Holy, Holy Week!!

After a great Palm Sunday Service, I find my mind wandering as I drive home from church... here's where it wandered.

Holy Week.

Yes, it is… Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil, Easter Morning… it’s going to be something.  

But Holy?

Hmmmmmm....

What do we mean by Holy?

Growing up, holy always meant "special"... something you covered in plastic, like a Holy Relic, or Nana's furniture... something you couldn't really explain, you just knew... something that is beyond language… often something that we keep to ourselves.  (Shhhh… it’s Holy!  Don’t talk about it!)

I think of friends who were NOT allowed to read the Bible while going to the bathroom because the Bible is Holy.  (Apparently, this was a big thing for teenagers to do… sneak into the bathroom with a King James and read!!   Bobby, what are you doing in there???  You’d better not be reading Holy Scripture!!) 

I remember parts of churches and temples that the “Public” are not supposed to access (Not, here… it’s Holy!)    

So, Holy is special… but I never thought of my girlfriends as Holy (if we did date decades ago, I did respect you and thought you were special… just not “Holy”  I mean, that really doesn't sound like much fun).  Holy seems to be something that we strive to obscure; even keep away from others.   Ask yourself, why do we call it Good Friday?  Do you know?  If someone asks, do you have an answer?…. Or are you more likely to tell them that if they don’t understand, than they never will?  (yes, Ross Lockhart did explain it in last Month’s United Church Observer, but how many of us are that smart??)   

How about Maundy Thursday?  Do you know we call it that?   Is it really what the Mamas and the Papas were singing about in the 60s? (Maundy, Maundy, so good to me… Maundy, Maundy, it was all I hoped it would be…) 

Holy seems to mean something that we keep to ourselves and something that is confusing to outsiders.

But surely that’s not what Jesus meant by Holy.

This week I’m imagining Holy to mean broken open.  Like Jesus at the Last Supper, breaking open his body – literally, figuratively, metaphorically – and making it Holy.  Breaking open that we might receive, breaking it open that we might understand, breaking it open so that we might be included… the opposite of what we often do with “Holy”.    What if Holy Week was a week of 2 billion Christians being open to each other and the world?  Open to loving who we love, regardless of local customs; open to engaging with others no matter what the community at large might consider “proper”… open to not knowing some things, feeling other things and daring to share our special, secret traditions… open, if it might hurt… open, even if we might look foolish…  Open, like Jesus, not elevated like the Holy of Holies; but broken open to the world, willing to pour ourselves out for others.  

Imagine what kind of Holy Week we could have….

It’d sure be different… and just maybe, what we all need right about now. 

Glad I'm not preaching Palm Sunday

Good thing that I’m not preaching this week…

It’s Palm Sunday.

It happens every year and I've run out of things to say other than, “Hosanna!”

Fascinating discussion evolved in my Tuesday 8am Bible Study.  Now, to be clear, this isn't Bible Study, like you see on TV… it’s not a gathering of dour people who listen to some scripture and then look to the leader who points on an a map where all of these things took place; there are no “flannel boards” and not once have we hugged and sung “Kumbaya”.

The six to 10 people who gather on a given Tuesday have varying political views, differing theological perspectives and life experiences.  Some rush off to jobs, others are retired… (oddly, it’s the currently employed folk who hang around the longest in the morning).  The first 20 minutes are usually reserved for political discussion, world events or things that amuse us…  Pope Francis, Rob Ford, Justin Timberlake share time with Alice in Wonderland and the many creations of Charles Dickens.  We have coffee.  We often get around to talking about the scripture that will be read for the upcoming Sunday.   (note, I didn't say “always”)

