I had gotten into an argument with some of my high school friends. I no longer remember what the argument was about but it was loud and long. At some point one of them looked at me and said-"You can just go to Hell!" It did not sound like an invitation, more of a curse. Who wants to go to Hell? For many Christians this is the ONE place you don't want to end up.
But what if Hell is where we need to be? I am old enough to have learned The Apostle's Creed when it contained this phrase: "He (Jesus, after he died and before he was resurrected, for those who do not know the creed) descended into hell." Someone in the early church decided this phrase needed to be in a statement of belief. Few say or include this anymore. Why would Jesus go to Hell?
One clue may be found in the New Testament letter we know as I Peter: "and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison (Hell?). They refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited to receive them, in Noah's time (that was LONG AGO!), when the ark was being built." (I Peter 3:19, 20 New Jerusalem Bible). Whatever they meant or how it was originally said these words give me pause.
This is food for thought regarding what happens on the other side of the grave. Maybe those in Hell (an assumption of faith that it exists by the Church) are not forgotten by God and still hear the message of grace (I like that idea). I like to think Jesus still makes the trip every now and then. What really intrigues me is if we could see this as a 'modeling' by Jesus for his followers on this side of the grave.
Have you ever heard someone talk about their life being a 'living hell' or 'I don't have to go to hell, I'm living it right now'? Or have you ever found yourself looking at someones circumstances and thinking/saying 'that must be hell'? Just wondering if what I heard as a curse in my teen years is really a call from Jesus. Look around with me. Maybe we need to go to hell to bring the message of hope to someone living in their hell on earth. See you in Hell:>)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
"The Bible Tells Me So?"
One of the choruses imprinted in my brain from my Sunday School years in a small church in Pennsylvania is "Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so." I belted it out with my friends singing as off key as the lady playing the piano. We sang with conviction for our parents on a tiny stage beneath such a low ceiling adults could bang their heads on the water and heating pipes. I learned, when questioned about my beliefs, to reply "the bible tells me so."
I suspect I am not the only adult wandering around with such imprints. At the same time I have seen time and time again how this mantra is often based on a blind belief that each word and phrase in our bibles is exactly the words first recorded-possibly directly from the lips of God. For some, the bible is without error. As a pastor and a lifelong student of the bible I have come to see how mistranslations have occurred and how they impacted questions of belief.
Since 1958 a group of scholars have been engaged in the Hebrew University Bible Project in Jerusalem. Their goal is to publish as accurately as possible an authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible (what we Christians call the Old Testament). Discovering just how fluid the texts were and that the transmission was messy and more human than we may like to believe, progress has been slow. They have produced 3 of the Hebrew Bible's 24 books in 50 years!
My point? Maybe we should be more cautious in discussions and proclamations of saying what we know to be true because "the bible tells me so." While it may be comforting in times of confusion and uncertainty I may well be wrong based on the translation I quote. Perhaps the faith community and our interaction with the larger society could be better served by a dose of humility and a reluctance to issue Mount Sinai like proclamations-"THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!" Maybe it doesn't it!
I suspect I am not the only adult wandering around with such imprints. At the same time I have seen time and time again how this mantra is often based on a blind belief that each word and phrase in our bibles is exactly the words first recorded-possibly directly from the lips of God. For some, the bible is without error. As a pastor and a lifelong student of the bible I have come to see how mistranslations have occurred and how they impacted questions of belief.
Since 1958 a group of scholars have been engaged in the Hebrew University Bible Project in Jerusalem. Their goal is to publish as accurately as possible an authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible (what we Christians call the Old Testament). Discovering just how fluid the texts were and that the transmission was messy and more human than we may like to believe, progress has been slow. They have produced 3 of the Hebrew Bible's 24 books in 50 years!
My point? Maybe we should be more cautious in discussions and proclamations of saying what we know to be true because "the bible tells me so." While it may be comforting in times of confusion and uncertainty I may well be wrong based on the translation I quote. Perhaps the faith community and our interaction with the larger society could be better served by a dose of humility and a reluctance to issue Mount Sinai like proclamations-"THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!" Maybe it doesn't it!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"Surf's Up"
The beach beneath my feet gave way with each step. The fine, white sand slipped away from my feet and through my fingers. The afternoon sun was a red-hot skillet looking for skin to sizzle. And the waves...the waves were wonderful. One after another they lined up in the Pacific Ocean and began to roll up towards the shore. While some simply washed by me others became a frothy pool of power that either propelled me toward the shore or pummeled me beneath the water. It was both breath-taking and body taxing.
