.. omit me
.. submit you
as i sit in my comfort, safety, sufficiency
i wonder at the world
the masses outside comfort, running for safety, begging for sufficiency
and then i wonder
at me
who am i really
if not living-out loving mercy, doing justice, humbly walking with my God
?
?
..
else i fail at being human
at humanbeing
at being disciple to the Human
as life flows by undammed for us all
sometimes rapids
sometime meander
always leaking
headed down
towards the eternal sea
to meet the masses there
to be lifted once more to the heavens
resurrected, refreshed, reconnected to Source
Living Water
purified to water earth
promote life
in light of the Son
again
meanwhile
parched earth
is there no moisture in my bones to offer
must i languish here, whatever moisture there be just dissipating
have i no pail ..
or no strength ..
am i to merely puddle in this spot
wasted water ..
..
i pray You
before dry bones mark some anonymous spot
good only for some feral dog to gnaw
or some slippery serpent lair
can these bones live ? ..
You know ..
.. "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord
Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come
upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you,
and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord."
.. Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe
breathe, O Breath
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
communion .. .
i didn't 'go' to church today ..
and i don't feel guilty about it
one friend asks me every sunday we talk, "did you go to church?" ..
what i do feel is down
it's a downer
..
going to church is a joke
it's like going to the movies, or going to a restaurant
maybe better, going to a presentation, like a seminar, or a concert
.. and i'm not there at all
the church isn't a go-to
it's a be
a sharing
a belonging
a family
a grouping of friends
..
some years ago i bumped into 'small group', and i knew immediately that i had been missing out ..
an 8-12 person group of people who wanted to be in connection with each other, sharing food and talk and issues and concerns and hurts and happinesses and supporting each other with thoughts and counsel and prayer and things they needed ..
how do you do that in a gathering of 1,000
how do you do that when you feel uncomfortable because of the thrust of the church or someone(s) in the church, a push that doesn't gel with your understanding of Jesus-life ..
how do you do that when you walk out thinking .. ??
what was that
why do i feel so turned-around
why is my spirit disturbed
in the church ??
my spirit disturbed among church ??
..
i'm lost
and i know i'm lost
and the church is the very last place a person should feel lost
challenged maybe
encouraged for sure
comforted
released
renewed
enlightened
understood
but disturbed ?
nah
maybe once-in-one-of-those-hagee-bloodmoons
hardly the norm
..
i'm disappointed again
again
i miss being part-of
i dreadfully miss someone sharing what God challenged them with from the scriptures this week
the thing that God said to them "tell them this"
and a phrase or a thought, a recognizable think sparks life in me,
in some dark chamber where i hide me ..
i miss the kinship
a spiritual recognition that flattens the walls
destroys the resentment, the envy, the jealousy, the judging
throws open the window for sun and breeze and birdcalls
i miss the sharing a meal .. "pass the cornbread"
i miss the family
a depressing sink
the chatter around the table
a welcome white noise
..
but i refuse to resort to the televisioned osteens and hagees and copelands
flat-out refuse
.. that simply ain't church, so he'p me God
..
so i'm sitting here on a sunday in a bookstore/coffeeshop ..
the children chattering as they play with the toys
the (ugh) country songs piped into my brain
the smell of coffee
the familiarity of the hundreds of bibles carefully presented on the shelf
and the tons of religious books - doctrinaire, he'p-yuhself, new discoveries, how-to's ..
it's not church
but i can't be alone this morning
i've got to at least feel like i'm involved
even though i ain't ..
..
and i miss the centerpiece of the family table
the blessed reminder of Jesus
in the form of a loaf, broken and shared
a cup poured and passed around
the internationally understood picture of family/friends sharing - the meal
the union of likeminded spirits mindful of the Lord Christ
..
not some plastic-ed container with red drink, and some plasticized 'wafer'
another western diminution of the genuine
of all the things to reduce to commercially expeditiously reduced commodity
God .. forgive us
..
today i lament ..
guess i'll sit here and journal about it .. in a blog of all places
guess i'll pull a book about christianity and Jesus and understanding .. maybe that'll comfort my torn soul a bit
guess i'll hope to find some stranger here to communicate with
maybe even about Jesus ..
