"Worship means lifting our hands to a God who seems totally beyond us. Modern humanity has lost the call to worship because its a blow to our pride and sophistication to worship a God who is utter otherness. So instead of adoring God, much worship becomes an attempt to control or influence God." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p.113)
This morning is the busy day at church. Hopefully many people will come to be fed spiritually by word and sacrament. Hopefully they've also come to worship. To pray to God who is both transcendent and immanent at the same time. While the church that I lead is not one where hands go up in the air during worship, there are of course places where that is the norm. That is how they express their worship of God.
When I think of the worship that has fed me and brought me closer to God, there has always been a sense of irreverent reverence. I do appreciate worship done well. But that is not always mean highly choreographed, whether that be high church Anglican, or non-denominational ready for TV worship. Both have their pluses and minuses for me and do speak to the comfort level of others.
What I do understand is that worship is not about controlling God or influencing how God feels about me. I already believe God is pleased with and loves me. Worship then is about how I respond to that fact. I get a chuckle when I hear prayers that tell God, who God is and what God should do. Or when worship becomes so fussy or so more about being entertained that it forgets the primary purpose.
Ultimately we all need to find a way to worship. A way that opens us to experience God in our midst. That takes us beyond ourselves for a moment, and invites us to use all or our senses to comprehend and believe in a God, who keeps urging us on.
Blessings,
Ed
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Reflections for 2/27/10
"We must somehow be a Church growing in resistance. Faith and resistance must be reconnected in our hearts and in our corporate decisions. Otherwise we are always drawn into passing fads and cultural biases." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 112)
Some of the brightest moments in church history is when the church has gotten itself involved in changing for the better the world in which it finds itself. Most of the great movements in our country's history have been led by religious folks. The great leaders of the civil rights movement were all of course people of faith. Throughout the world people of faith are often the one's calling dictators to task and toppling oppressive systems.
Of course there are also less shining moments when people of faith have been used and allowed themselves to be used to oppress others. When they've wedded themselves to the government rather than being the conscience. Usually this happens out of fear and self preservation.
In our own day and place it seems that faith communities have bought into the current climate of division. Both conservative and liberal causes have their supporters in faith communities. Each one believing they are being the voice of resistance to the current cultural fads and biases. And both failing to realize that each has something to offer in resistance to those cultural biases. Or even better would be to put a time out on the those issues each seems to believe are matters of life and death and put a unified front against the things that actually are. I'm not sure I have much hope for that because that would mean having to admit the other might have some level of truth to offer.
Maybe the first step to reconnecting resistance to faith, would be to resist needing to feel right all the time and resisting the urge to demonize those I disagree with.
Blessings,
Ed
Some of the brightest moments in church history is when the church has gotten itself involved in changing for the better the world in which it finds itself. Most of the great movements in our country's history have been led by religious folks. The great leaders of the civil rights movement were all of course people of faith. Throughout the world people of faith are often the one's calling dictators to task and toppling oppressive systems.
Of course there are also less shining moments when people of faith have been used and allowed themselves to be used to oppress others. When they've wedded themselves to the government rather than being the conscience. Usually this happens out of fear and self preservation.
In our own day and place it seems that faith communities have bought into the current climate of division. Both conservative and liberal causes have their supporters in faith communities. Each one believing they are being the voice of resistance to the current cultural fads and biases. And both failing to realize that each has something to offer in resistance to those cultural biases. Or even better would be to put a time out on the those issues each seems to believe are matters of life and death and put a unified front against the things that actually are. I'm not sure I have much hope for that because that would mean having to admit the other might have some level of truth to offer.
Maybe the first step to reconnecting resistance to faith, would be to resist needing to feel right all the time and resisting the urge to demonize those I disagree with.
Blessings,
Ed
Friday, February 26, 2010
Reflections for 2/26/10
"The sense of personhood that comes from truthfulness is immense. It's the sacred no, the ability to say no to the false self. That gives one a sense of having boundaries, of knowing what is part of oneself and what isn't. Until a person can do that there is an endless amorphous kind of personality without dignity or self-respect. Good morality provides good boundaries and good identity." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" pp. 11-112)
If you remember the game show "To Tell the Truth", you'll recall that at the end of the game. The host would say to the those who were trying to full the panel of celebrities, "will the real John/Jane Smith, please stand up."
