I wish for...
gratitude to grow,
appreciation to blossom,
love to flourish,
and happiness to lift the soul of the world.
I wish for...
understanding to become normal,
differences to be welcomed,
and homes to become a place of belonging.
Maybe this year we will look beyond our self-made identities,
to the friend inside.
And know that...
together is stronger than apart,
proactivity exceeds reactivity,
hope is higher than regret,
and love heals pain.
In a world that is increasingly binary, severed with tribalism, and divided through hate speech from all sides, who are we to be? How can we witness to another way?
We have Jesus’ life as the ultimate example. He walked the earth in a time when politically, morally, and religiously, there was a great vacuum of anything of God. He could have stepped up as the next Jewish leader to bring the Jews out of Roman oppression. However, He came to represent something that was completely other: the message of a Kingdom that is neither Jewish, Roman, nor categorized in any way. His disciples slowly grasped this great vision and passed it on to their own followers.
There was a time in the early church, and later during the Reformation of the 1500s, where the church saw itself as a completely other entity from the political world they lived in. They saw themselves as having a completely different cause and purpose on the earth: to represent something that was of God and not of a particular political persuasion. This week we all took time to read Jeff’s article The Politics of Neither and met to reflect on and discuss what it means to follow God and His way:
* It’s important to recognize that we all have the default perspective that we are right, we are on the good side, be it politically, socially, or religiously. We need to zoom out and recognize that none of us have a monopoly on the spirit, and no one group of people has God on their side. Rather, we have to get on God’s side.
* It’s more important than ever to engage in open conversation with people. It takes a long time and a lot of relationship to bring people into a broader perspective.
* Some interpret “The Politics of Neither” to promote a “neutral” position. Nothing can be further from the truth. Rather than proclaim one set of ideas superior to another, we want to be a people who propose a much better and more impactful solution to the chaos and sin that this world finds itself in.
* Everyone, including the crowds who stormed the Capital building on Wednesday, is doing the best they can. While we may strongly disagree with their actions, we have to recognize that if we believe we have the only perspective on any issue, we are contributing to the problem of separation.
* It’s crucial to recognize the interdependence of humanity. A lot of the political chaos right now is being caused by parties coming at each other with a win/lose mindset. If we truly understood our interconnectedness, we could no longer see another’s loss as our win.
* We need to reframe the whole us vs. them separatist mentality. The reality is that we are all one human family, and in calling out different individuals and parties and holding them at arms’ length, we’re arguing with that reality. we can practice this by reframing our speech, so that instead of saying “they” we say “us” here are some examples:
Some of US rioted in Washington today.
Some of US knelt in prayer.
Some of US were outraged.
Some of US wept.
ALL of US are frightened.
Some of US believe what CNN tells us.
Some of US believe what Fox news tells us.
Some of US believe what QANON tells us.
All of US need to know what is True.
All of US are human beings.
All of us are sacred.
All of US belong to one another.
All of US are worthy of love and respect.
Some of US--a very few--refuse to see people as either us or them.
If we are to heal and move forward, there must only be US.
* It's a failure of God's people not to represent how we can be part of a kingdom that is not of this world, that there is actually fulfillment and purpose and meaning in being a part of Jesus kingdom
* Being followers of God, we could be likened to infinite players in an infinite game. As soon as we step into finite games, we’re diminishing our role as infinite players. In other words, we’re shrinking God’s Kingdom down into a worldly perspective, when it is actually so much bigger and more beautiful than these competing worldviews and paradigms.
* It’s important to reflect and remember how Jesus was when He walked the earth. He entered a world full of slavery and oppression, yet His words recorded in the Gospels portray his message which was so much broader and deeper than particular scenarios.
* we've talked about this third alternative to believe and have hope that that there is another way where two sides can sit together and find a creative way instead of somebody always having to win or lose. Once you pull yourself out of that binary mindset, the whole world looks different!
* Everyone is a child of God, and it so important to examine the lenses we view people through. In order to heal separation and find a way of love, we need to discard the layers of categorization, labelling, and assumptions that inhibit us from seeing what is of God in each person.
What is the significance of Jesus coming down to earth in human form? Why couldn’t He simply announce forgiveness and reconciliation from a boom box in the clouds instead of coming to earth and moving through all the stages of human development? Jesus’ humanness and deity has caused theological disputes. Therefore, stories and arguments have been created to reconcile the idea of Jesus being fully God and fully human at the same time.
