Perspectives: Two roads

 Two roads diverged in a yellow - I mean, green wood...

Book Review: The Hope of Glory

Information about the book

The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross by Jon Meacham.  Covergent Books, New York, 2020.  Amazon.

Summary

From Amazon:

For Jon Meacham, as for believers worldwide, the events of Good Friday and Easter reveal essential truths about Christianity. A former vestryman of Trinity Church Wall Street and St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, Meacham delves into that intersection of faith and history in this meditation on the seven phrases Jesus spoke from the cross.

Beginning with “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and ending with “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” Meacham captures for the reader how these words epitomize Jesus’s message of love, not hate; grace, not rage; and, rather than vengeance, extraordinary mercy. For each saying, Meacham composes an essay on the origins of Christianity and how Jesus’s final words created a foundation for oral and written traditions that upended the very order of the world.

Writing in a tone more intimate than any of his previous works, Jon Meacham returns us to the moment that transformed Jesus from a historical figure into the proclaimed Son of God, worshiped by billions.

Impressions

I was surprised to see this book written by Jon Meacham. I've only read one other of his book, And There was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.  That book is a biography, as are most of Meacham's books.  The idea of this book intrigued me, though, so I ordered it.

Each chapter is a short devotion or reflection on each of Jesus's last words. The content is engaging and thought-provoking. It comes from a place of faith, and isn't afraid to ask questions so that our faith and understanding can grow deeper. I thought it was excellent, and would make a great book study for discussion. I highly recommend it.

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Meacham Hope 

Experiencing Forsakeness

I continued reading from the book The Hope of Glory by Jon Meacham. This book is a reflection on the seven last words of Jesus. This post is based on the chapter concerning Matthew 27: 46-47:

And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Meacham writes: "...Jesus was fully briefed on his earthly mission, then how could his cry be taken literally? Why ask whether God has forsaken him? Why cry in pain when he must have known that resurrection lay ahead?"

I stopped reading the chapter to write this post; to share my thoughts about this rhetorical question.

Despite Jesus's knowledge of what is happening, and what is to come, and why this is part of his mission, he is still suffering a crucifixion. I think these words are an authentic and heart-felt expression of what is happening to him. He is in intense, unimaginable pain. These words tell us he felt forsaken - what a word! More than alone, more than abandoned. Forsaken - left alone.

I pray we all know that there is hope for us, that God is present with us, even this moment, and yet we also can know the pain of suffering. Knowledge of a future of hope does not eliminate the present pain of whatever is happening to us. The experience of pain, or loss, or forsakenness isn't eliminated by hope. I think we can endure because of the hope, but we still experience the "awfulness" of what is happening to us. Seeing that Jesus experienced the same not only tell us about the 100% of Jesus that was human, but reassures us that Jesus knows what our lives are like.

Of course Jesus's experience and words were authentic, even in the midst of hope. That is our experience, too.

I Remember that Day

I wrote this on September 11, 2005, and found it again today, so I thought I would share a rerun.

I remember that day.
It began just like any other day.
The sky was blue – perfectly clear,
And if I had been watching,
I could have seen the plane change direction.
U-shaped contrails.
At first, no one understood
The hatred that had struck.
And then, as a second jet collided,
A building melted,
Our hearts, our peace, and our security were demolished.

Lord; take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say,
and keep me out of your way. Amen

I remember the disbelief,
As estimates of the dead climbed.
Horrible possibilities, horrible numbers were broadcast.
Buildings collapsed as we watched.
We knew they hadn’t been empty
And that the stench of death crept
Along with the dust and dirt.
The Pentagon burned.
Air traffic was grounded,
Except for the one plane that
Crashed into the ground.

Lord; take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say,
and keep me out of your way. Amen

I remember the heroes.
The fireman, who turned to go back in,
Saying, “It’s what I do.”
The passenger, knowing death was coming,
Who said, “Let’s roll.”
The cell phone calls to family,
Love, the first and last thing on their minds.
The photos – Have you seen my wife?
The doctors, nurses, hospitals,
Standing ready for the injured who would never arrive.
Long lines to give blood.
The prayers, the unity, the tears.
We were in it together.
St. Paul's chapel, near Ground Zero,
Open to nurture anyone who needed it.

Lord; take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say,
and keep me out of your way. Amen

I remember the worry,
When reality finally set in.
What would we become?
Would fear win,
And would we reflect back hatred?
I remember the high school student
Who was slammed against his locker
For looking Muslim.
But I remember the memorial service in New York
Christians, Jews and Muslims,
All praying together,
People, feeling the hatred,
And returning something better.
What would we become?

Lord; take me where you want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say,
and keep me out of your way. Amen

I can never forget the change,
Even now, even today.
We live in a world that is post-9/11.
Our 9/10 attitudes are gone.
Long airport security lines,
And we’re glad.
Anything to feel a little bit safer.
Our first question now, when tragedy strikes,
Isn’t “What went wrong?”
It’s “Who did it?”
Even now, on a clear day,
I look at the blue sky,
See a U-shaped contrail,
And wonder.

