| The Church of the South Pacific |
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I've been struggling to think of things to write recently, partly because I was tired or feeling ill, but, perhaps, also because my theology has been going through some radical shifts over the last few years and even more so recently and it can be hard to know exactly where you stand when the ground seems to be constantly moving.
God is often described as a rock in the Old Testament, a symbol of solid security, trustworthy and reliable, but even rocks can be shaken by earthquakes. Of course the truth is that the truck is just an analogy and that God is really the one who made the rock, who wrote the laws that define when earthquakes happen, who underpins the rationality of the universe. And though the universe may often seem to us chaotic and frightening, science is constantly revealing the ways in which it is actually ordered and consistent. I'm currently reading my way through Alister McGrath's 'spiritual autobiography' Through a Glass Darkly and in the early chapters he talks about how the revelation, through science, of an ordered universe at first led him along the path to atheism and, certainly, for many in the current age that seems the only path to take, but, like McGrath ultimately discovered, it is the one who made that ordered universe who it is ultimately the more rewarding to know that the universe itself. And if science can undergo it's paradigm shifts throughout the centuries and still edge ever closer to truth, so too can our understanding of God. My sometimes shaky Theology isn't a sign of doubt or faltering faithfulness, but rather it is like the tremors and aftershocks of an earthquake that reshapes the landscape, revealing things hidden in the fault lines. I believe that I'm drawing ever closer to God and that He will ultimately reveal Himself to me as He sees fit, in His love. How do you experience doubt, whether it be of religion, the tenets of your worldview, of the trust you put in certain relationships? Does the doubt ever help to clarify things, to draw you closer to the truth, or did it push you away? What might it mean to shift the way you view the world? What secrets might such a quake unearth? Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
John 12:12-16 Wrote:12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Wrote:1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; Palm Sunday is always an odd kind of day, I feel. As the start of Holy Week and a day upon which we remember a particular Biblical event, it has an air of celebration to it, all the more so as it celebrates a triumphal entry in Jerusalem. We imagine crowds and noise, the swaying of the palm fronds in the air, their rustling drowned out by the “Hosanna”s of the crowd. But, for all this, it is the start of a solemn week, one which brings Christians to their darkest moments and throughout which Jesus must have been painfully aware, as are we, that it will culminate in humiliation and execution. That can make it hard to get the tone right, to find the balance between solemn joy and anxious sorrow that Holy Week seems to vacillate between. The Bible, however, seems to hold these two things in perfect tension, encapsulated quite well through psalm 118, which the crowd, almost certainly knowingly, is quoting in the gospel passages about this event. The overarching tone of the psalm is one of festival celebration and grateful joy. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good...” “This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes” “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” But, despite this, it is peppered throughout by more disturbing details. “The stone the builders rejected…” “Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!” “...up to the horns of the altar.” Rejection, the need for salvation and the brutal reminder of sacrifice sit side by side with declarations of and thanks and praise for God’s love. For many, that these coincide will be somewhat upsetting. There is a moral argument to be made that sacrifice and suffering should not be part of the plans of a loving God, and yet the Old Testament makes it clear that the sacrificial system, whilst often misused and not the be-all-and-end-all of God’s desires for humanity (“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6), was nonetheless a major part of the worship that God expected from his people. Some trace the idea of sacrifice all the way back Genesis 3, where God has clothing made from animal skins for the newly ashamed Adam and Eve. In the creation narrative, this is the first implicit mention of death actually having occurred, for those animals must have died - more likely been killed - for the skins to have been available and this, in all likelihood, by God himself. In passages such as these, where we might be disturbed by the implications of God’s actions, it is best to remember that we never read anything neutrally, but always inject a tone of our own to meet our expectations. I find it can be helpful to modify that tone according to what we know about God. He does not delight in death. He is love. His reaction to human disobedience is a strong one, but not necessarily wrath as it is so often translated. Sorrow might often be more appropriate. I imagine God, as Christ, in the garden of Eden handing those animal skins over to his wayward creation with deep sorrow at what has been a necessary act. Blood was shed to cover up their shame. Now, whether you take that story literally or as an instructive myth is beside the point. What we can take from it is the same. The consequence of our evil actions is further evil, which more often than not comes back to bite us. The sacrificial system was a consistent reminder of this. Sin results in death. The deaths of the sacrificial animals (which, incidentally, also served the purpose of feeding the priesthood and the poor) reminded people of the weight and consequence of their sin, for there was blood being shed before them to cover it over. Fast-forward to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the prophetic psalm 118. Jesus was on a path to die at the hands of his creation, whose execution of Him, an innocent man, was just one example of their sinful response to God’s mercy. Jesus’ rejection and sacrifice was a consequence of human sin and a reminder to us all of the damage that sin causes in our lives and the lives of others and it is this evil that we need God to save us from. Jesus’ ultimate resurrection is proof that the consequences of sin could be put right, so the whole course of Jesus life, and in particular the events of this last week, are filled, for us, with the joy of our salvation, of Christ the conquering hero, winning the battle against sin and death despite appearing to succumb to the worst they could do to Him. And thus joy and sorrow are rightly intermingled: “The stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” Of course, this is just one interpretation out of many and they are not all mutually exclusive, but I think this is a helpful way of looking at some of the more disturbing aspects of the Easter story. It is, after all, ultimately about love: love that fills God with sorrow at our sin and fills us with joy at the salvation He has wrought. Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
This Holy Week, my devotional readings are looking at The Dream of the Rood, an Anglo-Saxon poem about a vision the writer sees of the rood or cross of Christ. In the poem, which I will share in full on Friday, Christ is depicted as an eager young warrior king and the rood as both valiant soldier and battleground, which is first seen giving its story from heaven, encrusted in jewels or blood, depending on the moment.