i guess ..
may you be blessed with union in communion today ..
peace
and i don't feel guilty about it
one friend asks me every sunday we talk, "did you go to church?" ..
what i do feel is down
it's a downer
..
going to church is a joke
it's like going to the movies, or going to a restaurant
maybe better, going to a presentation, like a seminar, or a concert
.. and i'm not there at all
the church isn't a go-to
it's a be
a sharing
a belonging
a family
a grouping of friends
..
some years ago i bumped into 'small group', and i knew immediately that i had been missing out ..
an 8-12 person group of people who wanted to be in connection with each other, sharing food and talk and issues and concerns and hurts and happinesses and supporting each other with thoughts and counsel and prayer and things they needed ..
how do you do that in a gathering of 1,000
how do you do that when you feel uncomfortable because of the thrust of the church or someone(s) in the church, a push that doesn't gel with your understanding of Jesus-life ..
how do you do that when you walk out thinking .. ??
what was that
why do i feel so turned-around
why is my spirit disturbed
in the church ??
my spirit disturbed among church ??
..
i'm lost
and i know i'm lost
and the church is the very last place a person should feel lost
challenged maybe
encouraged for sure
comforted
released
renewed
enlightened
understood
but disturbed ?
nah
maybe once-in-one-of-those-hagee-bloodmoons
hardly the norm
..
i'm disappointed again
again
i miss being part-of
i dreadfully miss someone sharing what God challenged them with from the scriptures this week
the thing that God said to them "tell them this"
and a phrase or a thought, a recognizable think sparks life in me,
in some dark chamber where i hide me ..
i miss the kinship
a spiritual recognition that flattens the walls
destroys the resentment, the envy, the jealousy, the judging
throws open the window for sun and breeze and birdcalls
i miss the sharing a meal .. "pass the cornbread"
i miss the family
a depressing sink
the chatter around the table
a welcome white noise
..
but i refuse to resort to the televisioned osteens and hagees and copelands
flat-out refuse
.. that simply ain't church, so he'p me God
..
so i'm sitting here on a sunday in a bookstore/coffeeshop ..
the children chattering as they play with the toys
the (ugh) country songs piped into my brain
the smell of coffee
the familiarity of the hundreds of bibles carefully presented on the shelf
and the tons of religious books - doctrinaire, he'p-yuhself, new discoveries, how-to's ..
it's not church
but i can't be alone this morning
i've got to at least feel like i'm involved
even though i ain't ..
..
and i miss the centerpiece of the family table
the blessed reminder of Jesus
in the form of a loaf, broken and shared
a cup poured and passed around
the internationally understood picture of family/friends sharing - the meal
the union of likeminded spirits mindful of the Lord Christ
..
not some plastic-ed container with red drink, and some plasticized 'wafer'
another western diminution of the genuine
of all the things to reduce to commercially expeditiously reduced commodity
God .. forgive us
..
today i lament ..
guess i'll sit here and journal about it .. in a blog of all places
guess i'll pull a book about christianity and Jesus and understanding .. maybe that'll comfort my torn soul a bit
guess i'll hope to find some stranger here to communicate with
maybe even about Jesus ..
i guess ..
may you be blessed with union in communion today ..
peace
Friday, May 20, 2016
church .. what is it good for
for a while now, in my rebellion against the fundamentalistic conservatism of my younger self, i have wandered in search of church ..
in my roaming i've encountered all sorts; my strict oldself was replaced with an openness to whatever was there, mostly
the upshot of that is this: i've been disappointed
apparently, so have many others
i know people who refuse to try any more; they've given up
and that's a sad thing, for the church is the manifestation of the Christ in the Earth, and inasmuch as it fails in that manifestation, it fails the Christ, and the God of the Christ
that's a serious thing right there, and no amount of rationalization and reasoning will serve to deflect the failure
..
so what is church
why do some of us refuse to accept what is there, just because it's 'church'
and how does that speak to the importance of being connected to other christians as we move through life in this foreign land
what on earth are we looking for
..
