Seasons (The Seventh Day of Christmas)

For an adult, an average of 50-70 billion cells die per day.
One million red blood cells are removed and replaced each second.
It's estimated that in the whole observable universe, 275 million stars die and are born each year.

On both the macro and micro levels, things are dying and things are coming alive every moment of every second of every minute or every hour of every day.

One of the most common forms of literary expression we find in the scriptures is the symbolism of death and rebirth. It's found in the rituals of animal sacrifice, where a goat or a calf is offered to a priest for slaughter.

It's found in the gospels in the death and rebirth of Jesus.

It's found in Revelation in the death and rebirth of the heavens and the earth. 

I'm not sure that Revelation was so much a hoped for reality for the first Christians as it was a warning against the coming assault by the Roman empire, but needless to say the symbolism is there.

So, why does death and rebirth constitute so much content in the Bible as well as every other religion on the planet?

For the original audience, they believed that everything and everyone would eventually be reborn through the God of Israel. For the first reformed Jews (or Christians), that rebirth would happen through believing in Jesus, who they claimed was the son of God. Regardless of the theological peculiarities, there's something behind all this death and rebirth. 

For the Buddhist, everything starts with energy and ends in energy. It's a circle of life.
For the Hindu, death is the last gift in life. 
For the Christian, spiritual death and rebirth are accessible in this life. 

One of the most fundamental displays of the death and rebirth process happens in gardening. 

You start with a pot, which is made of clay, which is made of dirt, which is made of humus?

And what is humus?

Glad you asked.

Humus is decomposed materials (feces, leaves, wood, animal stuff, etc.)

And you take the pot, and fill it with the same thing the pot is essentially made of, right?

And then you plant seeds, which are what came out of something that died, right?

And then the seeds open up and sprout little plants.

And then the plants bear fruit.

And then the plants die.

And then where do they go? 

That's right, they become humus, which, eventually turns into another clay pot that someone down the line's gonna use to start the process all over again.

And so the process is evident all around us, from the cells in our bodies to the stars in the universe.

For the writers of the scriptures, this natural component of death and life was woven into the fabric of their belief systems. And so, it only made sense that death and life had just as much a part to play in the heavens as it did on earth. In the natural world, the authors were convinced that just as the grass died and grew back season after season and year after year, it was just as plausible that the human spirit went through constant seasons of death and rebirth. And for them, in the end, it would end in life and this life would be eternal.

For Aristotle, nature abhorred a vacuum.  Nature required every space to be filled with something, even if that something was colorless and odorless air.

For the first followers of Jesus, the concepts of death and life are what separated this king from all the other kings that kept dying off. All the caesars of Rome (even though they thought themselves to be sons of God and chosen to sit at the right hand) would die and be replaced by another. But, for some reason, for the first followers, Jesus never really died off. If anything, his death essentially created something. It spurred a movement that only gained momentum as time went by. And as they found themselves caught up in this evolving, growing movement, they realized that what Jesus had taught them was something more than they had originally thought. The momentum was gaining so much speed that they felt invincible, and they started placing royal names on Jesus. And they started worshiping Jesus and saying things like "he's the son of God." 

Something was created through the death of Jesus.
Just as new cells are created as old ones pass away.
Just as new stars are born as old stars die.
Just as new plants grow out of the death of old ones.

Foster Home (The Sixth Day of Christmas)

A few years back, I was spending time at this home that cared for aged-out foster kids. Over time, I came to know one of the residents pretty well. He was eighteen, and I thought he looked like Jimi Hendrix. I think he was trying to look like him. As I hung around him more, I learned that he'd run away from his home with his brother, but he hadn't seen his brother in a very long time. He loved to play the guitar, and so one day one of the folks from our church bought him a brand new starter guitar. 

So, he started practicing. He learned the chords. He learned how to sing and play at the same time. At first, he had a hard time keeping rhythm while he sang, after a couple months really got the hang of it. And as he developed his guitar skills, opportunities started opening up for him. He'd catch wind of an open mike happening somewhere, and though he didn't have a car, someone would offer to load up his equipment and take him to the bar to play. 

Another thing about this guy was, no one could get through to him. Me and the other folks who would visit on a regular basis were on a completely different course in life. We were middle to upper class, had jobs, and had an education. And so, the things we thought my friend should do with his life were completely different than what my friend thought he should do with his life. There were many "come to Jesus" talks about how he should dress appropriately, and how he should be applying for jobs, and how he should've been working on going to school. 

But all my friend wanted to do was write songs and play the guitar. And he kept getting in trouble at the home because he didn't want to stay there. He wanted to be free to chase after his dreams of making it big in the music industry. So he formed a band, and I had the pleasure of playing in some of his first gigs ever. I'll never forget playing in a country ballroom and he was the only black person around. While everyone was in Wranglers and Stetsons, he was wearing a leather jacket, a scarf, and dark-tinted sunglasses. He really looked like what I thought Jimi Hendrix would look like today. 

He didn't care who was in the crowd though, and it made me not care either. Once the song would start, the audience vanished. It was just him, and I, and the lyrics. He'd get lost in the lyrics, and they would take him away to a place he'd never been before. The lyrics would infuse hope and beauty into his somewhat chaotic life, and you could watch it play out on his face as he sang. 

I was scanning through some Facebook pictures yesterday and found some shots of us playing together, and it took me back. Then, I found that he'd started a page for his current band. He's been playing all over the place, at clubs, bars, and music halls, and he has a full band. 

Throughout the process of my friend chasing his dreams, there were the voices of the religious, trying to persuade him to do what they wanted him to do. There were the voices of the parental figures, trying to step in and mentor him into a life of calm monotony. There were the voices of the friends, trying to persuade him to get off his high horse and to join them in there suffering. 

