Those who languish for righteousness are blessed, for this will be fulfilled.

Matt 5.6

    Please tolerate my providing my own translation of this beatitude. The usual interpretation is “Those who hunger and thirst.’ To be honest, my experience with hunger and thirst is that it has only been an inconvenience. I have been fortunate enough that my question about food has always been, “What am I going to eat?” Rather than, “Am I going to eat?” I have also been fortunate enough to live in places where the water coming out of the tap has been drinkable. Thus, this translation makes more sense.

    The longing for righteousness that Jesus is talking about is a deep longing for righteousness. The people he was teaching had experienced the brutality of a culture that pushed them to the sides and an occupying army that brutalized them. They longed for the end of an exile within their own land. Yet, the fulfillment of righteousness that Jesus offered was much different from what they desired and expected.

    What is righteousness? The simple answer is that righteousness is right behaviour. While we can entertain deeper definitions, it comes down to how we treat those around us. More specifically, it is doing what is right in God’s eyes. Our desire for righteousness is to be three-fold. First, is a desire that we ourselves are righteous, that we do what we know is just and right. Second, is our desire that the world around us treat us righteously. And finally, that the world treats each other justly.

    Given that the Beatitudes address our personal qualities, I would assume that the desire for righteousness is of our own actions. Thus, our deep longing for righteousness is not only that we have a right standing with God, but that our actions are humble, gentle, compassionate, and kind, amongst other qualities. To desire a right standing with God without desiring a change in who we are is simply self-indulgence. Yet, we are not able to behave well enough to earn this right standing. Nor do we have to! In his letter to the Romans, after telling us that no one is righteousness, Paul tells us, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Rom 3.22) This righteousness also changes our nature; Paul refers to this as becoming “slaves to righteousness.”

    This desire for righteousness is to be felt deeply. It is to be more significant than our desire for the material gain this world offers. It is to be more significant than our desire for the respect of others. It is to permeate all that we do. This desire for the world to be a righteous place can only begin with ourselves.

    While I look at the world around me, the unrighteousness that bothers me most is my own. For me, my desire for righteousness, to act in a just and gentle fashion, is usually strongest after a cringe-worthy moment. Often, my prayer is, “God, please keep from being an idiot.” Often, that prayer is answered. Our longing for righteousness is fulfilled in our faith.

Anyway, that is my opinion.

 Completing the Narrative

 

For this post, I return to writing about the Goat Herder’s Guide to the Galaxy. I am not sure whether you know it or not. It is something that I am more aware of on some days and not others. The Goat Herders’ Guide is an incomplete narrative. There are aspects of this that I find acceptable, if not understandable. One needs to consider the vastness of the scope of the narrative. The story of God’s revelation and involvement with humankind is, by its very nature, extensive. The scrolls the narrative were written on were 20 to 30 feet long. And, of course, any history is selective; an author, even if it is God, has to choose what is recorded.

          There are aspects of the story of Jesus that we are, or at least I am, left wondering. What did he do between the time of his being presented in the temple and the beginning of his ministry? I do not subscribe that he went to India for religious instruction, as some would contend. Did Jesus have a sense of humour? Did ever say, “Peter, a Pharisee, a Sadducee, and an Essene walk into a bar!”

          There is another aspect of scripture that is incomplete. For me, this is a disturbing aspect. It seems that most often when women are included, they are relegated to the role of being a convenient womb for a guy to be born. There are a few notable exceptions, the female prophet Deborah comes to mind. But women like Ruth or Hannah retreat to the background when their role of delivering the child is complete. Even for Hannah and Mary, once their son was presented in the temple, they seem to have lost their importance in the narrative. We know that Mary was one of the women in Jesus’ entourage. She was also present at his execution. Unlike the men of his entourage.

          These women, Mary being the most obvious, were not “bit players” in the narrative of the bible. Even in the New Testament, women seem to be little more than conveniently placed wombs. Consider 1 Tim 2.15, “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” Timothy should have left a commentary to explain this idea. None of the commentaries I have read provide an adequate explanation.`

       I will admit to the possibility that my ‘feminism’ is a product of cultural influences. It also may be leftovers from when I walked away from Christianity. (It’s not that I stopped believing in God; rather, I didn’t trust what I was being taught.) There are even more egregious examples of the treatment of women. When the townspeople of Sodom wanted to rape the visiting angels, Lot offered up his daughters. This was repeated by an unnamed Levite priest in Judges 19 when he offered up his concubine. There might be an interesting spin to the story in Judges, but once again, we have the offering of a woman to spare a man from being sexually assaulted.