This week we started to talk about Palm Sunday and whether or not Jesus staged the whole thing and if he did, was it a political statement or was it a conscious decision to “fulfill” the written prophecies.  Of course, it was agreed that no one believed in pre-destination… the idea that everything is already decided, set in motion inevitably by God.   Pre-destination seems to be come from a need or desire to see God so completely in charge; so powerful, that nothing happens that God has already ordained will happen.   If you’ve read my earlier blog on the Omni-God, you know that I have a problem with such an understanding.  It was stated with some confidence that if you went out into the streets, work places and educational institutions in and around Toronto and asked people if they believed in pre-destination, the vast, vast, almost beyond vast, majority would say “No”.  (except for a few extreme Calvinists, who knew that you were going to ask that question….).    This was a rare moment when we all seemed to be in agreement….. UNTIL

“What if you asked the question another way… what if you asked people if they really had much choice in life… or any choice…  I’ll bet a lot of people would tell you that they/we don’t really have much choice… most of what happens to us in life is inevitable”

So, we may not believe in Pre-Destiny, but many of us live our lives as if we are co-opted by fate, routine or the powers that be.   I’m not making a case here for pre-destination, but I wonder if maybe Jesus was when he arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and made his way to the cross.  

Personally, I do think that Jesus made choices that lead him inevitably to the cross: He could have avoided Jerusalem at Passover, stayed in the country and stayed off the radar (perhaps those who go away for Easter Weekend do so as a religious observance, ritually saying “if only Jesus had done this); he could have slipped into town unobtrusively, he could have avoided Judas’ kiss (PDAs will get you every time), he could have engaged Pilate in a conversation, he could have pointed out that Barabbas was not such a great guy… but he went to the cross.  So that he could be resurrected? Possibly… although again, I think that he was as surprised as anyone at his resurrection that weekend.  So why go so obediently to the cross?

This is where I think that our classic depiction of the three crosses on the hill can be misleading.   Contemplating this image we can sometimes think that what happened to Jesus was remarkable or “special”.  The record suggests that it was anything but….whether the suggestions that the roads outside Jerusalem were lined with the crucified are accurate or not, it is agreed that Pilate was not reluctant to put down civil unrest by crucifixion.   Is it possible that Jesus’ foray into Jerusalem, confrontation with  and execution by the State, is meant to reveal and “unspoken” truth that if we are to be governed by an Empire based on war and the threat of war, then the death of innocents is inevitable or pre-determined?   Jesus goes obediently to the cross to be in solidarity with the tens, hundreds, even thousands put to death on crosses, to reveal the truth about such a state and our choice…

Let’s remember that Rome was not particularly bad for Judaism.  Rome allowed the Temple to stand and function, Pax Judea was a decent deal… and the economy was good under Rome… the roads were good, sanitation was good… I don’t want to sound like a scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

Brought Peace?

Oh, peace... shut up!! 

But it all comes at a cost… If you want peace the comes from the threat  of force; of war and/or death – the cost is that political dissenters will be executed.  Innocents will inevitably be killed…. There’s nothing you can do about it.

Or you might decide that instead of that kind of state being in charge of your destiny… God is in charge.  Jesus presents the choice quite powerfully: Rome’s way… God’s way.  God’s way is revealed in his way of Jesus’ life, his parables that invite radical hospitality; question the hoarding of resources; invite us to trust and rely on one another – all very scary prospects.  And the cost?  Your life… but your life poured out willingly by you, not a life taken by the state.

I don’t know… maybe Jesus is not so political.

And I’m not preaching this Sunday, so maybe I’m going to let it go for now… but I do wonder sometimes.

The horrific rape case is Stuebenville and coverage that seems to focus on the lament the damage done to rapists’ futures as young athletes and scholars over the “actual” victim’s pain and loss.   Dare we say that in a culture that objectifies women, celebrates power and commodifies sex, it is inevitable that woman are going to be raped and rapists protected?

In a culture that demands “lower prices”  and puts the consumer’s rights above all others, could we say that it is inevitable that workers will be exploited somewhere… even if it’s our of our view?

