"Winners and Loosers"

                                            "An Economy of Grace"

God’s freely given grace is a humiliation to the ego because free gifts say nothing about being strong, superior, or moral. Thus only the soul can understand grace, never the mind or the ego. The ego does not know how to receive things freely or without logic. It likes to be worthy and needs to understand in order to accept things as true. The ego prefers a worldview of scarcity or quid pro quo, where only the clever can win. That problem—and its overcoming—is at the very center of the Gospel plot line. It has always been overcome from God’s side. The only problem is getting us in on the process! God’s inclusion of all, including us, reveals God’s humility, graciousness, and love. Only inside an economy of grace can we see that God wants free and willing partners. An economy of merit cannot process free love or free anything. “Not servants, but friends” (John 15:15) is God’s plan. Yet to this day, most Christians seem to prefer being servants.  Doing for others so they can do for you!   Actual divine friendship, loving with pay back is just too incredible to imagine.

If we’re honest, culture forms us much more than the Gospel. It seems we have kept the basic storyline of human history in place rather than allow the Gospel to reframe and redirect the story. Except for those who have experienced grace at their core, Christianity has not created a “new mind” (Romans 12:2) or a “new self” (Ephesians 4:23-24) that is significantly different than the cultures it inhabits. The old, tired win/lose scenario seems to be in our cultural hard drive, whereas the experience of grace at the core of reality, which is much more imaginative and installs new win/win programs in our psyche, has been neglected and unrecognized by most of Christianity. People who live their entire lives inside of a system of competing, measuring, earning, counting, and performing can’t understand how the win/win scenario of the Gospel would even be interesting or attractive.

Up to now, Christianity has largely mirrored culture instead of transforming it. Reward/punishment, good guys versus bad guys, has been the plot line of most novels, plays, operas, movies, and wars. This is the only way that a dualistic mind, unrenewed by prayer and grace, can perceive reality. It is almost impossible to switch this mind during a short sermon or service on a Sunday morning. As long as we remain inside of a dualistic, win/lose script, Christianity will continue to appeal to low-level and vindictive moralisms and will not rise to the mystical banquet that Jesus offered us. The spiritual path and life itself will be mere duty instead of delight, “jars of purification” instead of 150 gallons of intoxicating wine at the end of the party (John 2:6-10). We will focus on maintaining order by sanctified violence instead of moving toward a higher order of love and healing—which is the very purpose of the Gospel.

By grace I am saved.

Reference:

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality (Franciscan Media: 2008), 156-157, 159, 177.

Two Seperate Entities?

Loving both Jesus and The Christ
I believe that Francis of Assisi was unique and ahead of his time for loving and relating to both the physical historical Jesus and the creative eternal spirit, The Christ at the same time.   The Christ and Jesus were recognized by Francis and many other early mystics as two separate entities of the central creative source {meaning they are all one in and with God} manifested at different moments in universal time for the same purpose.  To encompass the power and wonder of Gods unconditional love for all that was created.   Most Christians were never taught or encouraged to combine the personal with the universal, or Jesus with the Christ; nor were we told that we could honor and love both of them as different yet also as one in the same. 

Jesus explains in John 10: 30 (KJV) “I and my Father are one.”  How many of us both inside and outside the church today still believe that Jesus’ last name was Christ!  Was it ever suggested to us that the physical Jesus and the creative Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, the Christ were separate entities yet one with God, manifested at different universal times to show the three demotions of God’s love for all his creation?    

Were we ever presented this perspective:  At the Cross, on the day which seemed like a tragedy to all who watched, that the Christ {that which was with God in the beginning Genesis 1: 26 (KJV) “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and Jesus, would become a resurrected living entity once again for all time.  The mystical writings of John brings it to light for us.   John 1:1 (KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  And the word became flesh to dwell among us.  Jesus’ physical death would manifest the eternal Christ.

Some Eastern Fathers and early mystics—like Maximus the Confessor, Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory of Nyssa—brilliantly taught these ideas, but they remained largely undeveloped in the West after the Great Schism of 1054. This is one example of how the Christ Mystery was portioned out each time the Body of Christ divided (1 Corinthians 1:12-13) or identified with Empire (Matthew 4:8-10), as it did in both Rome and Constantinople.

It is important to place ourselves in the largest possible frame, or we always revert back to a place where both the savior and the saved ones end up being far too small, where Jesus of Nazareth has been separated from the Eternal Christ. Here Christianity becomes just another competing world religion and salvation is privatized because the social and historical message has been lost. The full Gospel is so much bigger and more inclusive than that: Jesus is the historical figure and Christ is the cosmic figure—and together they carry both the individual and history forward.

We made Christ into Jesus’ last name instead of realizing it was the description of his universal role in history and potentially in all world religions. I fully believe that there has never been a single soul that was not possessed by the Eternal Christ, even in the ages before the incarnation of Jesus. And I believe both well-studied Scripture and the Great Tradition will lead you to the same conclusion. Christ is eternal; Jesus is born in time. Jesus without Christ invariably becomes a time-bound and culturally-bound religion that excludes much of humanity from the Christ’s embrace. On the other end, Christ without Jesus would easily become an abstract metaphysics or a mere ideology without personal engagement. We must believe in Jesus and the Christ.

