Within the Stillness is Emmanuel

We are in the third week of Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin for “to come”. The symbolism of the season is our waiting, our expectation for Emmanuel (Emmanuel is Hebrew for "God With Us"). We are in the season of “waiting for God to come and be with us”. Contemplative Christians like to wait in expectation for God within us - to lead us. Many Christians believe this indwelling spirit occurred first at Pentecost when the spirit of God rested on the apostles.

The eight nights I spent in Israel was a great occasion for me to celebrate our contemplative manner of worship. Whether at the Mount of Beatitudes (where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount) overlooking the Sea of Galilee or the 1600 year old Church of the Holy Sepulcher which contained the traditional sites of Calvary and the tomb of Christ, I spent much time in silence. Whether I was standing in the ruins of a the synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus proclaimed he was the Bread of Life, or where I sat in a cave near a wide open sheep field in Bethlehem, the site that celebrates the Angel of the Lord delivered the good news of the coming Christ to the lowly Shepherds, it is near silent there. In these moments, I communed with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit...and found truth. Truth being holy silence.

We don’t all believe the same things. But, we just choose to concentrate on the what we have in common. One of those those commonalities is our pursuit of the truth as communicated to us by God (in scripture, contemplation, people, circumstances). But, between all those truths that we are taught, we find silence. Silence is the foundation from which all truth comes - stillness was there first. It is the blank page on which the words are written. The fabric that holds the pattern. Everything springs from, and is contained in, the stillness.

Creation itself came from the silence: Genesis 1:1 talks about “the Spirit of God hovering over the still waters”. Later in scripture, the Israelites waited in expectation for the arrival of the Messiah during a long period of silence lasting centuries - they were waiting for the Advent of Emmanuel. Emmanuel, the Messiah, our Christ, was born during the "silent night" after this long period of quiet waiting. Let’s use this season to remind us of the importance of quiet or silent anticipation of God with us, Emmanuel. But also let us celebrate the silence that exists within (and between) each of those within the body of believers.

Do We Know What Jesus Looks Like? (It May Not Be What We Expect)

The Old Testament Book of Isaiah is sometimes referred to as the "fifth gospel". The traditional Gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Similarly, the Prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus, but he did so 600 years before the Virgin Mary gave birth to him.

Isaiah 53:2-7 

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 

Understandably, we focus a lot of attention on the latter verses of this passage which describe Jesus' crucifixion and our salvation bought by it. Much of the foundation of our faith is summarized there. But, the first few verses describe some very important aspects of Jesus as well. Unlike the traditional Gospels, Isaiah included a brief physical description of Jesus within those first couple of verses. Here, Isaiah describes a Creator God that came to earth, not as a handsome and majestic man with whom people were in awe. Rather, it details a humble person without beauty nor majesty; One who has an undesirable appearance. How many of us would do choose this appearance for our Lord (or for ourselves) if we had that option? The challenge of reality seems to cause us to attempt a type of recreation of the Creator (see related post: Making God Fit). 

We get an idea of exactly how we desire to see Jesus merely by looking at the movie portrayals of him. Those images seem to reflect the misguided importance we place on physical appearance. Most of the actors portraying Jesus in these movies have physical attributes that are more acceptable to us: well proportioned, handsome, and without any significant physical flaws (separately, but just as relevant, why do we insist that Jesus was light-skinned? As a middle-eastern Jew, he was quite certainly dark complexioned). 

Clearly, we feel better when Jesus is portrayed a particular way. But, it is worth asking the question whether we would be as accepting of an uncomely Jesus. What if he was disfigured? Would we hide our faces from him? Maybe our response wouldn't be this apparent. But, is it any wonder that our misplaced emphasis on physical beauty costs us so much (personally, psychologically, monetarily, ethically, societally) when God himself shows us the way by placing the emphasis elsewhere? 

What Would Jesus...uh, Legislate?