As I consider the plight of miners and those who live near mines in South America, I am moved. But when I consider what part of my pension might be invested in those mining stocks and the economic impact my family might experience if we divest… I focus my gaze on the three crosses on the hill on Good Friday and try not to look at the hundreds of crosses lining the roads.   Could we say that in a culture that focuses on profit and economic security for some without regard for the rest; in a system that says more is better than less and that it is the responsibility of financial institutions to make the most money for their clients… it is inevitable that innocent people will suffer and die, as the fund managers say “I was just following orders… I had no choice”?

Today, I think that Jesus goes to the cross to be in solidarity with all those who die needlessly and unfairly… all those who are made to pay the price for the security and luxury of others… and I think that he does so trusting us to look around and realize that we can choose our destinies… we can follow the ways that lead to death, or the ways that lead to life… but whatever we choose, there will always be a cost.  So, spend your life… or spend somebody else’s… your choice is not pre-determined, it’s up to you.

Then again, I’m not preaching this week… 

   (God must have planned it that way)

Habemus communicationis defection est! Part II

Habemus communicationis defection est!  Still.

I was chatting with my son late last night and he quoted somebody who said something that somebody else has said to me earlier in the day...and so my mind got stuck there, even as my son likely revealed the secrets of the universe to me or what to expect from the new season of MadMen.

If God was speaking through the Cardinals when the elected the Pope, then why weren't they unanimous in their voting?

A fair question.

But one that reveals a certain understanding of God, that I do not share.

For many people this talk of “God” is about a great big bearded man in the sky, throwing lightning bolts, pulling strings, occasionally mooning Moses (look it up) and watching over Justin Beiber’s career.  With time and sophistication, we've moved away from the lightning bolts, most of us “the man” and a few of us “the beard”…. But we stick with the God who pulls strings.  A master marrionettist who makes Cardinals vote. 

I sometimes struggle with my understanding of God.  Do I choose a distant, removed clock maker who put thing in motion and then disappeared?  An eternal kid tapping on the glass of a giant ant farm?  Why would the creator such an elegant design as the universe, break in from time to time and suspend the very laws and machinations so lovingly created?   Tough to choose; hard to figure out...

What I do know is that the God that Jesus reveals is not coercive.  We can talk one day about the nature of Jesus humanity, divinity and combination skin, but for now, let’s agree that somehow, someway, Jesus reveals the nature and intent of God – either because he is so begotten, or because he’s very careful and intentional in all his actions.  Looking at Jesus very carefully tells Christians something about God… in fact, studying or following Jesus informs Christians about God more than studying or following anybody else.   

AND 

Jesus is not coercive.   

You can search the text and find a sentence that might be in tension with my assertion, but by and large – Jesus is not, himself coercive and so reveals that God is not coercive.   Jesus asks people if they want to be healed, he doesn't just show up and take leprosy away (no matter what Monty Python says)… He doesn't demand, he invites the rich man to give up his wealth… Jesus teaches in parables, inviting people to wonder and think for themselves… He doesn't impose a new order, he invites people to consider their own lives and traditions..  Not coercive, always persuasive.

That’s how I believe that God acts in the world: Persuasively.  Not pulling strings, but speaking to me from within; catching my eye and moving my heart from without; engaging my imagination and helping me to see new possibilities… to that end, almost all of my decisions are in fact, mine.  (except where my wife is involved… but that’s for the best).  My decisions are mine, influenced by God, but ultimately an expression of Norm in relation to God.  Which means that I am likely to make a different decision than Cardinal Thomas Collins  (how great is it to have a gin and lemon Cardinal?  But, I digress…)

For me, it’s almost the lack of unanimity that’s affirming to me.  It reveals to me God who is persuasive, not coercive; not imposing, but inviting… the very God that I find in the stories and experience of Jesus.

So, now... off to call my son and figure out what he was talking about last night...

Habemus Communicationis Defection est!

Habemus Papam?

Habemus communicationis defection est!

(my Latin is a little rusty… but what I hope that I said was something to the effect of “We have a failure to communicate!”)