And then, there was another voice. This voice wasn't audible to anyone around. This voice was calling him to a life that was a pipe dream to the people around him. But to him, this voice was the only one that mattered. It was the only voice that would satisfy his desires and calm his nerves and inspire him to dream even bigger. 

And this voice was the one that called him out of the foster home. This voice called him out of the shackles of monotony and another meaningless existence. This voice took on a role of coach and motivational speaker, and, provider. 

He ran with the voice. I haven't seen him in awhile, but I've seen pictures of his concerts. And I imagine that once people saw that he wasn't gonna do as they wished, they backed off and let him go. They let him listen to the one voice that mattered. 

And it's that voice that my friend listened to that is so hard for most of us to listen to. It's the one that calls us out of our dreary existence and invites us into the land of not knowing. And usually, that land is filled with threats. But, the irony is that land is where our passions are. And the only way to get to that land is to stay so focused on the voice that promises to get us where we're supposed to go despite the obstacles and the scary beasts that may try to hinder us. 

In Isaiah, we read about a tribe of people who knew of this voice. And they had tons of obstacles, both outside the tribe and inside. And they believed this voice was delivering them from oppression. This voice was coming from their God. And at this time, it was ridiculous to consider a God that had anything to do with humans. Yet, they believed this God was providing shelter to the homeless, food for the poor, security for orphans, and delivering them from their enemies. They believed this God had a better place for them, and to the outside world they were a threat, because the biggest threat to a world that lives in the status quo is a new idea. And so other kingdoms would try to overtake them and assimilate them into their own way of doing things, but the voice kept whispering and pulling them to a land that was made just for them. 

After many episodes of falling, going backwards, and starting over, this tribe realized finally that no matter what, they had to stick to the little whispers that led them. They had to believe that what was in store for them was better than any of them could imagine. And so, they walked across deserts and mountains, through every weather pattern imaginable to get closer to this land they were promised. 

The hard part about it is, there are gonna be tons of people who claim they hear the same voice. And they'll try to get you to assimilate into what they think the voice is telling them to do. But, no one hears the voice in the same way. The voice says something different to each person. It's a cruel reality to watch someone deny the voice of adventure in their own life to follow the voice of another, but it's happening all around us. If we're not careful, it'll happen to us. 

We each have our own land to arrive at, not somebody else's. When we forsake our own for the false promises of another, we lose passion. We lose our sense of contribution to this world, and spend our time trying to make the best out of situations and jobs and relationships we were never intended to be a part of. And it kills us, because we still hear the echoes of the voice that use to be so familiar and so close to our hearts. And we drudge. The best we can do is put one lousy foot in front of the other, and hope things get better without our having to repent. 

The same voice that called my friend out of that foster home and into the world of music is the same voice that called that tribe of nomads into a land that was "flowing with milk and honey" is the same voice that calls me to write this very morning is the same voice that's been whispering at you every day telling you something's gotta change if you ever want to see the land that's promised ya'.

Applying Human Emotions to God (The Fifth Day of Christmas)

In ancient biblical cultures, it was common for people to attribute human emotions to the gods. For example, if drought came, then people would attribute the human emotion of anger to the god that ruled over the harvest. If rains came, then the human emotion of compassion would be attributed to the same god.

But, this concept isn't so ancient as I'd like to think.

Just a couple years ago, the governor of Texas called all Texans to pray for rain due to a severe drought that was costing millions to the Texas economy.

The concept of the gods being angry isn't as archaic as we'd like it to be.

Throughout the Hebrew scriptures, we see examples of people attributing these emotions to the God of Israel:

1And you will say in that day, "I thank you, GOD. You were angry but your anger wasn't forever. You withdrew your anger and moved in and comforted me.  2"Yes, indeed--God is my salvation. I trust, I won't be afraid. GOD-yes GOD!-is my strength and song, best of all, my salvation!" 3Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation.  4And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to GOD. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation! 5"Sing praise-songs to GOD. He's done it all! Let the whole earth know what he's done!  6Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion! The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel."  Isaiah 12:1-6

But there's a difference between now and then, isn't there? Back then, people were trying to make sense of natural forces that they had no control over. And so, it was a very cultural thing to apply these emotions to a deity - a power that could comfort or oppress.

And I remember my darkest days. With the combination of alcohol and a concept of an angry God, my days were miserably painted with a black brush, every moment trying to invoke this God to stop being angry about the way I was living. The daily routine consisted of sacrificially waking up early in the morning, asking forgiveness for the previous days' sins, memorizing a passage of scripture, and praying for as many people I could think of. But, what was the motivation behind it all?

An attempt to provoke God to bring rain to my drought. Why? Because obviously my actions had caused this God to withhold nourishment from my dry spirit.

What I experienced though wasn't unique.

The more I talk to people about their conceptions of God, the more I find out that this archaic expression of attributing human emotions to this very non-human force is a very current practice. All the way from the atheist who's still being bothered by the ideas of his Catholic upbringing to the practicing Christian who still thinks that her prayers are the motivation of God's good graces.

Now, I'm mainly writing to those who find their instructions for living in the Bible. It seems that there's too many people who are clinging onto expressions that weren't meant to be clung on to - namely, that God is angry (or happy), for that matter.

For the earliest cultures that we've found evidence for, God was known to be a power - an underlying pattern or energy - that gave order to nature. Although the patterns could be seen (like, the relationship between the moon's position and the changing tides), there was always a question mark. That question mark was placed at the beginning. No one could explain why the changing tides resulted from the moon being in a different position.

So, the question mark was always readily supplanted with the idea of a divine force behind nature. And, as cultures progressed, they found they could make more sense of this divine force by applying human characteristics to it. It felt more relational.

Have you ever talked to someone about their dog, and you couldn't help but think, "Does this person think this dog is a human?" And this question raises in your mind because you know dogs don't talk in human voices. They may talk in doggy voices, but we don't know what they're saying (not yet at least).