I've researched the Indiana Religious Freedom law and am still unclear of its repercussions. I've read it and don't fully understand it. Getting unbiased information is nearly impossible and both sides are relatively convincing. On one hand, I become suspicious of most single interest groups. On the other, I don't trust what some people define as "religion".

If you've read my blog, you know that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. To that end, I am attempting to understand what Jesus' position would be on the matter. All I know for certain is that his choices for company look a lot different than that of many who purport to follow him. Even the Apostles weren't too good at recognizing who his followers were. For example, they thought the "rich young ruler" was a perfect fit for the group. They were wrong. Certainly, as he pointed out, the religious elite of Jesus' day didn't know how to follow him. So, who fits and doesn't fit, I'm always hesitant to say. One pattern I think continues to hold true...his choices sometimes aren't ours and he usually sides with the downtrodden. Similarly, I try to error on the side of inclusiveness and love for others.

So, does this legislation legalize the mistreatment of anyone based on religious conviction?  I don't know. I hope it doesn't. That would be wrong. I've seen that this law is already in place nationally since 1993 and passed with overwhelming support of both parties. Whether there have been negative repercussions of the law, I just don't know.

I do know that there are some credibility issues at stake. One side claims that blatant discrimination will occur here. Some within that group are acting with real aggression toward an entire state populated with many people who have no interest in this legislation. The other side is acting on the fear that their religious liberty is at stake. But, Jesus himself asked for no similar government protection even to the point of his execution.

I hope both sides are wrong. To some degree, I'm certain that they both are; neither side has a corner on the entire truth nor have they an impeccable track record of righteousness. I'm sure this will be read by some as support for the legislation - while others will guess that I'm against it. I tend to side with the great Christian Martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer that said "Politics are not the task of a Christian". Even more, I side with God and whatever bunch of misfits he chooses as his followers. But, I can't count entirely on my own judgment to determine who they are...or will be.

You Really Can't Make This Stuff Up - the Spirit's Work in the Disciples and Others

Followers understand that God continues to reveal himself throughout the entirety of our spiritual lives.  As the "scales are lifted from our eyes", we begin to see new meaning in Word of God and better understand how God continues to work in the world around us.  We even begin to comprehend how the two parallel one another.  One of the biblical stories that, to me, is one of the most incredible and currently relevant stories in the Holy Bible is that of the Pentecost.

Pentecost is the day in which the Spirit of God filled each of the disciples as they gathered together.  This was after Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven and the disciples undoubtedly were still questioning what lay ahead for them.  These followers had not been the steadfast group of believers that many perceive them to be.  They had continually doubted and stumbled as they attempted to follow Jesus.  They questioned him, rebuked him, doubted him and finally left him.  During Jesus' trial, torture and execution, they completely abandoned him where he suffered in agony alone.  Peter, the rock on which the church was to be built, fearfully denied any association with Jesus.  Things started changing when Jesus resurrected and spent the next six weeks ministering to them.  This completely radical change continued in the disciples when the Spirit entered them on the day of Pentecost after Jesus ascended to heaven.

When the Spirit of God was poured out on them, the disciples were changed in an dramatic fashion.  They immediately began speaking foreign languages and Peter stood and gave his first sermon as the winds whipped around them.  That day, three thousand people gave themselves to Christ and began to give all of their possessions away.  While these events are miraculous, the testimony of the lives of the disciples in the years to follow was equally incredible.  

The once floundering disciples eventually traveled throughout the world and testified about the story of Jesus Christ.  As a result, they suffered persecution, beatings, and execution - they willingly died horrific deaths as martyrs for Christ.  They were beheaded, crucified upside down, tortured, and exiled.  Where they previously feared being associated with Jesus, their weaknesses which were overcome by the strength of God, were transformed into a fearless passion for Jesus Christ. 

The transformation of these ordinary people cause me to begin to understand the dramatic reality of the power of our God.  Subject to my own limitations, I can see how he works in truly miraculous ways even in the most dire of circumstances.  I also understand that these stories could not be conceived by man and that God is full of astonishing surprises.