It is a deeply evocative and symbolic poem, which plays on the genre of the Saxon hero tale to retell the story of the Crucifixion in a way which highlights details which we might not have considered, whilst ensuring that it would be rooted in Anglo-Saxon culture. It's depiction is not accurate - Christ was weak, not obviously strong and heroic - but as a writer and reader of fiction, I'm a firm believer that something does not have to be historically accurate to be true. For example, I don't believe the world was made in six days or that Adam and Eve sprang up from the dust. Neither was there in all likelihood a tree or a fruit or a serpent, but the story all these elements form part of is true - what we learn from it about God, about our world and about ourselves, remains entirely the same. So, too, does the Dream of the Rood teach us truths even as it weaves a fantasy in-keeping with Britain in late antiquity. Christ's death and resurrection was a battle and one in which Christ himself was the victorious hero. The awful cross became the symbol of His church for a reason and so too is glorified by its terrible work. How much does the historicity of Bible stories matter in your assessment of whether or not what they speak about is true? Can you imagine key stories, such as the crucifixion, told in new ways that reveal truths which might otherwise have been hidden in our age? Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
1 John 4:7-21 (emphasis mine) Wrote:7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. A slight digression tonight. I've been thinking about the role of fear in religion, how, for many, fear of sin, of the consequences of sin, or of the structures of religion itself, rules their lives. The Bible often talks of 'the fear of the Lord', but in most of the interactions between God or God's messengers and humans we are told 'do not be afraid'. Now it's usually taught that 'the fear of Lord' really means respect and reference, rather than terror, but I don't think we let all the many 'do not be afraid's sink in to really demolish any sense that we should spend our time fearing God's judgement or the judgment of His people. Jesus had much be fearful of. He knew what suffering awaited him on the cross - not just physical but spiritual too - and it certainly caused him much anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, but he chose obedience to the Father's will and to follow the path of perfect love, which casts out fear. If we are to follow him, then we need to shed our fear, too. Fear of suffering and humiliation, yes, but also fear of judgement, fear of our own sinful nature of the secrets of our past. Jesus loves us with a perfect love and takes away the judgment and punishment that sin is due, so we need not fear. We can be who He made us to be without shame or guilt or fear, because His love is perfect and we are to love perfectly too. What fears do you live with that you most want 'cast out'? What would it mean to experience the kind of love that did that? Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
Tonight, as we let the silence of Good Friday fall all around us and remember Christ on the cross, I give you only this: the text of an ancient poem:
The Dream of the Rood Wrote:What I wish to say of the best of dreams, Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
John 20:24-29 Wrote:24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” This is my favourite resurrection passage. For those who have kept up with my previous reflections, I have probably talked about it before, but it’s worth repeating and reflecting on again and again. We tend to remember Thomas as ‘Doubting Thomas’ and he gets a pretty bad press, but this one event, by which he has earned that monicker, is the single most relatable thing any disciple does - at least as far as I am concerned. As someone brought up in a non-Christian household, as someone who has always had a scientific and imaginative outlook on life, as someone who studied evolutionary biology at university, faith has, at times, been quite a struggle for me and I have struggled more when around other Christians who frame doubt as a serious sin. But doubt is a fact of life. We all experience it at some point or other and it’s a pretty logical consequence of the rational minds we have been given. Thomas’s doubt is not unreasonable, given the circumstances. Yes, his friends have all told him that Jesus is alive and yes, he’s seen Jesus perform many miracles and even raise the dead back to life, which is more than most of us can say, but even so, this is different. Thomas, like the other disciples, saw his master beaten and scarred and crucified. It looked final. It looked like defeat. Any talk of resurrection must’ve sounded like wishful thinking at best and outright hysteria at worst. So Thomas desire for hard evidence to counter his grief is understandable, rather than something for which we should condemn him. So that’s why I like Thomas, why I feel I can relate to him, but, whilst it’s great to see ourselves in characters in a story, the best part of the story isn’t Thomas, but Jesus’ response to him, which is just the most beautiful, gracious acceptance of Thomas and what Thomas needs to have faith. Jesus appears to Thomas and offers him the very evidence that Thomas had requested a week before - a reminder that Jesus was listening even when he wasn’t physically present - and Thomas accepts this. He doesn’t make further excuses or try to convince himself that Jesus is a ghost or an illusion. He accepts the evidence Jesus has provided and proclaims, in a wonderful affirmation of faith rather than doubt, “My Lord and my God!” I believe that God is patient and tolerant of our doubts, that He accepts us as the rational, sometimes cynical humans we are. I believe He knows what we need to believe and will provide it, graciously if we ask for it. In the spirituality of Ignatius of Loyola, it is suggested that we put ourselves inside stories in the Bible, using our imagination to flesh them out into a living reality around us. This Easter Sunday, perhaps you could put yourself in Thomas’ shoes and imagine what it must have been like for him, after Jesus’ death with all the grief and terror that that must have brought him. Imagine what you might have thought when the other disciples told you of the resurrection. What would you have needed to believe? If you don’t believe now, what would it take? Happy Easter! Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