church, to me, is the human presence of God in the earth
apostle paul calls it ' the body ' of the Christ
Jesus the head, we the parts
and according to his description in his corinthian ( and roman ) letters, the main purpose is support and encouragement of each other
the point is for the various members to live-out their giftedness within the body, serving each other, so that the body as a whole is strengthened
as each part matures in its function, performing its role, the body becomes more and more coordinated, effective
that means that each member/part should conduct itself as that part, and not be envious of other parts, so that paul comments on the finger wanting to be an eye, etc., and the lack of understanding that produces that sort of mentality - really, it serves to deconstruct the body, reducing its utility
having said that, the apostle then addresses the unreasonable attitude of those parts who seek to be noticed, to gain accolade and recognition for their gift ..
not good
the eye isn't any more significant than the knee
in the same way it serves no good purpose for the knee wanting to be an eye, it is useless for the eye to laud it's eyeness over the knee's kneeness ..
each has its utility in the body, and the two should recognize that they did not choose their giftedness - the holy spirit of God did, distributing the gifts among the parts as it suited the Spirit .. ( a good example of God's sovereign rule over the church )
paul uses speaking in other languages as a typical example of the pride and arrogance of some within the Corinthian church - you can what he wrote in 1Corinthians 12-14
it's worthy noting that the ' love chapter ' lands smack in the middle of his discourse
it hasn't anything much to do with romance; its function is correction for those selfish Body parts whose focus was on themselves rather than on others in the Body, whose intention was self-exaltation rather than love for the family
..
in a discussion with a friend recently, the issue arose over the apparent emphasis of certain members of a church on particular gifts - it seems these issues were persistently emphasized by some
the issues become the centre-piece on the table of fellowship
..
that makes it very uncomfortable for those in the body who have other gifts
it makes them feel rather useless, like if they're missing something, like if they're deficient, unspiritual ..
and that's destructive to the Body
it does precisely the opposite of what Jesus intended and Paul corrected at Corinth
so .. what should be in the middle of the table of fellowship, what's the main issue among the Body
Jesus himself addressed that issue just days before he was killed
knowing his fate, he spoke to his disciples and to his heavenly father in John's relation of things, chapters 14-17
the core of that was this: unity
unity among the disciples
unity between the disciples and God, similar to the unity that exists between God and Jesus ( a phenomenal thought )
unity
" that they may be one as we are, father "
imagine ..
`|`
it's horribly to the devil's credit that it has been able to undo at precisely the point where Jesus sought to centre
unity
so that there are now thousands of denominations within the Body
and even several divisions within denominations
the Satan has inserted division, schism within the Body
..
one of the primary practices Jesus introduced in his final days is related in apostle John's story, at chapter 13
actually 2 practices
demonstrating 2 things
actually 1
in 2 parts
read it ..
before they sat down to eat what would be their final meal together, Jesus poignantly demonstrated what God-power looks like
he washed their feet
in those times, it was the role of a house-slave to wash the dirtied feet of those entering the house; they wore sandals then, and walked most places, their feet becoming dirty as they moved about ..
Jesus took the role of the house-slave
and he said this: you call me Rabbi, you call me Lord
do you see what i've done
if i, your Lord and Rabbi, have done this for you, you ought also to do this for each other
a servant is not greater than his master, yet i've done this for you; you do the same
ahmmm ..... wow !
is this a defining moment in the disciples' experience or what
is this a defining moment for the church or what
is this a defining moment for God or what
whenever we look to describe God, we ought to point to this act of
loving servanthood
of serving love
and then .. supper
and what we term ' Communion ' or ' the Lord's Supper ', the ' Eucharist ' ..