Adapted from morning devotions with Richard Rohr
                                                              "Cosmic Christ"

To here the full interview with Richard click the link below to explore the Cosmic Christ 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LYQQO5uFtA

No Life, No Truth No Way?

May 14 2017   John 14: 1-14  

Mothers Day:  As I get older, I appreciate more and more everything my mom did for me while she was here: the sleepless nights lost worrying about my health  as an infant or whether I getting enough to eat.  The countless hours trying to figure out why I was fussy or crying, was I wet, was I hungry.  As I began my teen years, her concerned about how I would develop and where the circumstances surrounding my life would take me.  There were concerns about my safety either in the home or on the street.  Before I was able to care for myself my every need was always met. There were those loads of laundry washed, the wisdom offered; and I’m sure often there were prayers prayed.  She gave of herself so much to always be there for me. 

I love the image of God as a mother, a mother who is there for her children all the time, caring for them and sacrificing for them. God is our protector; but God is also our comforter and sustainer both Mother and Father.  Both images have become more acceptable in many of the denominations of the Christian Church today. 

Mary just like any mom who gives birth to a child may have had great expectations for her own but life’s circumstance doesn’t always allow the path we would choose for our child.   Oh we have the gift of choosing but circumstances can make great changes in our future.  Mary had no idea of the great joy, the great sorrow, or the great transformation this boy child would bring to their family let alone to the world.  The key again for her and for us is to accept her sons offer for the abundant life.   If we have the courage to enter the fold of the Shephard now, before our physical death, we remain though out our life time safe and secure, saved if you like to use that term.  Then we can shout with assurance “of whom or what shall I be afraid of in this life or in the next.”  This truly is where our security can be found folks.  If this sense of security becomes a fact in your life, then provision and presence cannot be taken from you.  Detrick Bonhoeffer  the German Pastor and theologian who was part of the resistance during the war was arrested in April 1943 by the Gestapo and imprisoned at Tegel prison for one and a half years.  Later he was transferred to a Nazi concentration camp. After being associated with the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was quickly tried, along with other accused plotters, and then executed by hanging on 9 April 1945 as the Nazi regime was collapsing.  He explained in some of his writings while in the Nazi concentration camp, they could take his dignity, destroy his trust in humanity, his health and his body, but the one thing they couldn’t take was his “love”, his love for his family and friends and all those being oppressed which was etched in his heart not his head.   That for him, it was “LOVE” that gave him the strength to overcome his circumstances.   Was it not the same for Jesus?   I believe he understood what the abundant life really meant.   Regardless of the choices we make or of the circumstances that proceed because someone else made a choice that affects our lives, for those who put their trust in Gods leading, the abundant life will prevail.  Jesus offers us Protection, Provision, and Presence:  What did we discover from last week’s message for those who accept Jesus’ love offering to become part of the fold, “of whom or what shall you fear while in the Shepherds care:  For those who enter are protected.”   His flock have been given all that is needed to survive the storms of life even death itself cannot take your provision away.  And finally to be present to the Lord’s leading in all that you say and do.  That is truly the abundant life, and no thief can steal that which the Lord has given.  But, and I use this But very clearly folks, we must never forget that you can with your choice turn your back to the offer and in doing so remain alone to face the storms of life and death, both here and now and forever more.  Some consider this aloneness or lonesomeness to be Hell.  

The passage today is a great illustration of how the master of the Metaphor can confuse even the best of theologians.  For no theological writer that I have ever read has yet to completely unpack this particular passage in John 14:  The metaphors in this particular passage seem overwhelming for even the best of the spiritually mature.  Rather than try to prove Jesus as being the only way to the father as some seem to want to do.  Or that Jesus himself claims in this passage to be the Father.  I think he has something more important for us to consider.   
We know from science that when we take something into our bodies by swallowing, absorbing sun light while out in the fresh air, by injection, reading, observing nature, or listening to music or someone speak; the effects are felt all over the body, from the head to the toe.  Why, because something entered, it could be something positive and good or it could be some negative and not so good.  Some things are life giving and some are certain death.  Jesus again uses a metaphor to illustrate that He and the Father are one.  But he doesn’t stop there, Jesus goes on to claim because He and the Father are one, if you take Him into your life, You and He and the Father are all one together.  This taking Jesus into your life will have an effect from your head to our toes folks.  It happens not just by saying some words or by being baptized but you have to take him literally into your body, your physic and when you do you will begin to hear, see and participate in life differently.    As you accept his offer and take him into your life, it works just like anything you take into your body it affects everything from your head to your toes.  This truly is the beginning of the abundant life folks.  It doesn’t get any better than this.  We have been singing this refrain for many weeks now, my prayer is that you truly have turned your eyes upon Jesus.  Will you sing it with me.    

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.  Amen