense. I will continue to be awed by the life in their wrinkles and the love in their eyes.
As for me, I hope I die as an old man full of years. I hope the old man I become is somewhat wise, tolerably cantankerous, and fully faithful. I also hope some people I go to church with will come to my funeral, especially those who are much younger than I am. I hope they come because we knew each other, had broken bread from the same loaf, answered the same call, shared life together, and called each other brother and sister.
For now, I'll keep going to church with old people.
turning aside to consider life, theology, and culture...
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Thunder, Bedlam, Politics, and the Gospel
So I've given myself some time to calm down. I'm no longer yelling at the refs or the Thunder or LeBron or the other people who bear the burden of watching a game with me. I must concede that the Heat simply bested the Thunder. Nothing more. Nothing less. Now I've had time for some reflection.
I have been astounded by the energy in OKC during the Thunder's run this year. Flags were hung on car windows and draped over buildings. Everywhere I went, people wore Thunder hats and shirts. Everyone has been talking about the Thunder. The team captured the city, and they were a breath of fresh air. For a long time, I have wondered about the source of the Thunder's appeal. For a while, I thought it was the exciting brand of baskeball; then I thought it was the joy of watching young players grow up before our eyes; and then I thought it was just winning. Last week, my friend Stacy Pyle offered an observation and light bulbs finally fired in my mind (which doesn't happen very often). Stacy said, "It has been so refreshing to have a sports team that unites us rather than divides us."
You see, before the Thunder, Oklahoma never had a professional sports team (the Hornets' brief stint in OKC is the lone, brief exception). For the last three quarters of a century, Oklahoma has been a state that revolves around college sports, namely the two major universities. When it comes to college sports, the lines are clearly drawn. Sooners or Cowboys. Red or Orange. Billy Sims or Barry Sanders. People who were born into loyalty to one university never dared convert to the other. Conversion meant shame and denial. Now there is a pronounced energy surrounding the sporting events of these two universities, especially when they play each other, but it is a negative energy. Fear of losing to the other school often trumps the joys of winning. Neither team can find it in themselves to root for the other. In Oklahoma, college sports renders the state divided.
Then, the Thunder came to town. Everyone wears blue. Everyone cheers for the same team. When the Thunder play, Sooners and Cowboys actually watch the game together. The energy equalled that of the Bedlam, but it was positive energy- the kind that unites us. This season, we all cheered together, cried together, and griped together (dang free throws...). Together is the operative word.
In the last couple of weeks, I've seen some parallels between OKC's sports loyalties and the differences between politics and the gospel. I know this goes without saying, but our land is paralyzed by partisan lines. The palpable energy is that of divisiveness and resistance, like trying to force the positive ends of two magnets together. Oftentimes, what energizes one party is their opposition to the other. Seriously, does anyone steeped in partisan politics ever change their mind? Is there any openness to creativity and "third ways?" Is there anyone who cares more about the common good than political expediency? Is there anyone left who cares more about people than ideology? When the focus is on partisan politics and hot button political issues, my church (and I'm guessing yours) is split right down the middle.
The gospel, on the other hand, brings an inherent energy to a community, but it is a positive energy- like the strong attraction between the different poles of a magnet. The gospel brings the community of faith together. To borrow a phrase from Martin Luther King Jr., "We only find common ground in the higher ground." For Christians, the gospel is higher ground. The way of Jesus is not the least common denominator for us; it is the GREATEST common denominator. I'm not advocating for an evasion of the pressing issues of our day. We must not hide our head in the sand. But I am questioning what determines the pressing issues of our day: partisan agendas or the Divine mission? If we forget the wisdom of our center, we will never have the wisdom to speak to our circumference.
So my plea to the church is to step into the higher ground of the gospel. Let us center our lives on the things Jesus centered his life on, rather than the incendiary issues which claim prominence in our day. Let's remember that the cross is our symbol, not an elephant or donkey. Let's find our energy in the things which unite us around the communion table rather than the cynical rhetoric which fills our air waves. Let's listen to each other sincerely and authentically, but let's listen to Jesus first and foremost.
I guess what I'm saying is let's put down the red and orange and pick up some Thunder blue. After all, they did have enough wisdom to draft a Baylor Bear this last week!