Prayer between stanzas is the prayer carried by Father Mychal F. Judge, Chaplain, New York Fire Department, who was killed on 9/11 at the World Trade Center.

Images:

1. Firefighters on their way to the scene.
2. Man holding up his blood type as he stands in line to donate.
3. Wall of posters as people try to find their loved ones.

Book Review: The Gospel of John

Information about the book

The Gospel of John by Amy-Jill Levine.  Published by Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2024.  (Amazon / Cokesbury).

Summary

From Amazon: John’s Gospel offers readers a new language―of being born anew, of living water, of wind and spirit, of the “I am”―that enhances how we understand the divine, how we experience the world, and how we participate in the mystery of faith.

With her characteristic wit and charm, Amy-Jill Levine introduces readers to the world of the Gospel of John by unpacking the stories in their original context, along with examining how the text is read today. This book considers the Gospel of John in its entirety, moving through the Gospel and exploring the prologue, the wedding at Cana, the Samaritan woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery, the healing of the man at the pool and the man born blind, foot washing, Mary Magdalene and Doubting Thomas, and the Lamb of God.

Components available to use this book in a small group study include a leader guide and video available on DVD.

Impressions

This book takes a journey through the complicated Gospel of John in a way that will feed the open mind and provide new insights. The chapters often look at a pair of stories instead of just one - that pairing provides greater clarity than just one story by itself.

I always grow and enhance my understanding when I read a book by Amy-Jill Levine. This is an excellent look at the Gospel and I highly recommend it.

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Perspectives: Sprocket, King of the blankets

 

May your labor day be a day of relaxation and enjoyment.

Repentance as a Human Action

I visited a church I don't normally attend a few weeks ago. The minister's sermon was centered on repentance. His thesis was that repentance is an decision, not an emotion. He stated that God cannot save a person who is not repentant.

I was uncomfortable (and disagreed with) the belief that God is powerless to reach us if we are not repentant - if we are unable or unwilling to turn back to God. It seems to me that all of us ARE unable or unwilling to repent without the intercession of God. This is what grace is about. This is what mercy is about. The pastor's thesis, to me, makes God powerless, and negates not only the need for grace but the action of grace, motivated by God's mercy.

Today, the day after I heard that sermon, I read the following in Jon Meacham's book, The Hope of Glory:

Today you will be with Me in Paradise: God is all-powerful and far beyond our control and our comprehension. His mercy is available to all, even if the ways and means of grace remain mysterious, veiled from our eyes and our understandings.

To  me, the pastor I heard preach on Sunday not only negates the power of God, but also, without humility, fails to understand that he himself (and those to whom he is preaching) are unable to repent without God. It seems like he is assuming that he (and those to whom he is preaching) have accomplished repentance and therefore opened themselves up to God, all on their own, and now they exist without sin, and no more in need of repentance.

Perspectives: Stairway

 

I just read in Amy-Jill Levine's book, Genesis: A Beginner's Guide to the Beginning, that Jacob's ladder wasn't a ladder, it was a stairway.  

Book review: Sacraments and Discipleship

Information about the book

Sacraments & Discipleship: Understanding Baptism and the Lord's Supper in a United Methodist Context by Mark W. Stamm. Published by OSL Publications, 2001.  The book can be purchased from Amazon or Cokesbury (and probably other places).

Summary

From Amazon: The primary task of the Christian life is to respond to God’s gracious initiative by loving God and our neighbor, that is, the people God puts in our path. The sacraments help us do that. They hold up a vision of new life, and they make that life possible. This book discusses how such sacramental grace comes to us and how we might open ourselves to it in a more complete way. It emphasizes the work of God’s grace, yet insists that there is a human side of the covenant, the work of receiving grace. Dr. Stamm helps us discover once again that to talk about the sacraments is to talk about the entirety of human life and Christian discipleship.

Impressions

I have such mixed feelings about this book. I picked it because I wanted to enhance my understanding of the sacraments as I lead the Conference CLM class. I always bring in elders (actually, the Bishop, if she is available) to talk to the class about the Sacraments, but I wanted to grow my own understanding, too.

At first, I really liked the book, but the more I read, the less I liked it, so that after the first couple of chapters, I DNFed (marked the book "did not finish").  A couple of months later, I picked it up again and did complete it.

There are enlightening portions of this book, but there are also portions that felt - I don't even know how to explain my experience of reading it. Parts felt less than grace-filled and legalistic.

I'm not sure if I would recommend it or not.

Perspectives: Balance

Here is one more from Lakeside - it makes me think about balance.