 

I think I may have overshot the mark of my criticism. But, not by much. Women in scripture are almost exclusively valued for their ability to give birth. Even in situations where they have sustained or restored righteousness.

          Do not construe this as any kind of permission to negate either our faith or the Goat Herder’s Guide. Although the stories of women are eclipsed by men and often portrayed in a less than honourable manner, our faith and our scripture are of value.

          We are best served by understanding that we continue the narrative. These days, if the narrative is incomplete, that is on us. As we carry the message of the Gospel, it is our place to expand the narrative. Not to create aspects of the story but to explain more fully the dynamics.

          I witnessed this being done with the “Prayer of Hannah.” (1 Sam 2.1 – 11) In teaching about the prayer, my friend went verse by verse. As he did, each aspect of Hannah’s story was explained and how it related to the prayer. At the end of the teaching, the audience, the congregation, was left with a fuller understanding of Hannah. We should do the same. In relating the Gospel and the early church history, it is not a stretch to explain the role of women more accurately and more completely.

          The other aspect that occurs to me is this. In each of the four Gospels, the women, without fanfare, attend the crypt of Jesus. Then, after bearing witness of the resurrection, they go about the next thing that needs to be done. Having played a role in the grand narrative of scripture, they go and do the next thing that needs to be done. Perhaps it has been their humility that leads to their being downplayed in the Goat Herder’s Guide. Perhaps, us men should emulate them. It is just an idea.

 

Anyway, that is my opinion.

 Echo Chambers

I think the guy is more just an idiot. He is dangerous; he foments hatred. He and those who watch his show are much of the problem with the world these days. I hope you get the level of contempt I hold for him. To stop you in your tracks, it is not you, nor is it who you think it might be.

    I have lost count of the number of people who I have dismissed the same way. There have been politicians, televangelists, pundits, spokespeople, and talk-show hosts. It is not only a sad indication of our times that there is a veritable cornucopia of possibilities. It is an indictment of myself.

    My use of my own life as a bad example serves two purposes. First, one does not have to consider whether they are the example I am talking about. Second, it is to encourage the reader to realize that they are part of the problem.

    I was in a conversation about what can only be called the vileness of the church. As our faith has entered the political arena, we have lost much of our grace and love. The messages that come from us in regard to the world around us are one of bitterness and condemnation. In this discussion, I was asked what I thought the starting point would be. My answer is, “To realize that I am part of the problem.” Thus, I circle back to my opening line. Not only do I think “this guy” is an idiot, but those who support him, I think, are idiots.

    I am not sure if the world has ever been this divisive or whether it is just that much clearer. Our intolerance of those who hold different opinions is shown in our language. One only has to meander through YouTube, reading the titles of the videos. Words such as annihilate, destroy, devastate, obliterate, and others are used to describe the arguments made in support of or opposition to an issue made contentious only by our intolerance. It is a closed system; our emotionally charged opinions create the anger that fuels our objection. It is our angry objections that, in turn, fuel emotionally charged opinions.

    This is wrong on so many levels. And yes, I did write “wrong” and yes that is judgmental and yes I think I am justified in being this judgmental. The “wrongness” of this situation is that our intolerance goes well beyond reason and becomes personalized. At the same time, we do not see our involvement in sustaining this situation. My scathing condemnation of “that idiot” invites an equally hateful response.

    The other closed system is our own perceptions and understandings. Years ago, one of the contentious issues was the Syrian refugees. People were lining up along religious and political lines. In the emotional hyperbole that came from all sides in this discussion, overstating, overgeneralizing, and oversimplifying became common. What was missed was the complexity of the issue. In doing so there was no room for the compassion of many people. Nor was the concern for our country’s safety allowed. If this disagreement ended with the dismissal of the other’s position that would be acceptable. However, the dismissal extended to the person having a different opinion.

          Time for a convenient quote from the Goat Herder’s Guide! And even better than just cherry-picking the verse, I cherry-pick the best part of the verse.