Jesus broke bread and shared it, and then poured wine and shared it
and in this, the worldwide recognized activity that breaks-down barriers, the meal, Jesus institutes a remembrance of him and his mission of Reconciliation
" So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
..
what should occupy the centre of the table of fellowship, the Body meal ?
unity
oneness
one bread, one cup
one spirit
one Spirit
one mind
..
the human penchant for recognition has no place whatsoever in the Body of the Christ
to be one in Christ, as Christ is one in God, is to be the driving motivation for us
and that is the overflow of love
love among the church is the defining characteristic of the church
it is through observing love among the church that others recognize the Christ
all else is just so much fluff
just so much wasted life and effort
at least according to apostle paul in 1 Corinthians 13
useless
apart from love, it is just so much noise, loud, aggravating noise
be careful then what we place in the centre of the table of fellowship
because disunity, the factioning of the Body of the Christ, is a most serious assault on the Christ himself
hence apostle paul's regular warning against division in the church
it is unity that decorates the table of fellowship
make it so ..
peace and love
in my roaming i've encountered all sorts; my strict oldself was replaced with an openness to whatever was there, mostly
the upshot of that is this: i've been disappointed
apparently, so have many others
i know people who refuse to try any more; they've given up
and that's a sad thing, for the church is the manifestation of the Christ in the Earth, and inasmuch as it fails in that manifestation, it fails the Christ, and the God of the Christ
that's a serious thing right there, and no amount of rationalization and reasoning will serve to deflect the failure
..
so what is church
why do some of us refuse to accept what is there, just because it's 'church'
and how does that speak to the importance of being connected to other christians as we move through life in this foreign land
what on earth are we looking for
..
church, to me, is the human presence of God in the earth
apostle paul calls it ' the body ' of the Christ
Jesus the head, we the parts
and according to his description in his corinthian ( and roman ) letters, the main purpose is support and encouragement of each other
the point is for the various members to live-out their giftedness within the body, serving each other, so that the body as a whole is strengthened
as each part matures in its function, performing its role, the body becomes more and more coordinated, effective
that means that each member/part should conduct itself as that part, and not be envious of other parts, so that paul comments on the finger wanting to be an eye, etc., and the lack of understanding that produces that sort of mentality - really, it serves to deconstruct the body, reducing its utility
having said that, the apostle then addresses the unreasonable attitude of those parts who seek to be noticed, to gain accolade and recognition for their gift ..
not good
the eye isn't any more significant than the knee
in the same way it serves no good purpose for the knee wanting to be an eye, it is useless for the eye to laud it's eyeness over the knee's kneeness ..
each has its utility in the body, and the two should recognize that they did not choose their giftedness - the holy spirit of God did, distributing the gifts among the parts as it suited the Spirit .. ( a good example of God's sovereign rule over the church )
paul uses speaking in other languages as a typical example of the pride and arrogance of some within the Corinthian church - you can what he wrote in 1Corinthians 12-14
it's worthy noting that the ' love chapter ' lands smack in the middle of his discourse
it hasn't anything much to do with romance; its function is correction for those selfish Body parts whose focus was on themselves rather than on others in the Body, whose intention was self-exaltation rather than love for the family
..
in a discussion with a friend recently, the issue arose over the apparent emphasis of certain members of a church on particular gifts - it seems these issues were persistently emphasized by some
the issues become the centre-piece on the table of fellowship
..
that makes it very uncomfortable for those in the body who have other gifts
it makes them feel rather useless, like if they're missing something, like if they're deficient, unspiritual ..
and that's destructive to the Body
it does precisely the opposite of what Jesus intended and Paul corrected at Corinth
so .. what should be in the middle of the table of fellowship, what's the main issue among the Body
Jesus himself addressed that issue just days before he was killed
knowing his fate, he spoke to his disciples and to his heavenly father in John's relation of things, chapters 14-17
the core of that was this: unity
unity among the disciples
unity between the disciples and God, similar to the unity that exists between God and Jesus ( a phenomenal thought )
unity
" that they may be one as we are, father "
imagine ..
`|`
it's horribly to the devil's credit that it has been able to undo at precisely the point where Jesus sought to centre
unity
so that there are now thousands of denominations within the Body
and even several divisions within denominations
the Satan has inserted division, schism within the Body
..
one of the primary practices Jesus introduced in his final days is related in apostle John's story, at chapter 13
actually 2 practices
demonstrating 2 things
actually 1
in 2 parts
read it ..
before they sat down to eat what would be their final meal together, Jesus poignantly demonstrated what God-power looks like
he washed their feet
in those times, it was the role of a house-slave to wash the dirtied feet of those entering the house; they wore sandals then, and walked most places, their feet becoming dirty as they moved about ..