Then there were the surfers, people of all ages paddling out to wait for the bigger waves. Two days before I had watched the 'surf lesson' for tourists on Waikiki Beach. The surf board was placed on the sand, a few comments were made about how to paddle out, and then the instructor showed the young girls how to stand on the board. Then they went into the waves. This reminded of the many times in my life when I felt like that was all the training I had been given.
Waves can and do scare me. My understanding is that, to surf, one of the first steps is to face your fears and let some good sized waves hit you and move you. You discover you can survive the waves. Then you paddle out to the waves surfers enjoy and stand up and ride the frothy waters. You don't paddle to shore as the waves get bigger or wait for the ocean to calm down.
Well, the economic surf is up, one large wave after another lining up and rolling towards us. The 'surfers', the investors and advisers, seem to be looking at the waves with increasing fear (which may be reasonable since I know little about this except that some of my investments seem to be slipping through my hands like fine sand). They are deciding they cannot ride these waves so they sell and settle and wait for calmer seas. Like us, they are scared. We may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy-we can't ride these waves so we don't and it seems more and more like we can't ride them.
I don't know much about investing and I know even less about surfing. The surfers I saw believed in themselves and looked for the challenge of bigger waves, whether they wiped out or not. Maybe if all of us who are 'economic surfers' would take a couple of deep breaths, paddle out and see what we can do, the waves would not seem so frightening.
For those of you with a religious bent, I remind you of words of faith written generations ago in a most uncertain and fearful time: "God is both refuge and strength for us, a help always ready in trouble; so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil, though mountains tumble into the depth of the sea, and its waters roar and seethe; and the mountains totter as it heaves." (Psalm 46:1-3). Surf's Up! Time to paddle out, face our fears, and catch a wave!
Then there were the surfers, people of all ages paddling out to wait for the bigger waves. Two days before I had watched the 'surf lesson' for tourists on Waikiki Beach. The surf board was placed on the sand, a few comments were made about how to paddle out, and then the instructor showed the young girls how to stand on the board. Then they went into the waves. This reminded of the many times in my life when I felt like that was all the training I had been given.
Waves can and do scare me. My understanding is that, to surf, one of the first steps is to face your fears and let some good sized waves hit you and move you. You discover you can survive the waves. Then you paddle out to the waves surfers enjoy and stand up and ride the frothy waters. You don't paddle to shore as the waves get bigger or wait for the ocean to calm down.
Well, the economic surf is up, one large wave after another lining up and rolling towards us. The 'surfers', the investors and advisers, seem to be looking at the waves with increasing fear (which may be reasonable since I know little about this except that some of my investments seem to be slipping through my hands like fine sand). They are deciding they cannot ride these waves so they sell and settle and wait for calmer seas. Like us, they are scared. We may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy-we can't ride these waves so we don't and it seems more and more like we can't ride them.
I don't know much about investing and I know even less about surfing. The surfers I saw believed in themselves and looked for the challenge of bigger waves, whether they wiped out or not. Maybe if all of us who are 'economic surfers' would take a couple of deep breaths, paddle out and see what we can do, the waves would not seem so frightening.
For those of you with a religious bent, I remind you of words of faith written generations ago in a most uncertain and fearful time: "God is both refuge and strength for us, a help always ready in trouble; so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil, though mountains tumble into the depth of the sea, and its waters roar and seethe; and the mountains totter as it heaves." (Psalm 46:1-3). Surf's Up! Time to paddle out, face our fears, and catch a wave!
Friday, August 5, 2011
"Outsiders"
Outsiders are the not normal, the different, the ones to be 'cured', the misunderstood, and the feared. Life can be challenging and hard for such individuals and their families. Unfortunately we, the seemingly normal, add to the challenge by our view of such people. What joy do we miss because we focus on a singular aspect of a person instead of the person?
When Cheryl and I adopted bi-racial children we were warned how much damage we were doing to these children. Social workers in the African American community and Caucasian family and friends talked about how hard life would be for our children and our family. While it has been challenging and often hurtful it has been, in large part, so because others saw the 'different'. Racially mixed children and families decades ago were outsiders. We saw only our sons and daughters, adopted or born to us. And we loved them all and have found joy in our relationship with each one.
He was a troubled teenager. Serious emotional issues were compounded by the fact that he was gay. School was too much and teachers saw a problem child. In the 1980s and 1990s he was an outsider. "If he would just change" was the mantra of most around him. But he didn't because he was who he was. His parents loved him and found joy in the better moments of their life together. Being an outsider was too much for him and he took his own life.
This past spring a young boy came running over to where my grandchildren and others were playing at Happy Hollow Park. His physical movements were uneven and jerky. His voice was high pitched and his speech was almost impossible to understand. I could see the caution light go on in adults eyes as some children welcomed him while others quickly moved to other playground equipment. My first thought was how sad this must be for the boy and his parents-sad to be this way. He is autistic, he is different, and we tend to see him as an outsider. I hope and suspect, however hard some days are, that his parents see him only as their son. And that they find joy in sharing life with him.
