for Earth Day

The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it,
for he has founded it on the seas
and established it on the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!
Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in!
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory. Selah

Psalm 24; NRSVue

The earth is God’s, entrusted to humans as its stewards (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4b-25). Humans are therefore responsible to God for it. Unfortunately, we know all too well just how poorly we have done as a human species in the idolatrous quest for more and more. We have failed to live in the God-given harmony of earth. Yes, we await the final salvation, but in the meantime, we need to work together to do better, for the good of the poor who are most affected, for the good of all.

the scandal of the denial of systemic evil, of systemic racism (from a diminished gospel)

Thus says the LORD:
For three transgressions of Tyre,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they delivered entire communities over to Edom
and did not remember the covenant of kinship.

Thus says the LORD:
For three transgressions of the Ammonites,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead
in order to enlarge their territory.

Thus says the LORD:
For three transgressions of Judah,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have rejected the instruction of the LORD
and have not kept his statutes,
but they have been led astray by the same lies
after which their ancestors walked.

Thus says the LORD:
For three transgressions of Israel,
and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals—

Amos 1:9, 13; 2:4, 6; NRSVue

Among the scandals today, there’s the denial or failure of acknowledgement within the church, yes, within the church of systemic wrong. It is commonly called “woke” in what’s meant to be a disparaging way, once meant simply to be “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.”

This is one reason I no longer identify as an evangelical. Their understanding of the gospel in general is that it’s about one’s personal relationship to God through Christ and one’s spiritual growth in Christ. The church is to help them in that endeavor so that by and by all a believer needs is a Bible and they’re good to go, ideally the weekly gatherings helping in that. Some churches do a really good job at that, and it’s not like there isn’t some truth in this. I would think the churches which do well also try to touch on systemic evil, at least that was my experience at one of them. But by and large it’s all about the individual and the individual’s relationship to God.

The thought from that is if we can help people come to Christ and start to grow in Christ, the wrongs in society will take care of themselves. When it comes to racism, just get everyone converted and everyone will love each other, and it will all be good to go. I know this is a generalization, but I have no doubt that it’s an accurate one. After all, why all the denial today of systemic wrong, or at least the systemic evil people don’t want to talk about, one of them, racism?

Yes, there’s an important individual aspect and application of the gospel, no doubt. But if that’s the sole focus and if it stops there, then we might as well cut out a large portion of Scripture, of the gospel itself. The good news in Jesus is meant to address not just individual problems, but societal ones as well. It is not just about individual people, but people groups. Otherwise, isn’t the church in danger of a practical denial of a central part of the gospel.

What God judges God intends to redeem in the new creation, reconciliation work of Christ. I personally want to consider this. I’ve spent all too long considering essentially nothing more than the individual aspect and now want to take in the actual message of the Bible, of the gospel in its entirety, that’s it’s about God’s reconciling of all, breaking down walls of separation between people groups, bringing together all peoples in Christ into a harmonious whole in which the shalom or peace and flourishing of everyone takes place. Maybe that’s not your theology or understanding of Scripture but look again but keep reading. You’ll find much more, indeed something different, and frankly much better.

what’s the point of it all?

An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:25-37; NRSVue

Why are we here? What are we created for? Catechisms drawn from John’s gospel and other scripture passages emphasize the enjoyment of communion with God, humans being taken into the trinitarian fellowship of love and participating in that. And there’s plenty of truth in that. But just how do we love God? Jesus along with the prophets and the rest of Scripture tie love of God to love of neighbor. We’re told in the first letter of John that we don’t love God if we don’t love our sister, brother, sibling, and when we consider all of Scripture, certainly our neighbor is included.

Jesus’s telling of the parable of the good Samaritan is a wonderful case in point. An expert in the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Eternal life in that tradition was thought to be something like the life God intended for humanity, for creation in the love and communion and freedom of God. The flourishing of all is at the apex or is the point of it. God is glorified in that. But now we live in a world broken where human flourishing along with that of life on earth is on shaky ground due to the acts and failure of humanity. And that’s borne out in the story Jesus tells.

A Jew is victimized on a dangerous road by robbers and left for dead. Two of God’s religious leaders pass by, one a priest and the other a Levite, and perhaps in part because of concern of ceremonial purity, they both pass him by. But a Samaritan of all people, probably the most despised people of that day stops and has compassion on the man. Does the best first aid he can, then takes him to a place where he will be cared for, covering all of his expenses until he can get back up on his feet.