I think there comes a time when the real us, needs to come forward. We spend a lot of emotional trying to be something we are not, or living into the pigeonhole that others put us into. Yet when that time comes when we finally can look ourselves in the mirror and say, there's the real me what a freedom. A clearer sense of boundaries emerges and we have allow the part of the image of God that we truly represent to be seen.
When we've got the right perspective on what is good and what is not good for us, choices become much easier. And our identity can be much more about the things we choose to do because they are healthy or choose not to do because it isn't who we are, because the real us through God's grace has taken control of us.
Blessings,
Ed
If you remember the game show "To Tell the Truth", you'll recall that at the end of the game. The host would say to the those who were trying to full the panel of celebrities, "will the real John/Jane Smith, please stand up."
I think there comes a time when the real us, needs to come forward. We spend a lot of emotional trying to be something we are not, or living into the pigeonhole that others put us into. Yet when that time comes when we finally can look ourselves in the mirror and say, there's the real me what a freedom. A clearer sense of boundaries emerges and we have allow the part of the image of God that we truly represent to be seen.
When we've got the right perspective on what is good and what is not good for us, choices become much easier. And our identity can be much more about the things we choose to do because they are healthy or choose not to do because it isn't who we are, because the real us through God's grace has taken control of us.
Blessings,
Ed
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Reflections for 2/25/10
"Church people set out to be nice people. Yet in our moments of honesty. we know much of our soul is not of God. We have negative, destructive, even violent and vengeful thoughts toward other people." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 110)
I've been told that I'm a nice guy. I suppose its true, at least some of the time. I certainly don't make it a habit of being mean or vindictive. Though as a human being there are always going to be folk that I encounter for whom it is a real struggle not to think negatively about them. What I have found though is that the longer I dwell on the negative feelings towards someone, the more negative other aspects of my life become. And it is at that point that I have learned to let it go before its too late.
And while I certainly try hard to not be negative towards people I've actually met and have to deal with on a daily basis, our culture is one that makes it hard to not get sucked into the negativity. There are more personal attacks on the web, talk media, that I begin to wonder if anyone is really happy. We have become quite a bipolar sort of society. There is no room anymore for gray. Whether its Barack Obama or Glenn Beck people seem to have strong feelings about these two and there are thousands of other examples as well.
My sense is that most people are more, to quote Shrek, "layered." But for whatever reason it seems easier to choose an extreme thought about a person and guard that opinion ferociously.
And maybe the real problem isn't so much other people. Maybe the hardest person to really be nice to, is oneself.
Blessings,
Ed
I've been told that I'm a nice guy. I suppose its true, at least some of the time. I certainly don't make it a habit of being mean or vindictive. Though as a human being there are always going to be folk that I encounter for whom it is a real struggle not to think negatively about them. What I have found though is that the longer I dwell on the negative feelings towards someone, the more negative other aspects of my life become. And it is at that point that I have learned to let it go before its too late.
And while I certainly try hard to not be negative towards people I've actually met and have to deal with on a daily basis, our culture is one that makes it hard to not get sucked into the negativity. There are more personal attacks on the web, talk media, that I begin to wonder if anyone is really happy. We have become quite a bipolar sort of society. There is no room anymore for gray. Whether its Barack Obama or Glenn Beck people seem to have strong feelings about these two and there are thousands of other examples as well.
My sense is that most people are more, to quote Shrek, "layered." But for whatever reason it seems easier to choose an extreme thought about a person and guard that opinion ferociously.
And maybe the real problem isn't so much other people. Maybe the hardest person to really be nice to, is oneself.