If I may, allow me to rant and respond to statements that you probably haven’t made, but somebody did!(Hey, it’s my blog)

He’s been Pope for less than 24 hours.  Don’t be stunned that he hasn't swept through the Curia or cleaned up the Vatican Bank.  That may take weeks. 

I know that Francis is a name that speaks of humility and reform, but reform takes time and rarely looks like reform to those of us occupying or marching on the left.  This Pope is apparently not swayed by Liberation Theology – it’s not the only theology available – but he has shown a devotion to the poor, even if not always in the right circles.  We were never going to get a Pope Che.

Don’t worry about the name Francis.  Nobody remembers the Donald O’Connor and Francis the Talking Mule movies.   Really.  Almost nobody….

Matthew Fox thinks that the Dalai Lama would have been a better choice as Pope.  And he wonders why he was silenced by the Roman Catholic Church when he was a Priest and ultimately ex-communicated?  Might have been his belief that Buddhists should the successors of the Apostle Peter (just sayin’).   And, Rev. Fox, I have enjoyed and been influenced by many of your books, but your insistence that the Spanish Inquisition is alive and well is getting tiresome.  Yes, the office continues (now called the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith) and Pope Benedict was the head of it when he was a Cardinal, but they didn’t torture you; they made you get another publisher for your books.  Not the same thing.

And Media… where do I begin? 

The election of a Pope is not a reality show.  It’s NOT Survivor, the Bachelor or Toddlers and Tiaras.  It’s not a human endeavor; or a process of elimination in which the strongest, smartest, best looking or obnoxious survives.  It is meant to be Divinely Influenced process:  A gathering of individuals who strive to be open to the influence of God; the moving of the Holy Spirit.  It’s not supposed to be about campaigning or strategizing – it’s about hearing the call of God. Not about plotting the growth of the company or re-visioning of the brand.  And that confuses us…. This idea that it might not be all about us is hard to imagine.  Even now, you’re thinking “yeah, but the Cardinals all had their favourites; the Pope stacked the deck with conservatives so that things would keep going his way….”  I know that you’re thinking that, because I think the same thing.  And then I remember how hard I tried to let go of my preconceptions when I was a Commissioner to United Church of Canada General Council and we elected a new Moderator.  (kind of the same thing as a Pope, only without the authority, the great view of Rome and the red shoes… only Dorothy gets red shoes!).  When it came time for us to elect a new Moderator, I prayed… I let go of my preconceptions…  I didn’t vote my friends or my region… my gender or my sexual orientation or cultural background.  And if I can do that, I am sure that a bunch of Cardinals can, too.  I’m not that amazing.   (well….  Maybe somewhat amazing).

I like the election of the Pope. It’s a reminder to me that there are people who take seriously that idea that God is active in the world… not just floating around in the sky endorsing and affirming our decisions; but actually gently calling and persuading us into a better future.   Is that what happened with the election of Pope Francis?  I don’t know… some folks think so.  I hope so.

In the end, I don’t know if it really matters all that much what I think,   I’m not a Roman Catholic.   I married one and raised three  - but the election of new Pope is not about me.  We don’t really talk the same language  - although clearly my Latin is fabulous (if you speak Latin, I just made a brilliant joke).  It’s kind of like Walmart to me…  I don’t like their labour policies or the power that they have over so many economies, so I don’t shop there.  I don't hate Walmart, I recognize that many reasonable people think that Walmart has a lot to offer... but I choose not to spend my money or time there.  But that's me... 

And now that I've finished ranting, I really should get back to work. 

At a loss with a Prophet....

I love the prophets.  I love the stories… I love the passion… I love the wild beards.   I love the license to speak and say what must be said.   I had lunch with a prophet today.  Well, he looked like a prophet.  He’s older than me.  Jewish.  Wild greying beard… and he has a gruff voice that can make you smile, even as it commands your attention.  The kind of voice meant to echo off of walls or from the bottom of cisterns  (look it up).