Jesus took the role of the house-slave
and he said this: you call me Rabbi, you call me Lord
do you see what i've done
if i, your Lord and Rabbi, have done this for you, you ought also to do this for each other
a servant is not greater than his master, yet i've done this for you; you do the same
ahmmm ..... wow !
is this a defining moment in the disciples' experience or what
is this a defining moment for the church or what
is this a defining moment for God or what
whenever we look to describe God, we ought to point to this act of
loving servanthood
of serving love
and then .. supper
and what we term ' Communion ' or ' the Lord's Supper ', the ' Eucharist ' ..
Jesus broke bread and shared it, and then poured wine and shared it
and in this, the worldwide recognized activity that breaks-down barriers, the meal, Jesus institutes a remembrance of him and his mission of Reconciliation
" So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
..
what should occupy the centre of the table of fellowship, the Body meal ?
unity
oneness
one bread, one cup
one spirit
one Spirit
one mind
..
the human penchant for recognition has no place whatsoever in the Body of the Christ
to be one in Christ, as Christ is one in God, is to be the driving motivation for us
and that is the overflow of love
love among the church is the defining characteristic of the church
it is through observing love among the church that others recognize the Christ
all else is just so much fluff
just so much wasted life and effort
at least according to apostle paul in 1 Corinthians 13
useless
be careful then what we place in the centre of the table of fellowship
because disunity, the factioning of the Body of the Christ, is a most serious assault on the Christ himself
hence apostle paul's regular warning against division in the church
it is unity that decorates the table of fellowship
make it so ..
peace and love
Thursday, May 19, 2016
pragmatism and righteousness ..
the old adage ' the ends don't justify the means ' ..
the point was to disavow the mindset of doing whatever was necessary to accomplish a goal - there are social and moral implications, and religious ones to boot
in an article posted on 'patheos' one member of the united methodist church, a commissioned deacon, spoke strongly against what they saw as bullying on the part of the ' progressive ' faction within the denomination, expressing deep concern at the rhetoric and methods it used to express its dissatisfaction with the long-standing opposition to inclusion of the LGBT community ..
not that they opposed lgbt - the deacon has lgbt friends, and apparently an lgbt child, and stated that they would disavow their vows within the UMC when that child decided to marry, so as not to act in a fashion that undermined the rules of the church
the purpose and focus of the article was this person's disagreement with the methods used by the dissenters, not so much with what they were attempting to do ..
in brief, they said this, ' Frankly, my issue with either group is not over their agenda; it has never been. It is over their short-sighted, toddler-esque, antics that derail pragmatic and sustained change (said it, meant it) that make me come unglued. '
by the way, the writer brought the supporters of the democrat bernie sanders into the fray, liking the activities they were witnessing in the denomination to those of the politician's supporters, as follows:
" I AM TIRED OF ALL YOU PROGRESSIVE BULLIES. Berners, Bernistas, Methodists with an Agenda, all of you.
For months on end, anyone who would listen has been subjected to your self-righteous parochial ideas about politics, economics, the church and the College Football Playoff. We have endured your endless protests, your slogans, your slogans WITH protests, and your fundamental unwillingness to engage in anything other than a total scorched earth campaign. "
and a chord sang within me once again ..
you can find the article here
..
make no mistake, i am as unpoitical a person as you will find in the western hemisphere
my life as a whole has been marked by an apolitical stance
as a christian i have all along taken the position that the kingdom i serve is not an Earthly one, and the king i serve is less interested in the politics of the moment than in my service to the people around me as part of His Body, the church
unswervingly my position
as poignantly declared in this recent message from someone i respect here
that was precisely my take on it
however
while i do not support any political party, i recently discovered that there is a current political figure who takes to heart the people, the wellbeing of the masses, and cares for those in need
additionally, this person seems not to play the political game, but calls-out those who abuse politics for their own personal benefit and wealth at the expense of the common citizen, resulting in a massive widening of the gap between the rich and the poor ..
as such, their stated intention is to right some of the abuse that has been part of this country's ' modus operandi ' for quite some time
so that when someone like this takes a stand against public abuse and for the abused, i, as a follower of Jesus, find myself compelled to support this person ..