Blessings,
Ed
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Reflections for 2/24/10
"The classic sources of evil are the world, the flesh and the devil-in that order! We became preoccupied with guilt. We had to know who was bad, who should feel shame. Many people were made to feel bad as children. The Church and the world have both used shame to control the people. It usually works, and it emphasizes the flesh (personal fault) instead of a social critique of the world." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 109)
What stops anyone from doing something wrong? One would hope that its a strong moral foundation which has equipped an individual to know the difference and to choose the right course. I wonder though if what stops most people from following their more base instincts, is a fear of being caught and the embarrassment that will follow?
As a society we have a love/hate relationship with fleshy sins. While we may utter a tsk, tsk, tsk when we hear of someones indiscretions, we also love tabloids, whether print or television. We've gotten very hung up on sexual stuff. The moralizing happens simultaneously with the fascination of it. What I find myself doing when someone does a little too much moralizing is to wonder when we'll find out what they've been up to and are trying to hide.
We don't hear much about the "devil" these days. And that may be because that personification of evil only works in movies these days. Except when we criticize political leaders from the "other" party, no matter which party it is.
But what about the sins of the world? Occasionally you'll hear some voices rumbling about the sin of racism, or the exploitation of the poor for example. And attempts will be made to address these more systemic issues, but they become so large and seemingly so hard to address, that there is often a retreat back to worrying about who's zooming whom. Faith communities have lost the notion of "taking away the sins of the world" in its much larger connotation and focused solely on taking away my sins. That's not to say that Jesus, doesn't take away personal sin, but there's bigger issues in the world than just me.
Perhaps one idea might be to take the time, while looking at my "fleshy" sins, to also take a look at how I participate and support those much larger sins. If one less person supports those types of evil and maybe even begins to voice some real objections, we might find that some of the other aspects of life that need improving might happen as well.
Blessings,
Ed
What stops anyone from doing something wrong? One would hope that its a strong moral foundation which has equipped an individual to know the difference and to choose the right course. I wonder though if what stops most people from following their more base instincts, is a fear of being caught and the embarrassment that will follow?
As a society we have a love/hate relationship with fleshy sins. While we may utter a tsk, tsk, tsk when we hear of someones indiscretions, we also love tabloids, whether print or television. We've gotten very hung up on sexual stuff. The moralizing happens simultaneously with the fascination of it. What I find myself doing when someone does a little too much moralizing is to wonder when we'll find out what they've been up to and are trying to hide.
We don't hear much about the "devil" these days. And that may be because that personification of evil only works in movies these days. Except when we criticize political leaders from the "other" party, no matter which party it is.
But what about the sins of the world? Occasionally you'll hear some voices rumbling about the sin of racism, or the exploitation of the poor for example. And attempts will be made to address these more systemic issues, but they become so large and seemingly so hard to address, that there is often a retreat back to worrying about who's zooming whom. Faith communities have lost the notion of "taking away the sins of the world" in its much larger connotation and focused solely on taking away my sins. That's not to say that Jesus, doesn't take away personal sin, but there's bigger issues in the world than just me.
Perhaps one idea might be to take the time, while looking at my "fleshy" sins, to also take a look at how I participate and support those much larger sins. If one less person supports those types of evil and maybe even begins to voice some real objections, we might find that some of the other aspects of life that need improving might happen as well.
Blessings,
Ed
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Reflections for 2/23/10
"To our world God says: Do not put your trust in gods that cannot save-your looks, intelligence, money, your home. Do not put your trust in your children, wife, husband, your high position. They cannot save you. what is your money going to do for you? God is security, the rock of our salvation. No one has trusted in God and ever been put to shame." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 109)
Trust is something that is essential for any relationship to work. If I don't trust my spouse, I will constantly be looking for them mess up, ultimately leading to my own self doubt as to what am I doing or not doing that makes them act that way. That of course is a false question because they are responsible for their own actions, but I'm responsible for my reaction. It is important to trust our children, if we don't, they will never learn how to make choices and how live independently of us. It is important to trust your employment. If you don't you'll always be looking over your shoulder wondering if the axe is going to fall or which of your colleagues is out to usurp you.
And of course all those material goods are also needed but not really trustworthy. The economics of the last several years has certainly shown that.
When I put my trust in God, those other parts of me, my relationships and material things are given their proper place. God knows they are important and in some cases needed. And I find I usually have what I need to be whole.