Somehow, throughout the millennia, the concept that God is angry has crossed over cultures, religions, and societies. It's woven itself into the thinking of millions of people, religious or not. But, I'm writing to the religious.

How can one fully experience Christmas if one thinks God is angry at her?
How can one pray if one thinks God is angry at him?
How can one function if she thinks God is angry with her?
How can one see the beauty in life if he thinks God is angry with him?

With all the knowledge, history, science, biblical scholarship, and anthropological data we have from these ancient biblical cultures, there's no excuse to still be thinking that this God is on the level of human anger or human happiness.

Just like it was in the oldest of cultures, this God was linked to order, power, and the things we couldn't explain. In a way, this God was the mystery behind a black hole and/or the mystery behind gravity. This God was the answer to the age old riddle of "what created the first burst of energy to create what we like to call the Big Bang."

So, rather than applying a happiness or an anger to this God, I find comfort in having a deep sense of order and the sense that "if the lilies of the field are okay, along with the birds of the air, then I'm okay too."

There are good things that come out of applying human characteristics to God, as well as bad things.

The good things: 
It feels relational.
It gives one a sense of purpose in trying to make this God happy (just like one would attempt to make a sick friend or a parent happy).
It gives one a sense of the need for repentance if they feel they aren't in line with what this God wants (just like one would do if they stepped on the toes of a neighbor, they might seek out a way to reconcile with that neighbor).

The bad things:
Concepts like "being out of relationship" start making their mark with this God.
The sense of purpose can be lost if one doesn't feel that they are pleasing this God enough.
One can possibly feel they are repenting and changing their ways, but still not find the relationship with God they were told was possible.
Once human emotions start being applied to the divine, God can become an exclusive deity, only for those who are "good people."

And so, for my Bible reading friends/Jesus followers, we have no excuse for taking what we read in the scriptures (the old testament through Jesus), and still holding onto this idea that God is angry or happy. We're supposed to believe that Jesus showed us a glimpse of what God is like, but most of what was written about Jesus were words that were strategically placed on the lips of Jesus by people who wanted Jesus to play a certain part.

My point of saying all this is, there is an order, a pattern, an energy that we're involved in every moment. And this order is what the ancients called God. The word used in extra-biblical sources to define this power was "wisdom," or, "In the beginning, wisdom created the heavens and the earth . . . " God was never supposed to be this divine, untouchable figure that only the select few could access.

God, or wisdom, represented the knowledge or the power behind the things that humans couldn't explain. And, everyone had access or the ability to seek out that knowledge. Once we put labels like happy or sad and saved or unsaved on this God, we take the original meaning and turn it into the God club where a paid membership is required.

This God, just like in the ancient cultures, has to be accessible to "any old dummy," as my friend Derek says. If not, then chances are that we've boxed this God in with certain religious/political/societal expectations aka "pray for rain."

This God is much bigger than the emotions we like to place on it. This God is much bigger than the sentimental mush we like to put in songs about it. This God is about creating life and energizing the deadness in this world. And when we seek out this God, what we're really seeking out is wisdom. We're seeking out the knowledge of how to both contribute the most to this world and to get the most out of it.

So, here's my advice to the non-religious. When you seek wisdom, you will find it. When you knock on the door of wisdom, it shall be opened.

For the Christian: we adhere to the teachings of Jesus, so that is our route to wisdom. When we do the things that Jesus laid out and did himself, we find what we're looking for - wisdom.

When both the religious and non-religious are seeking out wisdom, the two roads converge and we find that we're no longer trying to appease an angry God, but we feel a deeper sense that God is sustaining order and peace and harmony in all of creation, and we get to be a part of it. We get to participate in the creative energy of this God, and we find that "all these things are being added unto us."

The Great Power and The Great Spirit (Genesis 1)

In an attempt to describe how everything around them came to be, the earliest cultures of the world shared poetic stories similar to this one:

Billions of years ago, a great power in the universe created the the sky above our heads and earth below our feet. There was nothing in the universe except a watery darkness. The Great Power had a Great Spirit that helped it, and the Spirit flew over all the waters. The Great Power said to the Spirit: "Turn on the lights." And the lights turned on. The Great Power liked the light because it took away the darkness and made it easier to see what the Great Power was doing. The Great Power gave light the name "day." And to the darnkness, the Great Power gave the name "night." This all happened on the first day of the Great Power's creation plan.

Then the Great Power told the Great Spirit, "We need to build a home, so separate some of the water from the rest." And the Great Spirit created a gap between the two water masses. The Great Power called the gap between the waters the "heavens." And this all happened on the second day of the Great Power's creation plan.

Then the Great Power told the Great Spirit, "Put all the waters below the heavens into one bowl. and let some of it dry up." When some of the water dried up, rocky textures began to develop, and the Great Power called this "land." The Great Power named the waters that didn't dry up "seas." Then the Great Power told the Great Spirit, "Mix together the water and the land to create plants, and make sure they can reproduce themselves as well as create other kinds of plants." And after the Great Spirit mixed the seas and land together, plants started showing up everywhere. The Great Power loved what it saw, and this all happened on the third day of Great Power's creation plan.

Then the Great Power told the Great Spirit, "Throw some lights into the heavens so we can tell between day and night, and let them tell us when the earth is changing." And so the Great Spirit made two lights - one to control the day and one to control the night. The Great Spirit also threw into the heavens uncountable amounts of different lights, and the Great Power named them "stars." The Great Power loved what became of the heavens, the day, and the night, and this all happened on the forth day of the creation plan.

Then the Great Power said to the Great Spirit, "Fill the seas and the skies with creatures like you and me." And the Great Spirit created the sea monsters and every creature that lives in the sea. It also created every bird that flies in the air. And the Great Power loved what it saw. And the Great Power spoke to the fish and birds, "Produce more of yourselves and different kinds of yourselves. Fill every bit of water and every bit of sky with yourselves." This all happened on the fifth day of the Great Power's creation plan.