after all, they are, in effect, proclaiming to subscribe to some of the very principles my Master cared for
one example is a right-now newscast on a local channel investigating the massive overload of mentally unstable people who end up in jail for extended periods, rather than being treated for their mental illness in a mental hospital - they are criminalized instead of treated, because of the lack of staffed institutions
..
but the politics isn't the point of this post
my concern is with the deacon's lean towards pragmatism over outright revolt against the oppressive system
..
while that may sound a bit radical, it reflects my naive outlook on abuse, on the privileged powerful few's disregard for humanity in pursuit of their own purse
and methinks i'm in good company
Jesus was patently and potently unpragmatic ..
while Jesus was not one to speak-out against the imperial powers, his methods and messages strongly aligned with the down-and-out, the underclassed ..
he ' religiously ' opposed the religious leadership for their misrepresentation of the god they claimed to represent in defense of the common people and their needs ..
and he himself met many of those needs by undoing the powers of darkness, standing against sickness and demonic oppression, feeding the hungry, loving the cast-out, sharing meals with the despised and rejected, allowing a scorned prostitute to anoint his feet with her repentant tears
this Man is the man i follow
it is he that inspires my life
it seems to me only reasonable for me to support someone who looks to head in a similar direction from a political point of view, even though this politician does not lay any claim to chtistianity
..
the writer's claim that progressing along the path in a decent, orderly manner, observing the rules of their denomination, is in fact in direct opposition to Jesus' take and is, as such, faulty
Jesus' strongest words by far were not directed toward those in political office, but those in religious office
..
when it comes to playing by the rules to gain a particular goal vs. taking the bull by the horns and proclaiming justice and right-eousness in the face of evil, i take Jesus' position
and where i see ( as i said, for the first time ever ) a politician headed in that direction, a direction that looks to overthrow the wicked status quo on behalf of the oppressed, i will go there with that politician, for inasmuch as that person does it for the least of these, they do it for Jesus
hence my disregard for pragmatism, and my desire to see change, massive change in favour of the beatendown, the margined, the poor, the sick, the very lgbt, the alien immigrant, the refugee, the muslim, the blacks and the mexicans, the jew, the mentally ill ..
for there is no distinction with God
ALL have sinned
and God causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine on the just and on the unjust alike, indiscriminately
who am i then to discriminate
mine is to bow to that view of life in this world and to pursue peace and justice for all, as much as i am able
where i see it, i support it
politics or not
dreamer or not
so help me God
mine is to support Kingdom ethics whenever i have the opportunity, and everyperson is worthy ..
such that
blessed be those whose spirits have been beaten-down
blessed are they who lament
and those that have a gentle spirit
those that are starving for justice
the merciful
the innocent
the persecuted
.. says Jesus
again he says " be perfect, even as your heavenly father is perfect "
where is pragmatism
..
the point was to disavow the mindset of doing whatever was necessary to accomplish a goal - there are social and moral implications, and religious ones to boot
in an article posted on 'patheos' one member of the united methodist church, a commissioned deacon, spoke strongly against what they saw as bullying on the part of the ' progressive ' faction within the denomination, expressing deep concern at the rhetoric and methods it used to express its dissatisfaction with the long-standing opposition to inclusion of the LGBT community ..
not that they opposed lgbt - the deacon has lgbt friends, and apparently an lgbt child, and stated that they would disavow their vows within the UMC when that child decided to marry, so as not to act in a fashion that undermined the rules of the church
the purpose and focus of the article was this person's disagreement with the methods used by the dissenters, not so much with what they were attempting to do ..
in brief, they said this, ' Frankly, my issue with either group is not over their agenda; it has never been. It is over their short-sighted, toddler-esque, antics that derail pragmatic and sustained change (said it, meant it) that make me come unglued. '
by the way, the writer brought the supporters of the democrat bernie sanders into the fray, liking the activities they were witnessing in the denomination to those of the politician's supporters, as follows:
" I AM TIRED OF ALL YOU PROGRESSIVE BULLIES. Berners, Bernistas, Methodists with an Agenda, all of you.
