In my old church we closed every prayer list with "and pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
Today, I ask you to take the time to pray for the safety of the Iranian people, particularly the youth.
Amen.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A friend of mine once remarked on how different she thought it would be if Valentinus had been selected as Bishop of Rome and led the fledgling Catholic church into a more gnostic worldview. She inquired as to how different I think it would have been. My answer then is the same as my answer now:
Not a bit.
In the end, Gnosis isn't a shield against evil, or corruption, or political pressure. Not in a literal sense. It lies within the Spirit to perfect people, not the system or the church. Given access to where the outer church was, the Valentinians would most likely end up where the church ended up. We may each strive for the best, but in the end we are all as human as every person at the Council of Nicea, voting with our over-pressured hearts and praying for grace.
As it well should be. I can think of no greater commenter on it than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn:
"Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart - and through all human hearts."
May we pray as fervently that we win the battle alongside our rivals as we do to win the battle with our rivals. Amen.
Not a bit.
In the end, Gnosis isn't a shield against evil, or corruption, or political pressure. Not in a literal sense. It lies within the Spirit to perfect people, not the system or the church. Given access to where the outer church was, the Valentinians would most likely end up where the church ended up. We may each strive for the best, but in the end we are all as human as every person at the Council of Nicea, voting with our over-pressured hearts and praying for grace.
As it well should be. I can think of no greater commenter on it than Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn:
"Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart - and through all human hearts."
May we pray as fervently that we win the battle alongside our rivals as we do to win the battle with our rivals. Amen.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Whole God
I have heard time and time again that evil is the absence of God, and unbearable in his sight. Yet, in Isaiah 45:7 I read.
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these."
God is not mocked. The force that created the universe created all of it.
This is a difficult saying. It stretches us, it forces us to look at God with new eyes. When we say that the Creator Created the Creation, we have to take responsibility for all of it, not just the parts we like. God's exploration of himself does not end at the positive side of the spectrum.
I pray that as we work through our own dark sides, turning evil into strength, that we remember that God created it, as well. Amen.
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these."
God is not mocked. The force that created the universe created all of it.
This is a difficult saying. It stretches us, it forces us to look at God with new eyes. When we say that the Creator Created the Creation, we have to take responsibility for all of it, not just the parts we like. God's exploration of himself does not end at the positive side of the spectrum.
I pray that as we work through our own dark sides, turning evil into strength, that we remember that God created it, as well. Amen.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Straight Shooting
Would you send someone to hell for being a lousy shot?
When I grew up, "sin" was this black, evil, heavy force that crushed your soul into the ground and eventually drug it down to hell, and only holy blood could dissolve the sin and wash it away. Sin was evil and sticky at the same time.
I didn't find out until later that "sin" means nothing of the sort. It began as Hebrew word, "het," which became a greek word, "hamartia," and finally an Old English word, "Synn."
And each time, it was an Archery term. It means to fail to hit the target, or even to fail to hit the bullseye of the target.
So the next time you're reading, try throwing in "mistake" or "weakness," instead. "Forgive us our mistakes, as we forgive those who have made mistakes against us," "the result of our weakness is death," "if we confess our mistakes, he is faithful and just to forgive us."
Personally, I'll take a God who forgives mistakes over one who cures the "Black Oil Virus" from X-files any day. After all, what's a better day out with Dad: Archery, or watching an execution?
When I grew up, "sin" was this black, evil, heavy force that crushed your soul into the ground and eventually drug it down to hell, and only holy blood could dissolve the sin and wash it away. Sin was evil and sticky at the same time.
I didn't find out until later that "sin" means nothing of the sort. It began as Hebrew word, "het," which became a greek word, "hamartia," and finally an Old English word, "Synn."
And each time, it was an Archery term. It means to fail to hit the target, or even to fail to hit the bullseye of the target.
So the next time you're reading, try throwing in "mistake" or "weakness," instead. "Forgive us our mistakes, as we forgive those who have made mistakes against us," "the result of our weakness is death," "if we confess our mistakes, he is faithful and just to forgive us."
Personally, I'll take a God who forgives mistakes over one who cures the "Black Oil Virus" from X-files any day. After all, what's a better day out with Dad: Archery, or watching an execution?
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