I have been astounded by the energy in OKC during the Thunder's run this year. Flags were hung on car windows and draped over buildings. Everywhere I went, people wore Thunder hats and shirts. Everyone has been talking about the Thunder. The team captured the city, and they were a breath of fresh air. For a long time, I have wondered about the source of the Thunder's appeal. For a while, I thought it was the exciting brand of baskeball; then I thought it was the joy of watching young players grow up before our eyes; and then I thought it was just winning. Last week, my friend Stacy Pyle offered an observation and light bulbs finally fired in my mind (which doesn't happen very often). Stacy said, "It has been so refreshing to have a sports team that unites us rather than divides us."
You see, before the Thunder, Oklahoma never had a professional sports team (the Hornets' brief stint in OKC is the lone, brief exception). For the last three quarters of a century, Oklahoma has been a state that revolves around college sports, namely the two major universities. When it comes to college sports, the lines are clearly drawn. Sooners or Cowboys. Red or Orange. Billy Sims or Barry Sanders. People who were born into loyalty to one university never dared convert to the other. Conversion meant shame and denial. Now there is a pronounced energy surrounding the sporting events of these two universities, especially when they play each other, but it is a negative energy. Fear of losing to the other school often trumps the joys of winning. Neither team can find it in themselves to root for the other. In Oklahoma, college sports renders the state divided.
Then, the Thunder came to town. Everyone wears blue. Everyone cheers for the same team. When the Thunder play, Sooners and Cowboys actually watch the game together. The energy equalled that of the Bedlam, but it was positive energy- the kind that unites us. This season, we all cheered together, cried together, and griped together (dang free throws...). Together is the operative word.
In the last couple of weeks, I've seen some parallels between OKC's sports loyalties and the differences between politics and the gospel. I know this goes without saying, but our land is paralyzed by partisan lines. The palpable energy is that of divisiveness and resistance, like trying to force the positive ends of two magnets together. Oftentimes, what energizes one party is their opposition to the other. Seriously, does anyone steeped in partisan politics ever change their mind? Is there any openness to creativity and "third ways?" Is there anyone who cares more about the common good than political expediency? Is there anyone left who cares more about people than ideology? When the focus is on partisan politics and hot button political issues, my church (and I'm guessing yours) is split right down the middle.
The gospel, on the other hand, brings an inherent energy to a community, but it is a positive energy- like the strong attraction between the different poles of a magnet. The gospel brings the community of faith together. To borrow a phrase from Martin Luther King Jr., "We only find common ground in the higher ground." For Christians, the gospel is higher ground. The way of Jesus is not the least common denominator for us; it is the GREATEST common denominator. I'm not advocating for an evasion of the pressing issues of our day. We must not hide our head in the sand. But I am questioning what determines the pressing issues of our day: partisan agendas or the Divine mission? If we forget the wisdom of our center, we will never have the wisdom to speak to our circumference.
So my plea to the church is to step into the higher ground of the gospel. Let us center our lives on the things Jesus centered his life on, rather than the incendiary issues which claim prominence in our day. Let's remember that the cross is our symbol, not an elephant or donkey. Let's find our energy in the things which unite us around the communion table rather than the cynical rhetoric which fills our air waves. Let's listen to each other sincerely and authentically, but let's listen to Jesus first and foremost.
I guess what I'm saying is let's put down the red and orange and pick up some Thunder blue. After all, they did have enough wisdom to draft a Baylor Bear this last week!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Imagination and Faith
We were all born with imaginations. Most of us had imaginary friends. We had no problem accepting strange tales of other worlds or alternative realities. In children's stories, it isn't uncommon for animals to talk in plain English or people to possess some superhuman capability. But somewhere along the way, we usually begin to discourage imagination in our children. We tell them to stop using the imaginative aspects of their brains and begin using other forms of cognition- namely reason. Education in Western culture is heavy on reason and empirical evidence and light on imagination. Thus, we regularly exercise our reason while our imaginations atrophy.
Of late, I have begun to long for a return of imagination to the practices of the church. I can see several ways in which a healthy imagination might enrich the faith community.
1) The majority of Jesus' teachings appeal to the imagination rather than reason. Parables and paradox (Jesus' favorite ways of teaching) were never meant to be understood- but experienced. Who among us hasn't wanted to attend the party the Father threw for his prodigal son (or become infuriated by it!). If Jesus wanted to convey static, rationalistic truth he could have given us a few formulae or a couple of lists (aka, 7 ways to...). Rather, he told stories that demanded participation and imagination in order to fully transform the person. Mathematical formulae teach us, but good stories change us.
2) Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote that prayer was "dreaming in league with God." Thus prayer is dreaming God's dreams after him. This notion of prayer has often saved me from self-absorbed drudgery. Oftentimes, I find myself dreaming with God about a situation, the church, or the world in a way that words could never convey. Perhaps the simplest definition of prayer is dreaming with God. (By the way, have you ever noticed how prominent dreams are in the Bible as sources of revelation but how skeptical we are of them today).
3) The Bible is chock full of metaphor, which convey meaning at a level deeper than reason. Metaphors demand imagination, because as their most literal level, metaphors are lies. When we say, "God is a rock," or "God is our Father," we must- even subconsciously- play with what that means in our lives.
4) Our younger generations are open to imagination in a way that older generations are not. Many youth I know are more comfortable in the world of Harry Potter than 5th period biology. They are comfortable thinking about alternative realities as opposed to the "real world" we see before our eyes. It's not that biology isn't true; it's just that biological truth doesn't matter as much as other truth.
5) That which controls our imaginations controls our lives. We live in a world that appeals to image in every way, and what we see behind our eyes shapes what we see in front of them. Those who see the universe as a closed system of cause and effect will find evidence to support the same. Those who see the universe as a creation full of mystery and wonder will find evidence to support the same. The world we imagine is usually the world we seek to create. If we believe that, in God's reality, lions lie down with lambs, then fear and self-preservation are no longer the primal motivations behind everything we do, and peace becomes a viable way of life in the world.
I'm not saying that faith is irrational, and I fully believe that we should use our best reason in being God's people. However, I do believe that faith is super-rational, and oftentimes our imaginations are better guides in the land of mystery and wonder than our reason.
For all these reasons (and more) I believe the church should be a place where imagination is welcomed and cultivated. What do you think?
Of late, I have begun to long for a return of imagination to the practices of the church. I can see several ways in which a healthy imagination might enrich the faith community.
1) The majority of Jesus' teachings appeal to the imagination rather than reason. Parables and paradox (Jesus' favorite ways of teaching) were never meant to be understood- but experienced. Who among us hasn't wanted to attend the party the Father threw for his prodigal son (or become infuriated by it!). If Jesus wanted to convey static, rationalistic truth he could have given us a few formulae or a couple of lists (aka, 7 ways to...). Rather, he told stories that demanded participation and imagination in order to fully transform the person. Mathematical formulae teach us, but good stories change us.
2) Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote that prayer was "dreaming in league with God." Thus prayer is dreaming God's dreams after him. This notion of prayer has often saved me from self-absorbed drudgery. Oftentimes, I find myself dreaming with God about a situation, the church, or the world in a way that words could never convey. Perhaps the simplest definition of prayer is dreaming with God. (By the way, have you ever noticed how prominent dreams are in the Bible as sources of revelation but how skeptical we are of them today).
3) The Bible is chock full of metaphor, which convey meaning at a level deeper than reason. Metaphors demand imagination, because as their most literal level, metaphors are lies. When we say, "God is a rock," or "God is our Father," we must- even subconsciously- play with what that means in our lives.
4) Our younger generations are open to imagination in a way that older generations are not. Many youth I know are more comfortable in the world of Harry Potter than 5th period biology. They are comfortable thinking about alternative realities as opposed to the "real world" we see before our eyes. It's not that biology isn't true; it's just that biological truth doesn't matter as much as other truth.
5) That which controls our imaginations controls our lives. We live in a world that appeals to image in every way, and what we see behind our eyes shapes what we see in front of them. Those who see the universe as a closed system of cause and effect will find evidence to support the same. Those who see the universe as a creation full of mystery and wonder will find evidence to support the same. The world we imagine is usually the world we seek to create. If we believe that, in God's reality, lions lie down with lambs, then fear and self-preservation are no longer the primal motivations behind everything we do, and peace becomes a viable way of life in the world.
I'm not saying that faith is irrational, and I fully believe that we should use our best reason in being God's people. However, I do believe that faith is super-rational, and oftentimes our imaginations are better guides in the land of mystery and wonder than our reason.
For all these reasons (and more) I believe the church should be a place where imagination is welcomed and cultivated. What do you think?