For months on end, anyone who would listen has been subjected to your self-righteous parochial ideas about politics, economics, the church and the College Football Playoff. We have endured your endless protests, your slogans, your slogans WITH protests, and your fundamental unwillingness to engage in anything other than a total scorched earth campaign. "
and a chord sang within me once again ..
you can find the article here
..
make no mistake, i am as unpoitical a person as you will find in the western hemisphere
my life as a whole has been marked by an apolitical stance
as a christian i have all along taken the position that the kingdom i serve is not an Earthly one, and the king i serve is less interested in the politics of the moment than in my service to the people around me as part of His Body, the church
unswervingly my position
as poignantly declared in this recent message from someone i respect here
that was precisely my take on it
however
while i do not support any political party, i recently discovered that there is a current political figure who takes to heart the people, the wellbeing of the masses, and cares for those in need
additionally, this person seems not to play the political game, but calls-out those who abuse politics for their own personal benefit and wealth at the expense of the common citizen, resulting in a massive widening of the gap between the rich and the poor ..
as such, their stated intention is to right some of the abuse that has been part of this country's ' modus operandi ' for quite some time
so that when someone like this takes a stand against public abuse and for the abused, i, as a follower of Jesus, find myself compelled to support this person ..
after all, they are, in effect, proclaiming to subscribe to some of the very principles my Master cared for
one example is a right-now newscast on a local channel investigating the massive overload of mentally unstable people who end up in jail for extended periods, rather than being treated for their mental illness in a mental hospital - they are criminalized instead of treated, because of the lack of staffed institutions
..
but the politics isn't the point of this post
my concern is with the deacon's lean towards pragmatism over outright revolt against the oppressive system
..
while that may sound a bit radical, it reflects my naive outlook on abuse, on the privileged powerful few's disregard for humanity in pursuit of their own purse
and methinks i'm in good company
Jesus was patently and potently unpragmatic ..
while Jesus was not one to speak-out against the imperial powers, his methods and messages strongly aligned with the down-and-out, the underclassed ..
he ' religiously ' opposed the religious leadership for their misrepresentation of the god they claimed to represent in defense of the common people and their needs ..
and he himself met many of those needs by undoing the powers of darkness, standing against sickness and demonic oppression, feeding the hungry, loving the cast-out, sharing meals with the despised and rejected, allowing a scorned prostitute to anoint his feet with her repentant tears
this Man is the man i follow
it is he that inspires my life
it seems to me only reasonable for me to support someone who looks to head in a similar direction from a political point of view, even though this politician does not lay any claim to chtistianity
..
the writer's claim that progressing along the path in a decent, orderly manner, observing the rules of their denomination, is in fact in direct opposition to Jesus' take and is, as such, faulty
Jesus' strongest words by far were not directed toward those in political office, but those in religious office
..
when it comes to playing by the rules to gain a particular goal vs. taking the bull by the horns and proclaiming justice and right-eousness in the face of evil, i take Jesus' position
and where i see ( as i said, for the first time ever ) a politician headed in that direction, a direction that looks to overthrow the wicked status quo on behalf of the oppressed, i will go there with that politician, for inasmuch as that person does it for the least of these, they do it for Jesus
hence my disregard for pragmatism, and my desire to see change, massive change in favour of the beatendown, the margined, the poor, the sick, the very lgbt, the alien immigrant, the refugee, the muslim, the blacks and the mexicans, the jew, the mentally ill ..
for there is no distinction with God
ALL have sinned
and God causes the rain to fall and the sun to shine on the just and on the unjust alike, indiscriminately
who am i then to discriminate
mine is to bow to that view of life in this world and to pursue peace and justice for all, as much as i am able
where i see it, i support it
politics or not
dreamer or not
so help me God
mine is to support Kingdom ethics whenever i have the opportunity, and everyperson is worthy ..
such that
blessed be those whose spirits have been beaten-down
blessed are they who lament
and those that have a gentle spirit
those that are starving for justice
the merciful
the innocent
the persecuted
.. says Jesus
again he says " be perfect, even as your heavenly father is perfect "
where is pragmatism
..
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