Then the Great Power told the Great Spirit, "Create living creatures that live on land, and let them evolve into different kinds of themselves." And the Great Spirit created the beasts of the earth and the cattle, and all the serpents and things that crawl on the ground. The Great Power like what it saw.

Then the Great Power told the Great Spirit, "Lets make a creature that's just like us. They'll talk to each other just like we do. They'll create just like we do. Let them tell the fish and the birds and the beasts what to do for now on." And so the Great Spirit created two more kinds of living creatures very similar to each other, and very similar to the Great Power and Great Spirit. The Great Power called one male and the other female, and told them, "Reproduce yourselves and fill the earth, and produce different kinds of yourself. Tell every living creature on the earth and in the seas what to do because you're in charge of them. Also, use all the plants and trees to feed yourselves and the other living creatures, for they are what produce life for the living creatures." And the Great Power loved what it saw, and this all happened on the sixth day of the creation plan.

What the Birth of Jesus Means for the Racial Tension in America Right Now

When the story of the birth of Jesus was read for the first time to an audience, it was probably much like what it looks like today when a family reads the Christmas story in a living room, everyone gathered around and listening.

The gospel of Luke was written sometime in the late first century, so it was a creative recap of an event that took place at least sixty years before. We really don't have many clues showing us what really happened leading up to the birth of Jesus, so we have to rely on the creative imagination of the gospel writers to tell us what it may have looked like. Not only that, but we need to be able to see who it was written to, and why it was written in the way it was written.

And, there are some similarities between the audience that heard the gospel of Luke for the first time, and the audience in America in 2014.

For Luke's original hearers (I don't feel like I need to say this, but Bibles weren't in circulation at this time. It's probably true that most people in the audience couldn't read or write, so the story would've been presented orally), they would've been listening to this story with the ears of good Jewish followers.

What did it mean to be a good Jewish follower?

It meant you memorized the Torah.

It meant you knew all the laws required in the Torah.

It meant you believed that there was a prophetic reality of a divine deliverance from the hands of   your enemies.

It meant you believed that deliverance would most likely happen in your lifetime.

It meant that Rome (or, the oppressive government authorities) would be divinely destroyed in order to save your people.

The word justice would've meant something dear to your heart.

But, in your context, justice would've looked like retributive justice (or, our God's gonna take revenge for everything you've been doing to us, and we're gonna help God seek this out).

We don't know if this is the exact context when the story actually happened, but this is the context of when it was first written (again, there was approximately a 60-70 year gap between the birth of Jesus and when it was actually written by Luke and heard by his followers).

The relationship between civil authorities and the Jewish people is like a pressure cooker. There is an obvious, building tension going on. The Roman authorities are wondering when and how the Jews are gonna revolt, and the Jews are wondering when their God is going to smite the Roman authorities.

Are there any similarities between how this story may have been heard then, and how this story may be heard today?

Lets see . . .

In the last few months alone:

Eric Garner, Staten Island, New York, July 17th - suffocated by police officers

John Crawford, Beavercreek, Ohio, August 5th - shot and killed by police officers for carrying a BB gun inside the same Wal-Mart he purchased it at.

Ezell Ford, Los Angeles, California, August 11th - shot in the back and killed by police officer while laying face down on the ground.

Dante Parker, Victorville, California, August 12th - tased to death by police officers after fleeing unarmed on a bicycle.

Liu Wenjin (police officer), December 20th - shot and killed in New York by a gunman enraged by the Michael Brown incident.

Raphael Ramos (police officer), December 20th - shot and killed in New York by the above gunman.

The tension today is much like the tension back then. It's a pressure cooker. The protests are increasing, and words like anarchy are starting to make their way through the radio waves.

And so, if the contexts were similar, what was the solution?

The Jews felt like God was going to avenge the Romans. That was their idea of justice, which was retributive.

There is a growing consciousness in America of this same idea of justice - that the civil authorities are gonna "get what's coming to them." When a conscious like this grows, you have repeated incidents of brutal violence between authorities and civilians that are branching out of the said growing consciousness.

And so, for the Jews hearing this story for the first time, they would've heard it as their pep rally, getting ready to help God avenge their oppressors.

I believe in a God of justice, but it's a restorative justice. Our version of justice is normally retributive, meaning we punish those who offend, abuse, or oppress us. This version isn't the version that Jesus ended up representing when he showed the world what this God was like - the God the Jews believed in.

Their hopes were turned upside down. They wanted vengeance against Rome, but Jesus dared to show them that their God was about forgiving their enemies and changing their hearts and minds.

You see, when we hear phrases like I just want to see justice or justice prevails, there's this real thing going on inside the human heart. It's this desire to see the good side win and the bad side go down in flames. This feeling is very normal, but it's also something that strikes us down to the core, almost as if it's wrapped up in a spiritual tension - like when we want to see justice, we connect to something divine.

And we, much like the Jews of old, want to see justice our way.

What the birth of Jesus means to America in 2014 is this:

Justice in God's world looks restorative.

Justice in God's world looks like nonviolent resistance.

Justice in God's world looks like surrendering the ideas that used to drive us, like seeking revenge and revolting.

Justice in God's world looks like creating ways to bless the enemy so that we can be free of the rage that easily sweeps us away and drives us into isolation.

Justice in God's world looks like focusing on how we can love better and not on how we can be treated better.

When humans start feeling the sense that something's just not right, we start aligning with the heartbeat of this God. We start getting the sense that there's something bigger going on here. We get the sense that we have a part to play, a part that is much more important than we once thought.

And so, as we hear the Christmas story, some of us for the first time, may we remember that - just like the first hearers - our philosophies may be in line for some overhauls when it comes to justice. May we remember that we have a God who loved us in our worst moments so that we can love others in their worst.