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Ten Things I Would Tell Myself
So it's graduation season, the time when we talk about beginnings being disguised as endings and when kids get their first taste of "the real world" (whatever that means). This week, I began thinking about what I would tell my 18 year-old, about-to-graduate self if I could go back in time and share some things I've learned along the way. Here is what I came up with:
1) Make friends with mystery. The more you learn, the more you will learn how much you have to learn. This world is full of wonder and mystery, and the One who made it loves surprises. Don't feel like mystery is willful ignorance; rather it is the humble admission that Ultimate Reality doesn't fit easily into your brain. To force it in explodes the brain and shrinks the reality at the same time.
2) Life is pure gift. You have never earned one breath. The sun comes up at the hand of a power not your own. On the day you were born, someone else did the labor. Life is pure gift. So live it, because sleepwalking through it is an offense to the One who gave it to you.
3) Don't be ashamed to say you are on a journey. There will be issues that you need to wrestle with and illumination will not come instantaneously. Some people in your journey will claim that faith is certainty (arrival). But faith isn't certainty- faith is trusting enough to keep going in the face of all the questions (journey). Following Jesus demands one who is willing to journey- so don't be ashamed to admit that you are on one.
4) Don't focus as much on a prayer life as a life of prayer. There are people who gauge their faith quantitatively, counting the number of hours they spend in formal prayer. However, everything you offer up to God is prayer, so live in such a way that ALL of life is prayer. It should be easier to identify when you are not praying than when you are. Let prayer permeate your entire life- not just 1 hour (or 23) of your day.
5) Listen! Pay attention. God reveals himself through words. Listen, really listen, to others when they talk. Notice what is said and unsaid. Don't just read books, listen to them. The shortest way to your heart is through your ears. As a minister, you will have your fair share of time to be the one talking. If you never listen, you'll rarely have anything worth saying.
6) Have a soft heart and tough skin. Have compassion for others. So much of our society depends on numbness, but never lose the capacity to feel for others. Let others in, warts and all. At the same time, don't let every little criticism depress you. Don't let others define your ministry or determine your character. Sure, let others have an impact on you but never control you. Be a servant to all and a slave to none.
7) Keep up with friends and family. Don't assume they know your love and care. Communicate it regularly. There are a million forces in this world that prevent you from staying in touch with them, but let love outweigh them all.
8) Don't be afraid of the truth. Jesus is the truth, so every time you seek the truth you are seeking Jesus. Wherever you discover truth (whether in science projects, studying other faiths, learning from friends, reading the Bible, confessing your own sins) you can see a little more of God's heart. Therefore, don't be afraid to peer behind partisan slants and sectarian creeds to seek the Truth that trumps all truths. There will be days when all you have are doubts, but those are the growing pains of your faith growing up and branching out. Also, speak the truth, as best you know how, with all the sensitivity love requires.
9) Never confuse your truth with the truth. Most of the evils perpetrated in this world are laid on the altar of truth. To assume that you have a sure view of God's reality is either to maximize your vision or minimize your God. Humility is a virtue of the mind, as well as the heart. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they are evil or that they speak no truth at all. It might mean that both of you are right (or wrong). Since God is an awfully big God, you need all the perspectives you can gather. Read people you KNOW you will disagree with. Listen to varying traditions. Learn. Grow. Seek.
10) Love. Love deep and wide. Risk the pain and agony that love often costs. Love God and neighbor as if it is the most important thing in all the world, because, well.... it is.
So what would you tell your 18 year-old, about-to-graduate self?
1) Make friends with mystery. The more you learn, the more you will learn how much you have to learn. This world is full of wonder and mystery, and the One who made it loves surprises. Don't feel like mystery is willful ignorance; rather it is the humble admission that Ultimate Reality doesn't fit easily into your brain. To force it in explodes the brain and shrinks the reality at the same time.
2) Life is pure gift. You have never earned one breath. The sun comes up at the hand of a power not your own. On the day you were born, someone else did the labor. Life is pure gift. So live it, because sleepwalking through it is an offense to the One who gave it to you.
3) Don't be ashamed to say you are on a journey. There will be issues that you need to wrestle with and illumination will not come instantaneously. Some people in your journey will claim that faith is certainty (arrival). But faith isn't certainty- faith is trusting enough to keep going in the face of all the questions (journey). Following Jesus demands one who is willing to journey- so don't be ashamed to admit that you are on one.