 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12.2a

 

    We are best served by understanding that this divisiveness is part of a world that has “fallen.” To partake in this aspect of our culture only serves to sustain this practice. It does not give voice to our beliefs, moral, or ethics. It serves only to further entrench the other person. Nor does it expand our perception and understanding of the world around us. All it does is create an echo chamber of our own thoughts.

    It is this self-centred isolation, where “I” am right, that we have been rescued. I am not suggesting that all of our beliefs need be called in question. (Though I don’t think that is a bad thing.) We are made better people when we consider the perspective of others. Even when we vehemently reject the other perspective.

    I side-step the possible political motivations for having us this divided and at each other. Our faith calls us into community, not only a community of those who agree with me. This divisiveness has entered into churches. Many issues, most of them not even central to our faith, have been described as being worth splitting the church. I disagree. It is only when I stand next to my sister or brother who holds a different opinion that unity in the “body of Christ” is experienced.

    There is one other aspect of divisiveness that must be considered. For many people, we are the only Gospel they will come into contact. As well, we may be the only opportunity to experience the love of God. This is a call to draw close those who believe differently than we.

 

Anyway, that is my opinion

You are the difference

I am watching a drama-comedy on TV. There is this scene where one of the main characters stands up and screams, “It is my life, and I can do what I want.”

 

It is a lie.

 

    We have a myopic view of life, thinking we are individuals distinct and separate from each other. Albert Einstein referred to this as an “optical delusion.” There is nothing individualistic about ourselves. We are products of others—obviously physically, but in other ways as well. Our thinking has been shaped by our experiences. Those experiences—traumas, victories, nurturing, and others—all involve others.
    To be an individual is impossible. Everything we do relies on someone else. We wake up in beds built by others, wrapped in sheets made by someone else, in a house that was built by yet another person. I think you are starting to get the idea.
    Illnesses never affect just the person. I often think of addiction. It is considered an illness that impacts not only the addict but also the lives of others. Again, we can think of the obvious: spouses, children, parents, siblings, and the list can go on. But there were times when I was pinwheeling out of my mind that I affected others. There is also another truth in this scenario. An addict never becomes an addict alone. We know now that trauma is the gateway to addiction. It was in my case, and my brother’s, and countless others who I have known. Addiction is a disease, but it is not centred on the person spreading out to affect the lives of others. It is a disease of those in the person’s life, and the addict is but a symptom.
    I think if one looks carefully, we see this dynamic everywhere. We live in a culture that places importance on material goods over the lives of others and our own. Our consumerism is an addiction that is killing us. Our political systems foster hostility and anger toward each other so that those who think they have power can feel in control. Yet, our world is slowly teaching us that this control is an illusion.
    I am intentional in painting a bleak image. This sense of individuality has infected our faith. I bristle at the arrogance of “Jesus is my personal Lord and Saviour.” It is the personal saviour part that irritates me. The one consistent message through the Goad Herders Guide is that we are in this together. Jesus taught and still does that our faith is expressed in what we do with the person next to us. In the old testament God was always concerned with how we treated others. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isa 1.17)
    Our faith, my faith, your faith, is not an individual endeavour. For this post I am side-stepping the entire “each person is judged according to their acts.” It is a belief within Judaism that when two people read scripture, the entire community benefits. The same connectedness that leads to such devastation also leads to miraculous healing. We are told in the first letter of John that God’s love is made complete in us. (1 Jn 4.12) Repeatedly, we are told that love and faith are a matter of how we treat each other. At the very least, if I walk out the door determined not to be an idiot, the world is a better place.
    The other aspect that irritates me with the “personal Lord and Saviour” is that we are called to be bigger than that. Most of us will never do significant acts such as building orphanages. We also don’t need to bankrupt ourselves, either financially, emotionally, or spiritually, in caring for those around us. I think that if I am a loving and caring human being, that shows in how I treat people. This forms the basis of any message I give with regard to my faith. The importance in this is to “love in action and in truth.” That my love and concern is sincere and is not just to “win another soul.”
    What we do impacts those around us. Just like throwing a pebble into a pond, the ripples move outward. Perhaps now is a good time to consider how we impact our community, our neighbour, and the world.

 

Anyway, that is my opinion.