The miracle of the Pentecost continues to be revealed similarly in the lives of millions to this day.  It is revealed in the addict who finds the power to defeat the monkey on his back, the person suffering catastrophic loss who is lifted and strengthened, the convicted felon who spends her remaining days helping others avoid similar mistakes, the quadriplegic whose disability becomes a source of inspiration for others.  As incredibly reaffirming as the story of Pentecost is, I believe that the narrative of that day continues to reverberate around us.  These reverberations continue to be a witness to the unending power of God.  I pray that we are willing to pause long enough to recognize and accept them.            

Making God Fit (How We Try to Recreate the Creator)

In an attempt to reconcile our standing with God and our living in the world, I think we've attempted to change and modify him.  In fact, we have a history of attempting to reduce God to a political platform, a few standard cultural norms, or even a figure who just doesn't like whomever we hold in contempt.  In other words, we try to recreate the Creator. 

Do we really believe God would be either a democrat or republican?  Certainly, he has a set of ideals (would we want the ruler of the universe to have none?).  But, try to imagine Jesus running for President.  First of all, he wouldn't.  He was explicit in saying that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18).  He also instructed his followers to give their hearts to God...and give Caesar what is Caesar's (Mark 12).  In other words, your most important possession belongs to God.  Secondly, his political platform would look a little unusual by the worlds standards, wouldn't it?  Try to make a political commercial out of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). Blessed are the meek?  The response would certainly include how "impractical" Jesus' espoused values are in the modern world (author's note: by the way, Jesus meant that stuff).

Neither does God fit into our cultural norms.  Sure, God has blessed America.  But, I'm not entirely convinced that he recognizes our borders with Canada and Mexico and he has blessed many other nations besides the USA.  Kenya is desperately poor but has one of the most devout Christian populations in the world!  Why do we say God has blessed us only when we are prospering (or when we win the game - not when we get beat)?  Do we really think that our struggles and weaknesses contain no blessings as well?  What if our prosperity and/or strengths are only serving to distract us from our need for God? This was the case with the rich young ruler (Mark 10).  What if God has intentionally left us with a weakness in order to further demonstrate his power through us as was the case with Paul's thorn (2 Cor 12)?  Moses stuttered and was orphaned.  John the Baptist ate bugs.  Jesus himself was poor and despised by the majority.

Finally, we tend to justify ourselves to God by pretending that he is more accepting of our shortcomings as opposed to the shortcomings of those people around us.  In our minds, this makes us slightly better than "the bad guy" standing next to us thinking that God then holds us in higher esteem.  For instance, if we fail to recognize our pride and arrogance, but hold the drug addict in contempt, are we sounding a lot like the Pharisee who prayed "at least I'm not like this poor tax collector" (Luke 18)?  According to Jesus, it was that "heathen" tax collector who made it to heaven...

God is obviously too expansive to reduce and recreate but we try to do it anyway.  Anne Lamott said it nicely" You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do".  In this sentence, you could substitute the word "people" with: things, ideals, or shortcomings as well.  I pray to have continued faith that his word will hold true.  That he alone is sufficient.  That he will provide my needs just as he is ... and that I not attempt to reduce him to whatever I see as normal and/or acceptable. 

Real Faith, Real Living

I believe that one of the reasons that God created human freewill was so that faith and love would exist within us.  He loves us enough to allow us to choose whether or not to follow him.  So, while our broken world is full of hurt, love does exist and it carries the most incredible and overwhelming power.  True love manifests itself in us in ways that can be quite surprising.  Who among us hasn't been surprised by what people are willing to sacrifice for someone for whom they have deep adoring affection?  Thus, Jesus said that those who truly believe in him will lose their life for his sake; they place his interests before their own. They end up seeking to glorify him in how they live.  Paul called this "being a living sacrifice"

Some people picture Christians as self-loathing religious rule-followers. They think that we live in a state of shame and guilt subjected to oppressive rules and regulations of a controlling church.  Some churchgoers have an equally distorted image of what it means to follow Christ believing that merely repeating a particular prayer, kneeling before an altar, or robotically following a set of rules (Jesus called this last group "whitewashed tombs") will lead to a fulfilled life with Christ.  Unfortunately, disappointment follows this approach when their spiritual walk is short-lived and empty.  They find that a formulaic approach to God is a dead-end road leaving them further from God rather than closer.

