Self-glorification as Legacy

I'm currently reading The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric.  This book was referenced several times by the keynote speaker at a recent Stewardship Conference I attended, so I picked it up. 

The chapter called "Legacy Mindset" begins with the thesis that people want to be remembered.  Krznaric says that there are two ways (in general) that people choose to express their legacy.  Read this quote about the first way:

"Some pursue an egocentric form of legacy, hoping to be remembered and glorified for their personal achievements.  That was the approach of Alexander the Great, who had statues of himself built throughout his empire, including the sacred Greek site of Olympia. The legacy he sought was to be venerated in perpetuity for his heroic actions and brilliant conquests, and to be memorialised like a god -- unsurprising for someone who claimed to be a direct descendant of Zeus. Today's corporate oligarchs who use their philanthropic largess to have buildings, football stadiums, and museum wings named after themselves have similar ambitions."

First, I think dividing people's motivations into two catagories is oversimplified to say the least, and I would never propose that everyone whose philanthropic actions result in a naming opportuity are completely motivated by glorification.  That said, I read this and wondered if this kind of legacy-seeking, when motivated not by service but by self-glorification is a way in which we tend to worship a god other than God - a god we make of ourselves.

That came to mind as I watch the currently elected president work pretty desperately to place his name on multiple buildings, actions, and new construction. Do we see how this self-glorification is not Christian (or anything but self-worship)? I think it is an attitude we would normally not condone.

How do you or I do this ourselves? What can we do to change it?

 

Serve and Guard

Chapter One of Amy-Jill Levine's book, Genesis, was full of interesting and eye opening information. I'm going to focus this post on one aspect of the chapter, but the whole exploration of the Creation stories is rich.

Take a look at Genesis 2:15:  "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it."  Levine focuses on the word "till."  To me, to till is to dig in the ground, clear out the weeds and rocks, and plant seeds. I'm not a gardener or a farmer, but that's my impression.  Levine says, "The term translated 'til' in in Hebrew eved, a term that appear over one thousand times; it connotes not so much technical gardening...but 'serving'; its noun form gives us both 'servant' and 'slave' as well as 'worker' and, amazingly, the Hebrew term for 'worship."

What does it mean to think that God put people in the garden to till it? If tilling is serving, then what does it mean to serve the earth? It's not just taking advantage of the benefits of soil to grow food, but it means that we are tasked with caring for the earth itself - providing what it needs - serving it.

She goes on to say, "The connection between the land and the connotations of 'work,' 'service,' and 'worship' shared by the same Hebrew root is supported by the Hebrew term in 2:15 for 'keep,' shamar, which conveys 'guard or 'protect."

How does it change our understanding of being in the Garden (and in the world) to till and keep it if it connotes serve and guard?

 

Perspectives: Gone Fishing

 

The Story of God

If we are going to tell the story about God, what story are we going to tell?

This is a line from a sermon given by our pastor, Rev. Sarah Wilmoth.  If we are going to tell the story of God, what story are we going to tell?

There are options, right? Our story can be of the god we make in our minds - a god that favors us, blesses us, and judges others. A god that makes us comfortable and rewards our seemingly attentive use of the word "Christian" to describe ourselves. We might tell of a god that rewards us with riches as a transaction for attending worship, or giving of our gifts. Maybe we tell of a god that judges others harshly but provides us with grace.

If we are going to tell the story about God, what story are we going to tell?

Or maybe, we tell the story of God. The God that has entered our lives to change them. A God that created everyone in God's own image so that all are blessed and sacred. Maybe we tell the story of a God that forgave us and continues to forgive us, even though we sin - a God that offers all of us grace. Maybe we tell the story of a God that loves you and loves me, and loves even those we would, in our sin, despise. Maybe we tell the story of a God that saves us from self-contempt and the contempt of others.  Maybe our story is one of love and not hate, grace and not judgement, belovedness and not rejection.

If we are going to tell the story of God, what story are we going to tell?

 

Logos: Listen

Inspired by Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16

Listen.
Pay attention to what I will tell you.
I will tell you about your history, your faith.
Listen.
Tell your children, tell your grandchildren,
tell those in your neighborhood
who don't know about God.
Listen and speak.

God, the creator of us all,

worked miracles for the slaves in Egypt.

God opened the sea and made a way,

Opened a way to freedom.

God provided guidance in fiery light,

Water from rocks

Abundant life.

From dry nothingness,

God created waters to flow,

streams to answer thirst.

Remember what God has done.

Tell about what God will do.

God will bring freedom from what traps us.

God will bring life from wilderness.

God will prepare a path through obstacles.

God will be present.

How do we know?

Because God is.

Perspectives: Chicken on bike

 

Look Now

Amy-Jill Levine, in the book Genesis: A Beginner's Guide to the Beginning, quotes Isaiah in her introduction:

How you are fallen from heaven,

O Morning Star, son of Dawn?

How you are cut down to the ground,

you who laid the nations low!

You said to yourself,

'I will ascend to heave;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God...

I will ascend to the tops of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.'

But you are brought down to Shel,

to the depths of the Pit.

Those who see you will stare at you

and ponder over you:

'Is this the man who made the earth tremble...'

(Isaiah 14:12-16)

She shares that this passage satirizes the Babylonian imperial goals. 

It's a timeless passage, though, isn't it? It is (to me) a portrait of a person or a nation that strives to rise to the level of god, and then is brought down, so that others stare and ponder.

I can think of nations that step on others to rise high. I can think of leaders who neglect their duties to care for those they lead in order to rise up. I can think of ourselves, who try to lift ourselves up as god-like instead of following God.

And I can picture, at the end, someone looking, and saying, "Is this the one who made the earth tremble? Look at him now. 

The Same Breath

 A couple of lines from our Call to Worship at church in August:

L: The air is precious;

P: For all of us share the same breath.

All of us share the same breath. I read that as part of the responsive reading; it was a stunning statement. The air we breath is the air all of us breath - our common breath. I mean, I know that, but it was still a startling statement. What we do to the air in one place impacts all of our breath.

What we do to the water in one river, impacts all of our drinking.

Of course it does, but do we remember that?

L. For we did not weave the web of life:

P: We are merely a strand in it.

L: Whatever we do to the web

P: We do to ourselves

I wrote this as a blog post with the very unhelpful note to "add reference."  The reference to the Call to Worship in the written bulletin included the reference but I didn't write it down. When I googled it, I found that much of this is attributed to Chief Seattle.  Just know that I didn't write it.

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.