Jesus then puts it in an interesting way. He doesn’t really answer the law expert’s question but turns it around. Instead of wondering if so and so, whoever they may be is a neighbor one is to love, one is to be a neighbor in love to whomever is in need. That doesn’t answer things directly and neatly in the way we under the influence of modernism would like, but it makes the needed point in helping us understand just what the point of life is for us now.

Yes, we should long for close communion with God both in a personal as well as communal space. But that is for naught and is diminished or means nothing if we’re not a neighbor to those in need. We have our limitations; we can’t serve everyone in need. But together we can make the effort to do so. The earth is smaller and smaller as time goes on, and through the news and journalism and having our eyes and ears open to what is going on in our local spaces, we can indeed in love for God be a neighbor in acts of love to those in need, even as the Samaritan was.

how one’s condition affects one’s reading and understanding of Scripture

Let the brother or sister of humble means boast in having a high position and the rich in having been humbled, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.

James 1:9-11; NRSVue

Brothers and sisters who are poor should find satisfaction in their high status. Those who are wealthy should find satisfaction in their low status, because they will die off like wildflowers. The sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass so that its flowers fall and its beauty is lost. Just like that, in the midst of their daily lives, the wealthy will waste away.

James 1:9-11; CEB

I’m wondering what the difference was in the reading and understanding of Scripture and in theology, pre and post-Constantinian. Also, the difference between slaves and masters in the US south. For that matter, the difference everywhere between the haves and the have-nots, those in the lap of luxury or with no real economic concerns and those who are struggling to survive or perhaps out in the streets.

It seems to me that the Bible is written largely to peoples who are struggling: in exile, poor, marginalized, definitely not among the world’s elite or celebrated. Naturally when those read it who are well off on earth, they’ll think of heaven, and that’s it, maybe also thinking they’re among the blessed of God because of their status on earth. Of course, the Bible talks of heaven. Those who are not well off on earth will think about heaven, yes, but they’ll also think about earth in terms of justice, God’s care. They will see themes like the exodus and redemption not just in terms of the life to come, but of this life as well. It’s interesting that a good portion of the Bible, a large part of the Old Testament and carried on into the New Testament is written from the perspective of exile.

There are theologies which have either downplayed or all but ignored life in the present on earth. Everything is about heaven, a heavenly existence. Early dispensationalism is one example in which the church was considered heavenly but not earthly in any way that mattered. That kind of thinking would tell those in apartheid, or peoples like the Palestinians or any other oppressed people that God’s good news means nothing at all with reference to their present plight. Not directly, but by implication, since it would say next to nothing about it, except to give gifts so that such can hear the gospel, believe and go to heaven someday.

The point of this post is something of what James is getting at. Those who are struggling to make ends meet in this world will naturally read the Bible from that perspective, within that experience. And that’s largely the viewpoint of its writing. Jesus blesses the poor and warns the rich. Yes, there’s great comfort in the promise of a better, just, flourishing life to come. But if the Bible has nothing to say about the here and now, then it needs to be seen as a different book than what it actually is. Something perhaps more akin to a spirituality or mentality which brushes off reality and the material world for some kind of spirituality which actually is foreign to Scripture. Spirituality is concerned with materiality in Scripture.

A difference is that the poor, oppressed, marginalized, despised will see things in Scripture that those in power and privilege will not. Those on top need to learn to see the perspective of those on the bottom. And somehow learn to live more from that standpoint.

God wants all at Christ’s table: the poor along with the rich, the haves and the have-nots, the supposed power brokers and those who are denied such. But at that table an equity will be emerging, that of the life to come breaking into the present life.

all *will* be well (in spite of anything and everything)

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Revelation 21:22-22:5; NRSVue

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

Julian of Norwich

There are many reasons today to laugh and cry in despair. For one’s mental health and more importantly as a people of Christian faith to properly follow Jesus, one has to let go of so much. And that isn’t easy considering that the source of so much trouble comes from the religious even “Christian” in name side. Yes, we shouldn’t go there. But we can’t just put our heads in the sand and ignore reality.

Revelation is written for such times as these, probably originally written for a church that was under stress and duress, much of the church caving into idolatrous influences. What was true for that day is every bit as true today, one might say in spades except what was a huge issue then is actually crucial at any time. Times like these only accentuate that point.

What we need to keep our head wrapped around is the point that Julian of Norwich made from the distress in which she lived. And it came out of the revelation of God to her, a God who is out and out and forever love. There are many things on any number of levels which not only are troubling to us but can feel downright threatening, in fact may well indeed be so. But because of God’s love, we can be well assured that it will all work out and everything will be right and good in the end.