Acts 4: 32-35 Wrote:32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35 They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. This image of the early church, an almost utopian community of equals in Christ, has been used to encourage all kinds of behaviour, from a kind of a Christian Socialism to its opposite. It's certainly a very challenging passage to our modern, materialistic, consumer, me-first age and has much to say about how we use our money and possessions, but this morning it struck me in a rather different way. Verse 34 says that there was not a needy person among them and, whilst it's clear the passage is talking about material needs, it made me think of the other needs human beings have and what equivalent actions the church could take to meet those. As well as material needs such as food and water, clothing and shelter, I believe we all have spiritual needs, a need to touch something transcendent and make a connection that goes beyond our physical reality, though many might disagree. Less controversially, we all have emotional needs: to be loved, understood, encouraged and accepted. The church has at various times been very good at meeting the material needs of those within and around it, though it certainly isn't got it right at all times and in all places. The church is ostensibly all about meeting people's spiritual needs, though again, we see the failures of this all the time. I think the church has often been very poor at meeting emotional needs, however. Partly, this is because we're only just beginning to really understand what a human being's emotional needs actually are as the sciences of mental health have come along in leaps and bounds in the last few decades. Partly, I think it is because parts of the church have long distrusted emotion and sought to keep it firmly under control. But I believe that God cares about our emotional well-being and that, as Christians, we have a role to play in ensuring that those around us are healthy, happy and balanced. Part of that does come under the kind of 'tough love' the church is often known for. We do need to let people know when they are taking a path that leads to hurting themselves or others, for example, but whilst the Church tends to price itself on this kind of 'love the sinner, hate the sin' stance, usually it results in a lot more hating than loving and, in my experience, people more often need building up than correcting. We need to share our emotional resources to ensure people are affirmed and loved and given the space to work out their salvation with God. Often the loving course will open up avenues for changed behaviour that a more disciplinarian approach will lock out almost immediately. Look at the difference between the ostensibly disciplinarian approach of the Old testament and its continually backsliding people versus the more love-centred covenant of Jesus and the church as depicted in this passage. What ways could you help to meet the material, spiritual and emotional needs of those around you today? Are you in a situation where you feel you need to enforce discipline or is this a time for a softer, more affirming approach? To which do you respond better? Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
I am not one for writing in TSP these days, but as of late a particular trend in scripture has stood out to me that gets to one of the fascinating things I notice in some literature about humanity at large. I don't who this phrase is attributable to but nonetheless, I find it the appropriate way to begin this reflection: "our eyes evolved to scan the horizon and for prey and predators, for trees and spots to live. Because we are humans, we chose to look up at the stars and wonder." The Christian in me says we looked up not just for the stars, but to find God.
To this point of the use of space in scripture, look at God's promise to Abraham when he promises to give him descendants as numerous as the stars. When Jesus was born it was a star that guided the Three Kings to Bethlehem. Angles were said to descend from heaven to greet the shepherds the night Jesus was born. The second line in "O Holy Night" is "the stars were brightly shining" Outside of the Christian tradition, constellations were said to be pictures of mystical heroes in many cultures, and astrology is based entirely around space and the movement of things we cannot control. This is where my Calvinist tendencies get the best of me as perhaps the fascination with space is the same as our fascination with the divine in that both explain things we cannot control. We cannot control the movement of the moon or the orbits of the planets just as we cannot control the divine plan for our lives. The difference is we can choose to follow the plan, while stars can't choose where they are placed. Yet both the plan and the night sky continue to entrap our curiosity as they are all divinely wonderful and beautiful I hope all is well with all of you. Further, I hope Seraph won't mind my using this thread. Ω P.S.: Maybe I'll post more reflections as I think of them. We'll see. Above all else, I hope to be a decent person.
Has Been What's Next? CoA: August 2016-January 2017
Minister of Foreign Affairs: October 2019-June 2020, October 2020- February 2021 (12-20-2021, 04:03 PM)Omega Wrote: I hope all is well with all of you. Further, I hope Seraph won't mind my using this thread.This is exactly what this thread is for. Thank you for sharing. Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
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