However, John 4: 1-3 clearly states: Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”
In our circle this week we reflected on the import of Jesus being fully human and fully God. Here are some excerpts from our discussion:
· The idea that God is too great and ethereal to come down and talk to us stopped at that moment in the manger when Mary gave birth to the Son of God
· Jesus has a personal investment in humanity that started in the garden of Eden when man was created in God’s image
· Jesus embodied the unity of matter and spirit, rather than being a separate deity hero who takes away the sin of the world.
· Christians on the left are very focused on human flourishing and transformation while Christians on the right are focused on avoiding sin and over-spiritualizing Jesus. Both viewpoints have a lot of truth, and we need to find balance
· Jesus is present with us and cares about us, and as a human, he was able to model what a life of love looked like
· As God and human, Jesus demonstrated that it is possible for us humans to live fully guided by the spirit and he could dwell as spirit in a body of believers.
· God created the laws of physics and the principles of the universe. Therefore, He can certainly operate outside of those laws. However, he works within those laws as well to demonstrate that we are capable of so much more when we allow His spirit to guide and teach us
· Jesus had to come down and tell us personally about our dilemma. Our dilemma is our separation (from Him and others) and our propensity to be independent and ego driven. Jesus points us back to what love is
· The Gospel calls us to a life that is relevant, practical, and down to earth. And this Way can only be found through the guidance of the Holy Spirit
· Love is the guide to lead us down the right path and into new things and a new way of thinking and living, completely other that what we are used to!
Sunday Meeting: 11/29/2020
Advent: Anticipating, participating, and preparing
This week marks the first Sunday of the 4 weeks of Advent. In our meeting we discussed the history and evolution of the Advent celebration as well as the meaning of Advent, the coming or arrival of something NEW.
History of Advent:
· In the 300s-400s Advent was a time of preparation for Baptism (it was politically correct to be Christian in those years following the rule of Constantine)
· In the 600s, the Roman church set aside 4 weeks of Advent focused on thinking of the second coming of Christ
· Later, in the Middle ages, the Roman church linked Advent to Christmas. During these years, the church wanted to counteract the darkest-day-of-the-year-celebration of the heathens with a celebration of light overcoming darkness. It was then that the theatrical pageantry of Advent and Christmas began.
· Today, the 4 weeks of Advent are split into 2 weeks of preparation for Second Coming, followed by two weeks of preparation for Christmas
What does Advent mean to us today and how can we be prepared for Jesus’ Second coming? Will we be able to see Him as He is, as John writes?
1 John 3:1-3:
“see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”
We can look at lives of the first disciples of Christ to understand the characteristics that allowed them to recognize and follow Him.
What allowed the disciples to hear, see, and receive the message of Jesus?
· Nontraditional/nonreligious
-the fishermen Jesus called were far from being devoutly religious, and their lack of investment in religiosity allowed them to embrace Jesus’ new teachings
-they didn’t have the preconceived ideas and well-founded prophecies of their super-religious counterparts
· Thought outside the box
-the disciples were willing to question their paradigms and thought systems of success and material prosperity
-their hearts were open to Jesus’ invitation to a wildly different mindset and purpose to life
· Willing to change everything
-it is likely that the first disciples had to forgo business ventures and potential capital gain in exchange for following Jesus
-they were ready to completely change the course of their work and family lives
-following Jesus also meant opening up their hearts to men and women they never otherwise would have associated with, but who became like brothers and sisters with a common goal
· No boundaries to their passion
-there must have been times when they were confused either about who Jesus really was or what His words meant. However, they were willing to walk through that confusion to gain life’s ultimate depth and meaning
-They became accustomed to spontaneity, unpredictability, and disturbances every day!
· No personal pursuits
-some of the disciples left family members for long periods of time to spend time with Jesus, this was indicative of their willingness to leave everything in order to follow Jesus
-they learned how to fully depend on Jesus for direction and teaching, surrendering their own independence
· Overwhelmed by love
-they must have been overwhelmed by His love that embraced everyone and everything
Ultimately, the proactive nature of disciples throughout the centuries placed them in a posture of readiness for God’s leading.
What paradigms and thought systems of today do we need to discard in order to be ready to respond to Jesus as He stands there, calling us to follow?
As Mark writes in his Gospel:
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘watch!’” (Mark 13:35-37)
Thoughts on Gratitude
November 22, 2020
Meeting notes
A large crowd of 5000 men, not counting women and children, were swarming around Jesus, eager to hear his teaching. They must have been completely overwhelmed at His words because they prioritized being around Him over tending to their own personal needs such as finding food and shelter for the night. As we well know, not one of them went home hungry that night.