    

What the Birth of Jesus Meant to the Original Audience

When we read the chapter one of Luke, we're reading about his take on events that occurred decades before he was ever around. So, for the audience he was writing to, the story would've been rich with symbolism and artistic expression.

And so, we have these characters: King Herod, Zacharias, Elizabeth, angels, and a son that isn't born yet.

King Herod is ruler of Judea.

Zacharias is old. He's a priest. He's from the line of Abijah. And Abijah was a name that would've been like a road sign for the audience. Why? Because he was from the lineage of King David.

Elizabeth was barren.

The angels announced that Elizabeth would have a child in her old age, named John.

If you were sitting in a living room while someone was reading this letter aloud, what would you think?

First of all, you would have been a good Jew - which means you would've been very familiar with where this story was pointing to.

For a Jew listening to this story for the first time, it would've brought up very familiar references to a similar couple, who were old, who didn't have kids, and who angels announced that they would have a kid (any of this ring a bell?).

If you guessed the story of Abraham and Sarah, correcto!

Why would the first chapter of Luke been a really good opening chapter to present the story of Jesus?

Because it was a way of telling the audience, "Something big's about to happen, but let me give you the backdrop first."

Luke is recreating a story that was very familiar to his Jewish audience. But it wasn't just familiar, it was the meat of their religious tradition. Abraham was the father of Judaism. And, it was common in Jewish literature, if you wanted to emphasize the importance of someone, you would always involve some divine beings connected to the character being built up. It was also common throughout Jewish texts to conceive important characters from women who were without children (because, if a woman has no chance of conceiving, and then has a child, the gods have obviously blessed her and the child must be divine).

So, Luke has the audience on the edges of their seats, waiting for what happens next.

The thing that fascinates me about the scriptures is how intentional the authors were in connecting their stories to the audience. These stories weren't pulled out of thin air, but were rich with meaning. They also weren't created in a vacuum, but were completely in step and in continuation with the ongoing stories of the audience.

The birth of Jesus (the next chapter) would've meant to the audience two things: something great would come of this child, and this child had divine connections.

So, what does it mean to us, in 2014, in a culture that has nearly removed the rich, Jewish context from the Christmas story?

Too often, the story is presented in a vacuum. A child is born, conceived by God, to a virgin, and the child is somehow destined to become savior of the world. And we're supposed to believe it, and accept it, and somehow let it change our hearts and fill us with joy. The truth is, if we can't be connected to the backdrop it's nearly impossible for the birth narrative to mean anything more than Santa Claus means to well-meaning parents of kids putting out cookies and milk.

When there's no backdrop, no artistic expression, no connection to the age old traditions that lead up to this child, why is it a surprise when Christmas is less about the story and more about the parties, the music, the [way too many] Christmas Eve services, and the presents?

The Jewish audience in Luke's time was under immense pressure from the Roman empire. They were constantly in flux between following the God if Israel and following the god of Rome. This pressure was building and building, and the Jewish audience knew that if something didn't happen soon, it would be bad news for their program. Roman emperors (for the most part) wanted no competition with foreign gods, so if they saw that a group was growing around a god other than himself, he would keep an eye on it and if needed, snuff it out.

This was Luke's way of saying, "Wait! Don't you dare give up now! Let me tell you about this story. You're story is not complete, you just haven't heard the rest of it. I guarantee that it'll inspire you, motivate you, and move you to look at your current circumstances in a completely different light."

The underlying message of the birth of Jesus is the same for us as it was for the Jewish audience listening to it at the time.

Our stories aren't over yet.

Are you sick and tired of living under the rule of someone else? Listen to this.
Are you sick and tired of constantly wondering when you'll get your freedom back? Listen to this.
Are you sick and tired of feeling hopeless? Listen to this.
Are you sick and tired of living in fear for your life? Listen to this.

Luke (as well as the other gospel writers) connected Jesus to their greatest hero Abraham, meaning that something new and important was underway - something that would recharge their movement, give them new life, and refuel their fledgling attitudes. Not only this, but something new in their psyches was starting as well. Luke was introducing them to a concept they'd never heard before, which was this:

The God you've been following this whole time wants you to know that Caesar isn't your king.

In the opening chapter of Luke, the audience would've also been mindblown about this: Abraham and Sarah conceived the child that essentially created Israel.

And so, a new Israel was being announced. And it would be through this new child that this new Israel would come.

Do you see how if you were sitting in a living room sipping coffee at the time of this message you wouldn't have been able to leave? Do you see how if you were a Jewish person under the thumb of Rome you would've been given new hope?

So, here's my conclusion: If the birth narrative of Jesus isn't providing some sort of motivation, inspiration, or hope, maybe you're reading it too literally. Maybe you're so caught off guard by the literary-allusion-turned-fact that you completely turn off to the whole thing.

Maybe you're not digging to find the principles behind the birth, and instead relying on the way-out-of-context, hand-fed stories that are all too familiar around this time of year.

The truth is, the Christmas story isn't about a day, or a season, or a linear time window. For the original audience, it was about adopting a whole new attitude. It was about seeing that the story wasn't over, but was just beginning. It was about seeing that who they thought was ruling over them really wasn't a threat at all, because they had a God who was pulling them forward into existence.

What Does Jesus's Birth Mean to People Suffering Right Here and Now?

     

     On Mondays, my wife and I visit a friend of ours who's suffering from a host of cancers. He's in stage four, so he's just about lost all his hair from radiation. It was really hard to see him in that state at first, because I wasn't sure what to expect. He can't walk anymore because the surgery on the tumors dotting his spine left him paralyzed. But each time we go visit, it feels more normal than the last - like we're seeing our friend less through the lens of cancer and fear, and more through the lens of . . . friendship.

     I'm worried about him not getting out for Christmas. I worry that he will sit in the hospital lonely, depressed, and withdrawn from any sort of community life. I'm gonna want to race up to the hospital, find him, wheel him out, and take him to the family get together so he can have a sense of fellowship and family. I don't know if this is realistic though. I'm gonna try.