But the book of Revelation is not some saccharine sweet, nice fairy tell book with a happily ever after ending, though it does end on a wonderfully promising, indeed climactic note. Given the total failure of even so-called Bible teachers and traditions in the catastrophic interpretations of Revelation which really amount to a misreading, even a blatant anti-reading of Revelation in which the book is supposedly read literally, but definitely not taken seriously, we end up with a book of little help. People who are influenced by that popular rendition simply are looking for signs of the end, finding them everywhere and emboldened to take stands on the basis of such which have nothing to do with the heart or body of Revelation at all. And we’re living with the fallout and result of that right now.

I think it makes a good point to say about the Bible: for mature audiences only, maybe give it some sort of rating. In spite of that, as long as we get at the point being made, that God is at work in the royal mess of which we share some responsibility, as long as we see that in the end all will be well not according to what we think we’ve figured out, but according to God’s good will in Christ, that can go a long ways in helping us be okay in the here and now. And a sure sign that we’re on a good and if need be correctable track is when our hearts especially together are intent on just one thing: following the Lamb wherever he goes (Revelation 14), lamblike ourselves for the good of ourselves and all others in anticipation of that final great good in the end.

what Jesus really cares about (contra Christians?)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31-46; NRSVue

I find it fascinating how Christians regulate Scripture so that a lot of it doesn’t apply directly to us today. Some say that anything before the resurrection does not apply to us but is under the law and meant for Jews. The book of James is readily put into that category along with the Sermon on the Mount not to mention the above passage. Or really? Even for such, surely this becomes a challenge. After all, Jesus seems to be talking about the final judgment when he divides people or nations like sheep and goats, the one into life and the other into condemnation.

I don’t really enjoy picking on Christians and I know I fall short as well in both understanding and in practice of what I might understand. That said, we still have to take Scripture and the words of our Lord seriously. Much has been made of “pro-life” over the past decades. And yet what is consistently pro-life? The Christians who advocate for that are the same ones who believe their view should be forced on others, whatever their views on abortion, immigration, capital punishment, prison, police, racism, history of wrongdoing, systemic injustice, the military, the military industrial complex, war (evangelical Christians have been polled as more pro-war than any other segment of American society), the proliferation of guns, healthcare (in their view a privilege, not something to be given to all, not a human right), affordable housing, a living wage (which to many of them is opposed to capitalism, the deregulated, unfettered free market), affordable higher education, medical care for pregnant women whose health along with the health of the fetus is at risk, protection for all who are marginalized like the LGBTQ+ community, etc. There seems to be nothing more important to these Christians than their religious freedom which they imagine to be at perilous risk, ironically pressure points brought to bear because of their own actions. And the idea that they force their views by law on all the rest of us. Their gospel evidently is not the power of salvation for all who believe. It certainly is not as big as the gospel of the Bible.

When it gets right down to it, what did Jesus say? As Christ-followers we go with that, and we judge all else in that light.

what does it mean to know God?

Thus says the LORD: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then through the gates of this house shall enter kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses—they, their servants, and their people. But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness
and his upper rooms by injustice,
who makes his neighbors work for nothing
and does not give them their wages,
who says, “I will build myself a spacious house
with large upper rooms,”
and who cuts out windows for it,
paneling it with cedar
and painting it with vermilion.
Are you a king
because you compete in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
and do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
then it was well.
Is not this to know me?
says the LORD.
But your eyes and heart
are only on your dishonest gain,
for shedding innocent blood,
and for practicing oppression and violence.

Jeremiah 22:1-5, 13-17; NRSVue

There is nothing less than a crisis in and through God’s people today. Their gospel is simply to get people “saved,” so they will go to heaven someday, or perhaps healed as well, some would add even made rich, though that too often seems more like a pyramid scheme than anything sincere. When you consider everything, it seems clear enough to me that God’s people actually do more harm than good.

What is the vision of God? We especially have to turn to the Old Testament/ Hebrew prophets to find it, and then we see it both echoed and fulfilled in Jesus and God’s reign in him. It is a panorama of justice and goodness, human flourishing along with the flourishing of all creation. This is not rocket science. Theology I think too often complicates matters, and people get caught up in rabbit holes, secondary if even that to the main point, which gets all but lost, and for all practical purposes is lost in that process.