We sat in a lovely restaurant beside Lake Ontario, he ate mussels, I drank wine… and we talked.  We talked as old friends do; we said things that should never be blogged and we laughed at things we would never admit to laughing at. I imagine that lunch with Elisha might have been much the same, although an all you can eat salad bar would likely replace the bottomless soup pot  (again, look it up).   Some might see a difference in that my friend does not believe in God.  He comes from a long line of very devout men and women; he learned his lessons well… but as he feels his age; continues to grieve the loss of his wonderful wife and partner almost 16 months ago and watches the insanity of the world on his TV, he has given up. God has let him down or, at least, left him with no purpose.  I was at a loss as to how to respond.

What.. I’m supposed to tell him to get over his grief and enjoy his life?  What kind of pisher do you think me?  (Can’t help it – spend time with the man, you want to speak Yiddish).  Normally, we know what to do with people like this:  Smile at them, speak loudly and slowly... and pretend you can’t hear them as you walk away.  After all, you can’t make them happy, so why try?

My friend misses his wife.  He hurts for the mishegas of the world (warned you…).  He is dispirited by political gamesmanship, blatant dishonesty, stupidity on the part of the public and the never-ending pursuit of more war, more hatred and little effort made to increase  respect or humanity.   He remembers a time when honour and morality were valued and celebrated in society, religious groups didn’t sell out for money and parents valued their children more than themselves.   He longs for a time when people would listen to each other.

Like I said, there’s nothing you can do to make him happy.  So, best to leave him alone:  His loss of joy in life doesn't have to be mine.  You know what I mean... I can't fix him, so best to get my distance in case he brings me down. 

But, remember I also said that he was a prophet.  And as I recall, prophets didn't really want to be cheered up or fixed.  Jeremiah wasn’t hoping that someone would show him that things were actually better than he thought; he wasn't asking to be shown a sunny sky and told that all was right with the world.  He knew that things were a mess and what he wanted was for others to hear him… to listen… and take action to make things better for themselves.  Same as my friend… he’s not asking me to cheer him up, he wants me to listen... he wants me to learn.  So, I'm listening.    Here’s what I heard today: *

I should be very aware that I am in a good place in my life and I should enjoy it and be thankful, not take for granted my supportive, loving wife… my kids… my friends… my health.   Nothing lasts forever and it would be shame to only realize after things have changed, how great they really were.

I should be aware that real faith in God does not come from a book or someone telling you what to believe… it comes from within.  It is nurtured and celebrated in a feeling of purpose. Call it God; don’t call it God… but feel it and act on it.

I should do all that I can to support and highlight those who make the “right” choices, even when the wisdom of the world would have them do something else: Those who give up votes, power or money because there is a higher calling than being rich, powerful or elected. 

I should listen…   That was his very explicit message to me: People should listen.  It is in listening, really listening, that ideas get in and take root… that strangers become friends… the respect is born and hope is possible.  If we don’t listen than we live in our own little worlds… alone and lonely.

The irony is that this Atheist Jew revealed more God to me in our lunch than a semester of studying the prophets in Seminary.  He opened up his life; his heart…and he showed me God’s message inside.  I hope that I remember… not only what he said, but also that he HAS something to say.  The next that I’m tempted to grin and think about about something else as another un-cheerful person wants to talk… I hope that I remember to listen and discover the wisdom that they are offering; I hope that I treat them with the respect that a prophet deserves – even if I don’t know them or love them as much as I do this guy. 

If I can, then maybe… just maybe, I learn;  the world gets better; God’s presence becomes more clear; and I get to be half the mentsh my friend has always been… (look it up, I can’t do everything for you)

If you have a chance... grab lunch with a prophet, you'll be glad that you did.

* I should be honest -  he may have said very different things, and I could be mis-representing him completely…but that's his tsuris!)

Thoughts while watching "The Bible"

So, I watched the Bible last night 

   (actually, this morning – thank you PVR). 