     It seems like every Christmas has a tragedy running parallel with it. I have to admit that when I think about the different people in my life who are suffering, and then think about all the songs and cards and presents and services and joy and smiles and eggnog and cookies, I get a little resentful. Actually, I get a lot resentful. And so, I try my best not to delve into that paradigm.

    But, I'm gonna delve into it now.

    What does the birth of Jesus mean to those who are suffering here and now?

    I find it hard to believe that besides close, immediate family, anyone was present for the birth of Jesus. For anyone working the fields on that night (or day), it would've been business as usual. The birth of Jesus for them would've been like seeing on Facebook that a baby you didn't know was born today to a woman you didn't know either. 

     The writers of the Jesus narrative weren't present for this birth. Caesar wasn't there and wasn't threatened. Shepherds didn't flock. Angels didn't sing. A divine light didn't guide anyone to this feeding trough-turned crib. The wise men (or astronomers at the time) wouldn't have been interested.

     Take away all the glamour, spin, and spiritual elevation, and you have a lowly couple who are trying to figure out how the hell they're gonna take care of a newborn baby. Obviously, anyone who's pregnant will have done some planning as well, so there's no doubt in my mind that Mary and Joseph had sat down way before this night and planned out how they were gonna take care of this baby. 

     Like any couple with a baby on the way, they were scared. They knew they didn't have much, and were afraid of how they would provide for another member of the family. 

    They didn't have a community gathered round them to help offset the expenses of diapers and formula and all the other necessities that come with having a baby. They were doing it alone. It wasn't until the stories were written decades later that supporting characters were created to give the reader the communal feel. 

    Mary, Joseph, and the newborn.

    Hardly anything to eat.

    No one to share the news with.

    Fearful of how things were gonna turn out.

    Not to mention, the ruler at the time despised Jews, and, Mary and Joseph were Jewish. It was rumored (although no proof has been found) that around the time of Jesus' birth, Herod sent out a decree that every boy two years of age and under be murdered. Sounds familiar to a much earlier story of a Jesus-type birth (Moses and the Israelite nemesis Pharoah). 

    While it's easy to get caught up in the euphoria of the birth narrative, we have to remember that what we read when we read the Christmas story wasn't real time. It was written way after the fact. It wasn't as Pollyanna as the writers make it seem. It wasn't as hopeful as the writers created it to be. It wasn't as painless as the authors built it up to be.

    The birth of Jesus was, if anything, the normal plight of the poor.

    Without access to adequate healthcare, they made it work the best they could.
    With no money, they weren't able to buy the nice crib from the local carpenter.
    With no community, they weren't able to get sitters anytime they needed. 
    With no groceries, they weren't able to provide the best organic food for the baby.
    With all the stress, Mary probably had problems breast-feeding and sleeping. 
    The baby probably didn't sleep well since it didn't have all the toys that rich babies had.

     And so, what was it that gave this poor couple hope? What was it that pulled them through, that helped them to see past the current struggle?

     As you see with any couple with a baby on the way, there's no amount of struggle that can snuff out the joy and excitement of a newborn. Everything fades away. All attention turns to the little being that's squirming around the wife's belly. 

     There's hope of the opportunity to take an unformed, innocent, pure being, and nurture, care, and raise it up to make an impact on the world. 

    And Mary and Joseph had no idea who they were raising. They had no idea they were raising a kid that would eventually change the whole world forever. They had no idea they were raising a kid that would eventually die as a threat to the Roman consul. They had grandiose ambitions for the kid, just like any parent would, and that was enough to fuel them and give them hope amidst the circumstances. 

      And so, what does the birth of Jesus mean to those suffering here and now?

     For Mary and Joseph, it gave them a chance to get out of themselves. It gave them a chance to focus on someone else, something else for a change. It gave them a chance to pour all their energy into helping create something beautiful together. 

     And the same can be said for us. The birth of Jesus is a reminder that whatever our circumstances, whatever our current suffering may entail, that we still have the opportunity to create something beautiful. We still have the opportunity to tap into the hope that comes out of pouring our energies into something other than ourselves. 

    I'm wondering if my wife and I should come up with a creative idea to do with our friend.

    Maybe we can create something together, with him. Maybe it'll help us pour our energies into something other than our current sufferings. Maybe, in the process of creating, we'll discover something hopeful and beautiful even though the cancer's still a reality. Maybe, we'll tap into something that will turn out to be larger than life.

     

Contemp Prior to Investigation

    

 For some reason, my car's radio started picking up XM for a few weeks. I don't know why it was happening, but it was nice not having to hear the same mainstream music for a change. As I was strolling through the stations one morning, I found one that I was very curious about. It was the Joel Osteen station. So, I kept it there and listened to a few of his sermons.

     Now, let me give you a little synopsis of my knowledge of Joel Osteen gathered over the years:

      He's a false prophet.
      He preaches a prosperity gospel.
      You shouldn't listen to him because he doesn't teach the bible.
      
     Mind you, none of these conclusions were gathered on my own, but rather handed to me from outside sources. So, for as far as I can remember, I've had contempt prior to investigation in the matter. Well, I finally got the chance to investigate this false prophet.

      And, what I found was this:

      I've never heard a pastor encourage his congregation as much as I heard him do in those few sermons. 

     What does that mean?

    Well, when Paul talks about false prophets, he uses words like corrupt, despise, arrogant, abuse, blaspheme, unreasoning, harm, carouse, and adultery.

    He uses phrases like corrupt desire and despise authority and seduce the unstable and experts in greed. (All these are taken from 2 Peter 2).

     In Joel's sermons, I heard phrases like trust in God and stay strong and you are conquerers and take care of yourself and God loves you. So, what I heard firsthand didn't line up with what I had heard secondhand for all these years . . . 