Lakeside Chautauqua Ohio images

Last week, Steve and I attended a conference at Lakeside Chautauqua in Ohio.  It's a beautiful place; here are some images from our walk on Monday:

Complexity and Growth

Take a look at these quotes from Jon Meachem's book, The Hope of Glory:

• Reason's last step is the recognition that there are an infinite number of things which are beyond it (Blaise Pascal).
• There are more things in heaven and earth ... than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Shakespeare in Hamlet).
• For now, we can only "see through a glass, darkly" (Paul from 1 Corinthians)

Meachem provides these quotes, and then says, "For the thoughtful believer, then, there is nothing more certain that the reality of uncertainty, nothing more natural that doubt, which  perhaps thirty seconds younger than faith itself."

I was teaching a Sunday school class once, and I asked them about doubt. I was hoping to have a good discussion on the role of doubt in faith. One of the students said that doubt was from the devil. That kind of stopped the conversation.

Sometimes, I think, we come to faith with a closed mind, grown through countless people telling us how to believe, that "the Bible says it, and that's the way it is." I think the problem with that kind of faith is multifaceted. 

• We talking about faith in God - a God we cannot hope to understand. We can certainly know something, but we cannot know all. To pretend that we do is folly.
• We believe God created us, and that grand, divine design includes a brain. We are meant to apply reason to faith, and in fact, doubt and exploration, questioning, can lead to a strong, more robust, and dare I say more complete, faith. Blind faith does not do that and can prevent our growth through sanctifying grace.
• Meachem says, "Light can neither emanate from, nor enter into , a closed mind. Literalism not only stops our growth but it also prevents us from sharing light with others.

I especially like this quote, "Without reason, we cannot appreciate complexity; without appreciating complexity, we cannot rightly appreciate the majesty and mystery of God; and without rightly appreciating the majesty and mystery of God, we foreclose the possibility of the miraculous and the redemptive."

 

Perspectives: Color Temperature

This is something that annoys my husband to no end - different color temperatures in light fixtures.  What is your pet peeve?

Afraid of Loss

I was in a meeting the other day.  Our new pastor asked us what we like about our church, what we want from our church, and what we wish for.

What I wrote in response to the "want for" questions was that I wanted our church to not be afraid and to stop acting out of fear of death. We value our church, and we are afraid it is dying. Therefore, many of our actions seem motivated through that fear. Does that even make sense as a thought?

In Tod Bolsinger's book, Invest in Transformation, he writes, "People don't resist change, they resist loss."  What happens when we see opposition to change in that light? I think when we realize that people are afraid, and that they are resisting loss, we can act differently towards them. We are more graceful and helpful. There may be things we can do as leaders in the face of fear of loss that we would not realize were solutions if we were just mad about their resistance to change.

In a later paragraph, Bolsinger quotes Ronald Heifetz, "Most real change is not about the change. It's about identifying what cultural DNA is worth conserving, is precious and essential, and that indeed makes it worth suffering the losses so that you can find a way to bring the best of your traditions and history and values into the future."

How do we help people make that identification without sinking into the quagmire of "how we used to be?"

One more quote from Bolsinger: "So, when an organization feels stress, the default behavior of most organizational leaders is to solve the problems for our organizations rather than change our organizations for meeting the needs of the world. The result is that instead of undergoing transformation to be more effective in our mission to the serve the world, organizations unconsciously reinforce the very status quo that is no longer working." Have you seen that?

Father, Forgive them

I read Jon Meacham's book, The Hope of Glory.  It is a study of the last seven words/phrases of Christ.

The first chapter is a look at "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." His thesis is that while we often use these words as evidence of not only Jesus's forgiveness of those who are executing him, but of all of us - evidence of the forgiving nature of Jesus and therefore God, he (Meacham) doesn't see it that way.

Meacham proposes that "Jesus's death was essential to Christian hope."  He says, "So why does Luke have Jesus seem to be forgiving his tormentors for playing the critical and necessary role in bringing about the salvation few the world and the coming of a kingdom of justice?" I other words (as I see what Meacham is saying), the idea that the death of Christ is essential for God's plan of salvation means that those who perpetrated it are not in need of forgiveness. Does it seem to you that he is proposing that because the death of essential, those who executed Jesus were working in God's plan?

I'm going to leave aside the idea that Jesus's death is essential to Christian hope for just a moment (I think we could have a discussion around that idea, too. I'm troubled by the idea that the executioners do not need forgiveness (because of a lack of sin in this instance) because the death of Jesus was part of God's plan. They didn't kill him because they were motivating by bringing about God's kingdom. They killed him because they were threatened and were seeking to continue their power.  They executed an innocent man - not for any kingdom-bringing purposes. It certainly seems to me that forgiveness was necessary.

In fact, the very idea of their actions demonstrates not a motivation to bring about the kingdom, but evidence of our need (and their need) for grace and forgiveness. If God needed the execution of his son to bring about the salvation of the world (which I have my doubts about), then could it be because we are a people who would commit these acts? I don't think we can ignore the sin when the sin is the reason God needs to intervene.