When true belief is found, the disciple approaches God in a manner that can be somewhat similar to other relationships in their lives.  A follower feels compelled to learn as much as possible about the incredible one with whom this relationship has started.  The more we understand him, the more we grow to appreciate how truly magnificent God is.  The more we appreciate him, the closer we grow in our relationship with him.  We also see that while we can never fully understand God, we are called to trust him.  To trust in the unseen and to believe his promises.  This is where our faith lies.

Followers get joy from following Jesus.  They pray by speaking and listening to him, study the bible to learn more of him, and observe his works in their lives in order to better understand him.  They desire to please him in all that they do - not because they are forced to but because they wish to offer themselves as living sacrifices to the everlasting God.  They trust what he says and follow him because they know and love him.  They even pray that he will strengthen their desire to live in a manner that brings glory to him and not to themselves.  This is massively different than being a religious rule-follower isn't it?  Regimented rule-following is founded in self-interest, staying out of trouble, fear and appearances.  It is a sham.  I am most happy when my children do good because they have the desire to do so - rather than because it has been demanded of them.  I imagine God feels the same about me.



  

Big Feeling from Humility

Christ's disciples understand that his teachings were radically different than what the world values or believes.  But, sometimes those values are difficult to understand.  When he, the very Son of God, knelt to wash the filthy feet of his followers, Peter was aghast!  He thought: how could the King of Kings, the Messiah, the Son of God place himself in such a lowly position as to wash another person's dirty feet?  Jesus' response to Peter was very direct:  "unless I wash you, you have no part with me".  Jesus was teaching Peter a different way - a humble way which he commands us to follow.

When the two brothers, James and John, approached Jesus with a request to receive a special seat of honor next to Jesus, they were also rebuked.  Jesus responded in a manner that turned the world's values upside down when he said "whoever wants to be first must be slave of all".  Jesus was teaching them a different way - a humble way which he commands us to follow.  These examples are consistently in the forefront of Jesus' teachings and seen throughout the New Testament.  Even though the Son of Man himself "came not to be served, but to serve" and we are commanded "to do likewise", the world does not reward this humility.  The world does not revere the least, the last, the lowest.  But, we should absolutely take heart in that fact!

Like Peter, James and John, many Christians have difficulty embracing God's value system.  At best, we are sometimes fearful to live by these values because of our need to survive in the world (which this fear is caused by a lack of faith in the very Creator of the entire universe).  At our worst, we sometimes seek the rewards of the world for our own glory while placing those rewards ahead of One who created even our very breath.  There is a better way, Christian.

As a natural extension of following God's leading, Christians will most typically observe modesty and simplicity in their lifestyle, language, and mannerisms.  They will lean away from pretensions and feelings of superiority (or as the Amish say gross feelich or big feeling).  In a win at all cost, toot your own horn, dog eat dog, pat yourself on the back world, modesty has no natural place.  So, it certainly isn't easy.  Jesus said that we were "sheep among wolves" indicating that we are naturally exposed to certain vulnerabilities because of our beliefs.  I laughed (because I absolutely loved it) when I heard a baptist preacher say to his congregation: "if you feel like an alien in this world, I have great news for you...you are!".

But, the follower understands that living for the glory of God (and not ourselves) has greater rewards that are impossible to put into words - because those words would have to reflect an eternal and everlasting God.  Those words would have to reflect the amazingly endless acts of a Creator that are seen only by eyes that he has opened.  Those words would have to describe a love received that is absolutely and wonderfully boundless.  Those words would have to describe the One who has served to a degree that we can only aspire.