As I watched, I had thoughts: some deep, some not so deep.  I kept calling Ms. Downey, "Roma Downey Jr.", then I would picture her as Iron Man or Sherlock Holmes and chuckle to myself....  (told you, some thoughts not so deep)

Two hours of TV (less with PVR and fast forward)

I was hoping to like it.  I’m a minister… kinda partial to the material.  I also love Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and now, Vikings.  The promise was that this show would be like that, only based on the Bible.  History Chanel, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey promised a powerful, visually engaging story to our home screens, which is great because most people have lost the over-arching narrative of the Bible.  Where we once knew the story as an epic tale; movie or miniseries, we now know the Bible as a series of FaceBook posts: Short, often out of order, and kinda manipulative.  (Wow! Look at that Jesus hates fig trees!  If you agree, share…)

So, I’m up for a narrative.

And I got one

    … except that a lot of it was missing.

God’s need to cleanse the world was all about humans making bad choices?  What about the giant babies that humans were producing after being raped by angels?  (Genesis 6) I thought that was one of reasons we needed a new start…?
Where was the image of Noah lying drunk on the ground after the Ark settled on dry land… naked and open to the ridicule of his sons?

Where was Abraham’s depression – the deep terrifying darkness that fell over him?

What was with the Ninja angel and the swords?

How come Lot didn’t offer the crowd his young un-wed daughters when they came knocking for the angel strangers?   Was Lot’s wife really so bad that she had to be turned to salt just for looking back at the city that she had called home?  And shouldn’t the daughters have been just a little older…. As much as the narrator said that Lot and his daughter disappeared into the mountains, never to be seen again, we Bible nerds know that the sisters got Dad drunk, and had sex with him in an effort to repopulate the world they assumed destroyed.   I get why we didn’t need to see that, but at least make the girls a little older.

And Moses… don’t get me started.  And keep me away from how “fair” the colour of our heroes and how wonderfully right they always were in the face of the foolish who would block the way, slow progress, or disbelieve God.   My Bible is full of “heroes” making mistakes, misunderstanding and screwing up!  I always loved Madeliene L’Engle’s assertion that the Bible is a collection of stories of people singularly un-qualified for the tasks assigned.  (or something like… pretty sure it was Madeliene… maybe Marty Ingels?)

But… I did actually like the crazy ninja angel.  And the Ark… that was cool (although I would have done more to control the giraffes – one of those  big tippy creatures falls over, the partner is going to pretty sad watching everybody else making out while he/she waits for extinction.)

And I know that you can’t fit it all in… not in 10 hours.

Maybe not it 100 hours.

The big problem is not what’s left out or kept it… For me,  the problem is that any kind of movie is going to be “literal”.  By virtue of the medium, we are stuck with a single layered event:  This happened and it caused that to happen; and then another thing happened and here we are.  That’s a movie.  Meant to be believed; followed to its conclusion.

It works great for Game of Thrones.  It looks like it’s going to work for Vikings… but the actual Bible is meant to be read with many layers.  As much as there is a grand narrative, it is also an ever-changing; always evolving metaphor and collections of metaphors.  We can argue about whether the metaphor is the creation of a human author or a divine creator.. but in the end, we not meant to read the Bible as an historical narrative.    The historical accuracy of Lot and his family  is not nearly as valuable to me as the inspiration to wonder what happens when we look back and not forward; not nearly as instructive to me as the consequences for women when men make decisions; the price we pay for hospitality; the foolishness of believing that you or your family are the only ones in the world…  so much to be taken from such a tawdry little tale.  Last night’s TV gave me none of that, instead it gave me a ninja angel and a moment of relief when Lot’s whiney wife finally got what was coming to her.   Good TV? Maybe… but not the Good Book.

I will keep watching.  I will likely go to see the Noah and Moses movies slated for release in the next year or so, but I suspect that I will enjoy them all a little bit more, if I lower my expectations and just let it be a media event instead of a motivating truth.