Follow the money and you’ll find idolatry in the mix. And in that mix will be a lot of good religion, even the cross with the flag draped over it. With some nationalistic, exclusivist vision capturing people’s minds and hearts, yes even the people who name the name of Christ and claim the good but historically sullied title, Christian. And what is pushed to the margins? The poor, the alien, the marginalized, the outcast. They’re all but forgotten. Seen to be a threat, or even evil. So completely opposite of the way of Jesus and true Christianity if we can even use that term anymore.

To know God is not complicated. Are we concerned about our families, about the poor, the down and out, about those in the most difficult places, the refugees, those cast out and despised, people exactly as they are? And are we acting in love on that concern? That is what it means to know God. Not merely saying a prayer to receive Jesus. Yes, as Christ’s body in the world, God in Christ is with us. But we know God only by knowing the true heart of God on the ground right where we live to begin with, and then beyond.

creation calls

The heavens are telling the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens
and its circuit to the end of them,
and nothing is hid from its heat.

Psalm 19:1-6; NRSVue

I love the four season, though the older I get the shorter I would like winter to be. How about a long spring, a long fall/autumn, a semi-long summer and a short winter? I’d take that, though if winter didn’t exist at all, I would actually miss it. Something wonderful about the snow and the ice on the trees.

But wherever you go, in spite of what humanity has done in prioritizing the bottom line above all else, you’ll find life breaking through. I live in an urban, suburban setting. And there’s no end to having to keeping the green life in check even in our small lot. Volunteer trees in the wrong places, and trimming trees present, my main issues. But the wonder of life, of nature, yes of creation.

There is something about it which is soothing. In just another of the human catastrophes in Chernobyl, while it is no longer hospitable to humans, plant and animal life has happily taken over and seems to be thriving. If only we humans would actually steward the earth instead of trying to grasp its resources for our own supposed benefit. We’re called to take care of it, yes manage it in such a way that its life is free, which in reality is a beneficial not only to it, but also to us.

Somehow cultivating an appreciation for and practicing a nearness to nature, to creation, can help us cultivate an appreciation for and practice a nearness to God. As we learn to get lost in the wonder of creation, that can help us to begin to get lost in the wonder of God.

Advent: hope for a broken, breaking world

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:13-14; KJV

Advent on the Christian church calendar is a season of hope, remembering the anticipation of Christ’s first coming as we long for his second coming when at long last this weary world rejoices.

Most all of us are tired, weary and worn, even as we enjoy the gifts and blessings of this life. But we long for more, much more, and for good reason, considering all the world’s ills. We desire that promised “peace on earth, good will toward men.” According to what’s considered a better textual reading, “peace among those whom he favors!”

Given the evil found all over the world, it seems sadly that the only way shalom, or peace is possible is through final judgment. Judgment comes from grace and precedes salvation. We have to be saved from something threatening or hanging over us, victimizing us and others, to be saved to something better, the full restoration of humanity and creation as God intends.

This is at the heart of the hope of Advent. We know the best that can be accomplished in this world can’t measure up to that. Though part of this Advent hope includes a willingness to try to find God’s light in this darkness to address issues such as war, famine and starvation, climate change, the disparity between the rich and the poor, etc. That is if we follow the concern and passion found in the Bible. Otherwise we might settle for a Platonic salvation in which heaven is what ultimately matters since this world is to be burned anyhow.

Instead we need to see that God’s care is for all creation, indeed that God loves all that God has made. And that followers of Christ along with the rest of humanity should work towards a better world. And that what we do now somehow in God’s will makes a difference that ends up being eternal since matter is just as much a part of the world to come as is spirit.

We who are followers of Christ bear witness to the hope promised, that the God who made all things in the first place, has promised to remake all things in Christ, which actually is beginning even now. Advent a wonderful season to reflect on that.

it will come

I will stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me
and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faithfulness.
Moreover, wealth is treacherous;
the arrogant do not endure.
They open their throats wide as Sheol;
like Death they never have enough.
They gather all nations for themselves
and collect all peoples as their own.

Habakkuk 2:1-5

This prophetic, poetic book is poignant for our times. We too live in the midst of destructive, even self-destructive machinations on the part of nations as well as tribal allegiances in such nations. And in this, as well as in so much of the world’s history, God seems all but absent.

But as I was reminded recently in our church fellowship, we have hope as a discipline, and indeed like in the case of Habakkuk of old, that hope is given to us from God. Hope, as Paul tells us elsewhere (Romans 8) is not something we already possess, but rather something that we wait for. But somehow such hope sustains us.

All the while we continue in the struggle for what is good, just and true in the sphere of a sustained, responsible, whole love which in the end is for the very best for everyone and for all.