Life is about relationship and love. We seem to spend so much time on seeing the different that we miss the joys of the moment. We seek 'cures' and 'changes' and isolate the outsiders and miss the uniqueness of each individual. IF we really believe that, in some way, God's breath is upon each life THEN we are called to relationship and the celebration of whatever joy that life can bring to our lives.
One God, on human family, one wonderful mix of individuals whose normal is different than ours. It's a wonderful world; don't miss out on the joy by seeing others as outsiders.
When Cheryl and I adopted bi-racial children we were warned how much damage we were doing to these children. Social workers in the African American community and Caucasian family and friends talked about how hard life would be for our children and our family. While it has been challenging and often hurtful it has been, in large part, so because others saw the 'different'. Racially mixed children and families decades ago were outsiders. We saw only our sons and daughters, adopted or born to us. And we loved them all and have found joy in our relationship with each one.
He was a troubled teenager. Serious emotional issues were compounded by the fact that he was gay. School was too much and teachers saw a problem child. In the 1980s and 1990s he was an outsider. "If he would just change" was the mantra of most around him. But he didn't because he was who he was. His parents loved him and found joy in the better moments of their life together. Being an outsider was too much for him and he took his own life.
This past spring a young boy came running over to where my grandchildren and others were playing at Happy Hollow Park. His physical movements were uneven and jerky. His voice was high pitched and his speech was almost impossible to understand. I could see the caution light go on in adults eyes as some children welcomed him while others quickly moved to other playground equipment. My first thought was how sad this must be for the boy and his parents-sad to be this way. He is autistic, he is different, and we tend to see him as an outsider. I hope and suspect, however hard some days are, that his parents see him only as their son. And that they find joy in sharing life with him.
Life is about relationship and love. We seem to spend so much time on seeing the different that we miss the joys of the moment. We seek 'cures' and 'changes' and isolate the outsiders and miss the uniqueness of each individual. IF we really believe that, in some way, God's breath is upon each life THEN we are called to relationship and the celebration of whatever joy that life can bring to our lives.
One God, on human family, one wonderful mix of individuals whose normal is different than ours. It's a wonderful world; don't miss out on the joy by seeing others as outsiders.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Homeless in Hawaii
Heaven for the homeless may be Hawaii. Every morning there is buffet in a bucket. Grimy hands push the trash around finding coke in a cup, a partially eaten piece of pizza in a cardboard box, and two bites of a fish taco wrapped in a greasy paper. Some church folk in Waikiki set up a lunch line in a park several days a week. You can sleep on the beach or in a park. There are even tents allowed in some parks. The weather is mild so your shopping cart does not require a large wardrobe selection. Why, you can even put up a cardboard box on a sidewalk across from a fashionable store and sell whatever it is you make. I was surprised by the casualness and closeness of the homeless to the tourists and residents in Honolulu.
A problem is coming. Honolulu is hosting an international meeting of some really BIG, IMPORTANT PEOPLE. It just will not do for some to have these folks so close to the homeless. What to do? Aside from some 'gentle' encouragement by law enforcement to move on you just can't pack them up. However you can coincidentally schedule sidewalk, beach, and park improvements around the same time as your guests arrive. It is understandable then if you must move the homeless.
I am not suggesting the folks in Hawaii are any different then the folks in Lafayette or me. We all can live with homelessness as long as it is not an embarrassment or causes too many safety concerns. And maybe that is what unsettled me-I can live with it. Two bible verses roll around in my head: "you will always have the poor with you" and "if you have done it to the least of these you have done it to me." I don't know yet how I will respond to this reminder of people in need but I can't ignore it. Whether it is here or in Hawaii there is no heaven for the homeless.
A problem is coming. Honolulu is hosting an international meeting of some really BIG, IMPORTANT PEOPLE. It just will not do for some to have these folks so close to the homeless. What to do? Aside from some 'gentle' encouragement by law enforcement to move on you just can't pack them up. However you can coincidentally schedule sidewalk, beach, and park improvements around the same time as your guests arrive. It is understandable then if you must move the homeless.
I am not suggesting the folks in Hawaii are any different then the folks in Lafayette or me. We all can live with homelessness as long as it is not an embarrassment or causes too many safety concerns. And maybe that is what unsettled me-I can live with it. Two bible verses roll around in my head: "you will always have the poor with you" and "if you have done it to the least of these you have done it to me." I don't know yet how I will respond to this reminder of people in need but I can't ignore it. Whether it is here or in Hawaii there is no heaven for the homeless.
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