4) Don't focus as much on a prayer life as a life of prayer. There are people who gauge their faith quantitatively, counting the number of hours they spend in formal prayer. However, everything you offer up to God is prayer, so live in such a way that ALL of life is prayer. It should be easier to identify when you are not praying than when you are. Let prayer permeate your entire life- not just 1 hour (or 23) of your day.
5) Listen! Pay attention. God reveals himself through words. Listen, really listen, to others when they talk. Notice what is said and unsaid. Don't just read books, listen to them. The shortest way to your heart is through your ears. As a minister, you will have your fair share of time to be the one talking. If you never listen, you'll rarely have anything worth saying.
6) Have a soft heart and tough skin. Have compassion for others. So much of our society depends on numbness, but never lose the capacity to feel for others. Let others in, warts and all. At the same time, don't let every little criticism depress you. Don't let others define your ministry or determine your character. Sure, let others have an impact on you but never control you. Be a servant to all and a slave to none.
7) Keep up with friends and family. Don't assume they know your love and care. Communicate it regularly. There are a million forces in this world that prevent you from staying in touch with them, but let love outweigh them all.
8) Don't be afraid of the truth. Jesus is the truth, so every time you seek the truth you are seeking Jesus. Wherever you discover truth (whether in science projects, studying other faiths, learning from friends, reading the Bible, confessing your own sins) you can see a little more of God's heart. Therefore, don't be afraid to peer behind partisan slants and sectarian creeds to seek the Truth that trumps all truths. There will be days when all you have are doubts, but those are the growing pains of your faith growing up and branching out. Also, speak the truth, as best you know how, with all the sensitivity love requires.
9) Never confuse your truth with the truth. Most of the evils perpetrated in this world are laid on the altar of truth. To assume that you have a sure view of God's reality is either to maximize your vision or minimize your God. Humility is a virtue of the mind, as well as the heart. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they are evil or that they speak no truth at all. It might mean that both of you are right (or wrong). Since God is an awfully big God, you need all the perspectives you can gather. Read people you KNOW you will disagree with. Listen to varying traditions. Learn. Grow. Seek.
10) Love. Love deep and wide. Risk the pain and agony that love often costs. Love God and neighbor as if it is the most important thing in all the world, because, well.... it is.
So what would you tell your 18 year-old, about-to-graduate self?
Saturday, May 12, 2012
In Praise of the Mothers
The first chapter of Luke records a song/prayer from the mouth of a young girl, a virgin from Nazareth which was a small, insignificant town in Galilee that didn't even merit one mention in the Old Testament. Most scholars believe the girl to be in her early teens. No doubt, she was from the lower rungs of the social ladder, and she had virtually no say in the affairs of her life. Yet, God chooses this insignificant girl in the middle of nowhere to be the mother of the Messiah. Before the chapter is over, she breaks out into song, praising the God who lifts up the humble (including her) and brings down the proud. This is a song of social subversion, a God who makes justice in an unjust world.
Just three chapters later, in Luke 4, Jesus is preaching his first public sermon. No surprise that Nazareth is the setting. Jesus reads a passage from Isaiah 61, a text which speaks of God's renewal movement in Jerusalem and beyond. The poor will be lifted up, prisoners will be released, the blind will see, and the oppressed will be liberated. Jesus states, "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing," and he goes on to state that the scripture is not just fulfilled for Israel, but also Israel's enemies. Again, this kind of message turned the prevailing social structures and popular theologies on their heads. In his first address, Jesus announces a Kingdom which turns the world as we know it on its head.
While Jesus could have gotten this idea from his study of the Hebrew Bible, I believe it might have originated from somewhere else. Perhaps Jesus' first inclinations of God were transmuted before he was even conscious of it. I imagine Mary, nursing Jesus in her rocking chair in Nazareth, and singing a simple song about an amazing God who turns the world upside down. I imagine that song getting in Jesus' blood as much as Mary's milk did. And by the time Jesus is an adult, Mary's song continues to sound through him. When I read Jesus' sermon in Nazareth, I hear echoes of Mary's song from the same place.