     . . . which brings me to an important point. 

     When writers of the scriptures warned people of false prophets, they weren't warning against teachers who were putting a fresh spin on the scriptures and adding new elements to their teaching styles. 

      The false prophets they warned about were really bad dudes. We like to think that we know of false prophets today. Do names like Robert Tilton, Benny Hinn, or Rob Bell ring a bell (pun intended)? But these names represent people who had (and have) mass followings and received national television time. While we love to throw around the phrase false prophet when we hear someone teach in a way that rubs us the wrong way, tagging that identity on well-known preachers doesn't quite capture who Paul was talking about.

    The people Paul was warning his audience about were doing things that were obviously against what Brian D. McLaren calls "the dream of God." They were successfully trolling churches to seduce people away from the movement that was constantly catching momentum (called The Way). They would hang around the edges of the gatherings like private investigators, watching for any weak followers, then lure them outside so they could financially feast on them.

     And usually, the weakest victims were the poor, the lonely, the marginalized.

     And so these people would be promised unrealistic things by these teachers, they would join up, and then these teachers would feast on them financially like vampires.

     If a teacher is on TV, chances are they're not financially desperate. I don't think Benny Hinn or Joel Osteen ever needed to go troll churches to create a following. People follow them on their own. Regardless of whether you think their messages are "bible-based" or not, people have to choose to walk through their doors and listen to whatever the sermon is that day. While they may be building their wealth through the congregational contributions, people are choosing to build their wealth for them. 

    In Paul's day, you had two messages that were colliding with each other: the first was, you don't have to sacrifice anymore because this God loves you independently of all that. The second was, you do have to make sacrifices because if you don't, God won't forgive you. 

    And, the latter was used to create a whole network of fraud (which, by the way, didn't start in the New Testament but was a common theme throughout Israels' own history). In order to make sacrifices, you had to buy whatever animal or incense was required. Which means you had to pay someone for that animal or incense. And what a better way than to kill two birds with one stone and sell the animal and incense right in the temple (remember Jesus' temple campaign?)? Not only that, but wouldn't it be even more efficient to make the "priest" the salesman as well?

   See where this is going? 

    The truth is, while there were some people getting baited away from these gatherings, there was no momentum. The message that was spreading and sweeping people off their feet was this message of a God who loves us independently of what we do. How freeing is that? 

   You mean, I don't have to do anything? Yep. 

    So, while I don't doubt there are false teachers hidden in the shadows across this country, I don't believe they're as prevalent as we make them out to be. They wouldn't have a following that gets on national television every week (and every day). 

    I do believe that certain religious circles have become very skeptical of other religious circles (aka Christianity and Catholicism, Baptist and Methodist, etc.) But all this really is, is

    contempt prior to investigation.

     We're really good at forming generalizations before we investigate things ourselves, which leads us to our final thought:

    Why not write down one thing that we have formed a negative opinion about over the years. Ask ourselves, "Did I come to this conclusion myself or did I just take this from someone else?" Make an effort to investigate the person or place or situation or thought or whatever it may be, and you may come out the other side wondering how you ever let yourself be persuaded so easily about something that you'd never done the research on.

   

Why My Religion Isn't Better Than Your Religion (Romans 15)

    

      Those of us who have an abundance of money, time, and/or stuff need to be on the lookout for our friends who are struggling. It's way too easy to get around in this world and to make it about us, tunnel visioned all the way through. But if we can manage to catch the glimpse of this life I've been talking about, our concerns will start drastically shifting from ourselves to our neighbors. Something Jesus showed us when he was around was that the most important part of Jewish law was how we cared for our neighbors. All the rest is meaningless if we're not taking this part seriously. 

     All the oral traditions that have been handed down through the generations, and carefully scribed for our benefit, are there so that we have a sort of guidebook to help us keep our heads up through the hard times, and to give us the ability to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And many of us have had the experience of praying to this God through our struggles, and finding an extra bolt of hope and peace during the journey. My prayer is that God starts waking us up to the reality of how important it is to be united. There is so much power in a group of people rallying around the things that this God is concerned about, and I want this to happen really bad with you guys.

     We need to start accepting each other, faults and all, just as Jesus showed us. He really rocked the religious boat when he started accepting non-Jews into his inner circle, and he told us that God was like that - accepting all of us regardless of where we stand on the religious spectrum. But this wasn't a breakthrough concept for anyone who was familiar with Jewish law, because our ancestors spoke of a day when Jew and non-Jew would come together and unite under this God. 

     And I feel like we're at the turning point of seeing that happen right before our eyes. I hope you can find peace and joy as you come to believe in the hope of human unity under this God.

     Y'all are great people. You're smart, you're full of knowledge, and you encourage each other pretty well. But, I need to talk to you about your relationship to the people outside of the Jewish club. 

     This God isn't just for you, so don't think that you've got a monopoly on this deal. You have a job to do, and it's this: get out of the synagogue and start helping your non-Jewish neighbors. This God loves them just as much as you, so don't think that this new design for living is a Jewish thing. It's not. Jesus clearly showed us that this God doesn't need any religion, but cares way more about how we treat each other. 

     I felt like the still, small voice inside of me was directing me to start writing letters to the non-Jews, just as I'm writing this letter to you, and I'm so glad I listened. I want you to do the same. Take every opportunity you get to love on your non-Jewish and non-religious neighbors. 

     I believe this God has done some amazing things through me, things I would have turned my nose away from just a few years ago. And one of those things has been opening my heart and mind to non-Jews, or, Gentiles if you prefer. The relationships that have come from it have been unbelievable. But, you know what? I could just as easily been only concerned about the people who think like I do. I could have easily started my own little club, made it nice and secure, and put a sign up that said "Outsiders not Welcome." But, thanks to this God, my mind was opened just enough to start seeing that I wasn't some kind of exclusive club member. I'm no different than my non-Jewish neighbors, and that's what I want y'all to see.