It’s important to note that before distributing the five small loaves and a few small fish, Jesus did something simple and profound, the same thing He did when feeding the 4,000 and before raising Lazarus from the dead. He did something that can easily be overlooked, “He gave thanks and broke the loaves...they all ate and were satisfied.” (Mark 6:41) No long religious prayer, no appealing to God as if to convince Him.
Gratitude.
Gratitude as opposed to thankfulness is a state of internal being, unaffected by circumstance. It describes your character – who you are. We’re all familiar with situations that test our levels of gratitude. When we experience deep pain or raw emotions of unworthiness it is difficult to be grateful. But later, as gratitude settles in us, we experience the fact that God makes all things work together for good.
The opposite of gratitude is not being ungrateful, it is the belief that we never have enough, we aren’t good enough, or what we do have is not sufficient. It is called the scarcity complex and it pervades many parts of our lives. It thrives off of comparison with others or competition with them. Scarcity tries to convince us that if we accept what we already have, our lives will never improve. However, until we know that every event in our lives, good and bad, can be used to teach us and help us continually grow, we will live in a prison of unforgiveness, hopelessness, or shame. Scarcity measures our life by what we have, Gratitude measures our life by who we are.
Take Ann Voskamp, for example. Author of 2016 NYTimes Bestseller, One Thousand Gifts, Voskamp questioned the egoic drive for more material wealth and affirmation, and instead took time to chronicle 1000 gifts that already existed in her everyday life. Through her journey of gratitude, Voskamp discovered that the life she had always wanted was the life she already had.
Ultimately, through practices of gratitude we enlarge our view of the world and the abundance of life, or as acclaimed author, Lynne Twist writes, “what you appreciate appreciates”. That is, when you are grateful for something it grows – in importance and value. There is no room then for looking for what we don’t have.
Being in gratitude places us in a position that enables and fosters forgiveness. As Paul reminds us in his letter to the Thessalonians who suffered because of their faith in Jesus:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Reflections from Sunday meeting (10/4/20)
Have you ever drawn in too close to a campfire and been stung by a stray spark? It’s amazing that such a tiny particle of ash can burn with such heat and light. With one swipe of your glove or quench of your heel, it is smothered. If you had left it there, it would have grown exponentially into a flame, a torch, or perhaps a bonfire of its own.
I believe every person on this earth carries a spark in their heart--a spark of the Kingdom.
As Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in Luke 17:20, “The coming of the Kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘here it is,’ or ‘there it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is within you.”
At our Sunday gathering this week, we had an enlivening discussion around this topic.
At the onset, one person outlined an all too common false narrative. Namely, that accepting Jesus is like joining a club. Members of this club forfeit a few unwanted habits (i.e. swearing) and take on some new habits (i.e. reading the Bible), and they’re in! Upon joining the club, members will be rewarded with some members-only perks, (aka blessings). And best of all, once they’re in, they’re in! They are a card-carrying member of the Kingdom.
This effectively misses the key point of Jesus’ message. If we truly examine and feel the heart of Jesus’ message in Luke 17, the club analogy quickly breaks down. Rather than a static, exclusive, rule-oriented club, Jesus intimates a moving, active Kingdom-presence in everyone, and is as alive in us as we allow Him to be. He’s not interested in seeing us polish up our lives with surface level quick fixes. Rather, He wants us to become alert to the deep seated mindsets and beliefs that create obstacles to his Kingdom.
What obstacles in our lives are smothering this Kingdom spark, and preventing it from bursting into flame? One person pointed out the human tendency to hold on to shame, fear of the future, or grudges, to name a few. Not only do these thoughts reinforce our underlying beliefs of incompetency and unworthiness, they are time consuming occupations that drag us away from the depth of the present moment.
Apathy, un-forgiveness, regret, and pain, are also big contributors to the masks of identity that suffocate our sparks. As one person in our circle pointed out, we can become numb to the conflicts within us, resigned to a constant state of suffering. Meanwhile, the Kingdom waits dormant in our hearts until we have the courage to wake up and get out of our prisons.
Think of the parable of the treasure in the field, for example. It’s likely that many people passed right over the treasure, possibly tripping on it in their hurry. Finally, a man came by who was alert enough to recognize the treasure for what it was, and “When [he] found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matt. 13:44)
Another person pointed out that God’s unconditional love is the only power that can ultimately melt these barriers inhibiting the Kingdom from flaring up. This love is a state of being, void of judgement, empty of fear, and requiring no sacrifice. Love is something we become as we give ourselves to the practical reality of God. When we’re truly singed by the white heat of the Kingdom, the surrendering of
all those obstacles will not be painful but truly liberating. There is a Way of Life and Love available to all of us!