I've come to believe that most of our views of God are more caught than taught. They have more to do with intuition than formal training. They arise more from observing attitudes and behaviors than reading books or taking classes. If this is the case, then I am hard pressed to think of a more important role in the world than that of mothers, who shape children in their most malleable stages.
And so, on this mother's day eve, I would like to thank my mother, who in her words and actions, taught me to love the Scriptures. She didn't just read for information, but transformation. She didn't try to make them relevant to her life- she made her life relevant to them. From my earliest days, I remember her praying from places deep within her soul to places deep with God's being. Truly, deep called to deep. Always, ALWAYS, she sought to serve rather than be served. In times of conflict, she was the peacemaker, oftentimes absorbing pain and hurt that wasn't hers to begin with. In all this, she loved my brother and me unconditionally. While I have spent the last 12 years of my life studying religious matters, I can see that no class has shaped me more than observing my own mother.
I would also like to thank my wife, who is a wonderful mother to two incredible boys. In many ways, she is their safe place. When they are afraid, they want their mother. When they are hurt, they want their mother. When they are happy and want to share it, they want their mother. She knows them better than any other. She teaches them to see God in the little things, and she teaches them that loving God and others is the big thing. She teaches them to consider others before themselves. In her life, she exhibits joy and treasures relationships. Even in their worst moments, Paxton and Truett never question the love of their mother.
And so, I would like to praise all the mothers out there, the normal women in the middle of nowhere performing the most mundane chores. I would like to thank those whose songs of faith will echo in the lives of their children for years to come. More specifically, I would like to honor my mother, Gina, and my wife, Rebecca, whose songs I can't help but sing.
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Just three chapters later, in Luke 4, Jesus is preaching his first public sermon. No surprise that Nazareth is the setting. Jesus reads a passage from Isaiah 61, a text which speaks of God's renewal movement in Jerusalem and beyond. The poor will be lifted up, prisoners will be released, the blind will see, and the oppressed will be liberated. Jesus states, "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing," and he goes on to state that the scripture is not just fulfilled for Israel, but also Israel's enemies. Again, this kind of message turned the prevailing social structures and popular theologies on their heads. In his first address, Jesus announces a Kingdom which turns the world as we know it on its head.
While Jesus could have gotten this idea from his study of the Hebrew Bible, I believe it might have originated from somewhere else. Perhaps Jesus' first inclinations of God were transmuted before he was even conscious of it. I imagine Mary, nursing Jesus in her rocking chair in Nazareth, and singing a simple song about an amazing God who turns the world upside down. I imagine that song getting in Jesus' blood as much as Mary's milk did. And by the time Jesus is an adult, Mary's song continues to sound through him. When I read Jesus' sermon in Nazareth, I hear echoes of Mary's song from the same place.
I've come to believe that most of our views of God are more caught than taught. They have more to do with intuition than formal training. They arise more from observing attitudes and behaviors than reading books or taking classes. If this is the case, then I am hard pressed to think of a more important role in the world than that of mothers, who shape children in their most malleable stages.
And so, on this mother's day eve, I would like to thank my mother, who in her words and actions, taught me to love the Scriptures. She didn't just read for information, but transformation. She didn't try to make them relevant to her life- she made her life relevant to them. From my earliest days, I remember her praying from places deep within her soul to places deep with God's being. Truly, deep called to deep. Always, ALWAYS, she sought to serve rather than be served. In times of conflict, she was the peacemaker, oftentimes absorbing pain and hurt that wasn't hers to begin with. In all this, she loved my brother and me unconditionally. While I have spent the last 12 years of my life studying religious matters, I can see that no class has shaped me more than observing my own mother.
I would also like to thank my wife, who is a wonderful mother to two incredible boys. In many ways, she is their safe place. When they are afraid, they want their mother. When they are hurt, they want their mother. When they are happy and want to share it, they want their mother. She knows them better than any other. She teaches them to see God in the little things, and she teaches them that loving God and others is the big thing. She teaches them to consider others before themselves. In her life, she exhibits joy and treasures relationships. Even in their worst moments, Paxton and Truett never question the love of their mother.
And so, I would like to praise all the mothers out there, the normal women in the middle of nowhere performing the most mundane chores. I would like to thank those whose songs of faith will echo in the lives of their children for years to come. More specifically, I would like to honor my mother, Gina, and my wife, Rebecca, whose songs I can't help but sing.
Happy Mother's Day!!!
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