     This is why I haven't had a chance to come see you yet. But, I hope to soon. Right now, I'm traveling to Jerusalem to build some more relationships with the Gentiles, and I can't wait! I hear they're struggling really hard there to make ends meet, so I'm gonna see if some of the Jews in that region can't practice this new way of living by providing financial assistance to their Gentile neighbors. We'll see what happens. I got the folks in Macedonia and Achaia to donate a good chunk of money for the poor in Jerusalem, and it was amazing! I think it opened their eyes a bit more to the realization that it just doesn't matter where you stand on the religious spectrum anymore. There was a good lesson learned there as well: Helping out the Gentiles was a much more rewarding experience than what the Jews were used to. Up until that point, it was all about teaching. But, I think they realized through their contributions to the Gentiles and hearing their stories out of Jerusalem that "true religion" consists of serving those in need.

     We've gotta quit looking at people through religious lenses, and start looking at them through the lens of self-denial. "What can I do to best serve you?" should be the question that's running through our heads day in and day out.

    Please know that I plan on visiting you when I travel through Spain. It's on my list of things to do, so I'm hoping to make it out. 

     And please pray that when I enter Judea, I won't be hated too much. They have a hard time with reformed Jews there, so I hope that God can bless them through me. Also, pray that we can serve our friends in Jerusalem well - that we'll be able to bless them and encourage them through their hard times. And lastly, pray that I make it to you, and that I'm full of joy when I get there so I can be an encouragement to you guys. 

     Grace and Peace.
     Paul

    

Why My God Isn't Better than Your God (Romans 14)

     

     We need to do a much better job of accepting people whose faith looks different than ours. There's way too much judgment going on between religious groups. Some of us have belief systems that allow us to eat everything, and some of us have belief systems that allow us to eat everything except meat. This isn't a cause to start having theological debates to prove that one belief is higher than the other. Everyone interprets the scriptures (or whatever text they're using to grow spiritually) differently, so don't think that one belief is completely right while the other is completely wrong. This God's not waiting for us to believe the right things in order to love us. This God's not looking through a lens of how well we're eating or not eating. Do we really think we're so right in our beliefs that we can tell other people how wrong they are? Everyone has their own conception of God and no two conceptions are exactly alike. But depending on how we perceive this God makes a huge difference in how we trust this God. But remember, this God isn't co-dependently waiting on us to trust, but is helping us to stand firm and do for us what we can't do for ourselves.

     Some of us hold certain days as sacred, while others hold every day as sacred. The most important thing in all these issues is, are we as individuals making our spiritual growth the top priority in our lives? Our beliefs are what help us make sense with the Invisible-But-Present-and-Compassionate God, so if some of us eat meat, it's because somewhere down the line we found that it wouldn't hinder our ability to grow spiritually. Some of us decided that holding one day as set apart from the rest was something that would help us grow spiritually. And others of us decided that not eating certain things would help us grow spiritually. So, all of us are doing unique and wonderful things to improve our spiritual lives - to die to ourselves more so that we can experience the freedom that comes through being in tune with this God's rhythm. And Jesus showed us that God loves us independently of how spiritually alive or dead we are. The point is that we're all invited to tap in to this life-changing power, this new design for living.

     So, why do we judge our fellow humans? Why do we walk around with grudges and resentments? If all of us are prone to really fuck things up any second now (if it hasn't already happened this morning), why do we think we can play judge, jury, and executioner? I believe the dream of this God is for everyone to experience true freedom, the kind that's on the inside, and one way that can happen is by getting rid of these ideas that somehow we're helping this God by telling other people how they're doing it all wrong.

     Each one of us has to work out our own terms with God, and that takes a lifetime, so why waste our precious time judging other people on their belief systems?

     We need to allow other people to experience their own spiritual quests. So don't pry in to people's belief systems trying to convince them that you're way is the only way. Instead, encourage them to grow deeper in their own faith journey, and if they want to change they'll ask for your help. I'm fully convinced that nothing is secular because Jesus showed us that this God can take the most disturbing, ridiculous, tragic, and crazy situations and turn them into something breathtakingly beautiful. But here's the kicker, if someone else has the mindset that some things are secular and others are sacred, I have to try my best to allow them to have their own journey. I know it's difficult sometimes, but that's how to get out of God's way when it comes to building harmonious relationships with my brothers and sisters. 

      We've gotta quit shaming people for their belief systems. Like I said earlier, some of us are young at this, and are easily swayed. As soon as we judge someone else, love has left the building. We're going against this God's will to love all people. Instead, be respectful of other people's belief systems. If someone invites you over for dinner and only puts vegetables and tofu on the table, don't start judging. Be open-minded and you just might learn something new. You may even be able to have a civilized conversation about why they believe in not eating meat, and why you believe in eating meat. In the end, the God-centered life isn't about dogmatic morality, but about going to any length to experience the joy and peace that come from staying in rhythm with the still, small voice inside. 

     So, our number one job is to build each other up and be agents of peace. We've gotta stop the wholesale condemnation of certain people groups, because what we're doing is trying to unravel this God's handiwork. To me, all things are sacred but to others some things are profane. Regardless, we have to learn to accept each other as we are and allow others to be entitled to their own belief systems. When our belief systems collide, it's not the time to judge, but the time to give up our right to be right. We're all on our own journeys with this God, and none of us are doing it exactly right. 

     When we stop judging other people based off how how different their belief systems are, we'll find more happiness. 

     One last word: If you're constantly doubting your belief systems then tweak them for heaven's sake! It means your belief system isn't based on faith, which means it's not helping you grow spiritually. Find something else that works. Find a way to be okay with it. Just don't sit in it and expect it to change without doing something about it. Whenever we live in constant doubt about our belief systems, we're not being fueled by faith but fear. And fear will never get us where we want to go. 

     Grace and peace.