When I'm not trusting in God, when I put my trust in systems that's when things start to unravel. And much like the love God, love neighbor love self trilogy, there also so flows this parallel stream, trust God, trust neighbor, trust self.
To trust does not guarantee never being let down or disappointed. Trust allows that those things are not the final word.
Blessings,
Ed
Trust is something that is essential for any relationship to work. If I don't trust my spouse, I will constantly be looking for them mess up, ultimately leading to my own self doubt as to what am I doing or not doing that makes them act that way. That of course is a false question because they are responsible for their own actions, but I'm responsible for my reaction. It is important to trust our children, if we don't, they will never learn how to make choices and how live independently of us. It is important to trust your employment. If you don't you'll always be looking over your shoulder wondering if the axe is going to fall or which of your colleagues is out to usurp you.
And of course all those material goods are also needed but not really trustworthy. The economics of the last several years has certainly shown that.
When I put my trust in God, those other parts of me, my relationships and material things are given their proper place. God knows they are important and in some cases needed. And I find I usually have what I need to be whole.
When I'm not trusting in God, when I put my trust in systems that's when things start to unravel. And much like the love God, love neighbor love self trilogy, there also so flows this parallel stream, trust God, trust neighbor, trust self.
To trust does not guarantee never being let down or disappointed. Trust allows that those things are not the final word.
Blessings,
Ed
Monday, February 22, 2010
Reflections for 2/22/10
"What we love the most often gives us the greatest pain. What we love in our work often gives us the greatest heartaches. No doubt this was true for Moses, too. His moments of religious experience, his moments in Sinai were no doubt his greatest religious fulfillment. Yet for all the heartaches his people gave him, I'll bet he wouldn't have traded the journey itself for anything. I know I wouldn't." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 108)
There is much in this earthly pilgrimage that is simultaneously fulfilling and frustrating. No matter which part of our lives we look at, there are aspects of the journey that have formed us and made us who we are at this moment. Sometimes those experiences were quite incredible, almost religious if you will. There are of course others that were incredibly painful. Where the only thing we could take from them is a lesson in what not to do, or to no how to deal with the negative experiences the next time they roll around.
Moses we are told doesn't make it to the promised land. Scripture interprets that as God's punishment for his unfaithfulness. He was allowed to see it from a distance.
There was a cartoon that I remember as a child where this group of "people" were flying around in some contraption and they were always seeking "the perfect place." I don't think they ever found it. Many of us are always looking for that perfect place, that promised land which actually doesn't exist, and yet is the goal put before us to keep us walking, to keep us striving.
I don't believe in a promised land here on earth. I do believe in heaven and perhaps that is a promised land of sorts. But I know that to arrive there, I need to continue on this journey through the highs and the lows, experiencing and trusting in God's presence throughout. Is that easy, no. Will it always be fun? Probably not. But in the long run will I continue to grow and learn from each day? I certainly hope so.
Blessings,
Ed
There is much in this earthly pilgrimage that is simultaneously fulfilling and frustrating. No matter which part of our lives we look at, there are aspects of the journey that have formed us and made us who we are at this moment. Sometimes those experiences were quite incredible, almost religious if you will. There are of course others that were incredibly painful. Where the only thing we could take from them is a lesson in what not to do, or to no how to deal with the negative experiences the next time they roll around.
Moses we are told doesn't make it to the promised land. Scripture interprets that as God's punishment for his unfaithfulness. He was allowed to see it from a distance.
There was a cartoon that I remember as a child where this group of "people" were flying around in some contraption and they were always seeking "the perfect place." I don't think they ever found it. Many of us are always looking for that perfect place, that promised land which actually doesn't exist, and yet is the goal put before us to keep us walking, to keep us striving.
I don't believe in a promised land here on earth. I do believe in heaven and perhaps that is a promised land of sorts. But I know that to arrive there, I need to continue on this journey through the highs and the lows, experiencing and trusting in God's presence throughout. Is that easy, no. Will it always be fun? Probably not. But in the long run will I continue to grow and learn from each day? I certainly hope so.
Blessings,
Ed
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