Babel, Pentecost, and the Cave

as we focused again on language and light in AWE this week, I was struck by the connections that occur over and over again in scripture between light and language and the echos that I see of that in places like Plato. Pentecost is seen as the undoing of the damage done at Babel and yet the way that is achieved is not simply through a display of language but also a pyrotechnic display of the Holy Spirit. It harkens back in my mind to the opening of John, where the Word is connected with the Light, and those of us in darkness cannot comprehend the Light, or the Word. It reminds me a lot of Plato's analogy of the cave which he uses to talk about language and our understanding of the forms. In Plato's analogy we are left looking at a knowing about merely shadows on the wall, impressions made of real objects that are reflected off the walls by people standing around a fire behind us. But in Plato's analogy of the cave even the fire is simply a poor substitute for the true light in our lives. Plato seems to raise the question as to whether or not we could really handle the true light or if we would simply be blinded by it. From what I recall of Plato from philosophy class we are really left deal with partial understandings, incomplete truths, never able to see fully what is there, to understand the true nature of the forms of things. Plato really embraces that notion that those of us in darkness are not able to handle the Light of the world. Are our eyes are too dimmed by our trogolodyte dwelling that we cannot adjust to the brightness of the Light. Plato would not necassirly subscribe his great light to God, but there is certainly a push by neo-Platonic thinkers to make the leap even if Plato never would have done that.

So as someone who from time to time thinks of himself as a neo-Platonic I am left with this question, how does our understanding of Pentecost change our understanding of the trap that both Plato and John see, that we cannot trully handle the light because of the darkness we wrap ourselves in? At the AWE service I suggested that maybe our job as Christians was to be little Christs, little Lights that would shine in the darkness and make the true Light more bearable, more believable for those around us. Looking at the radical teachings of Christ and how hard people struggle to believe in the complete grace and love that Christ offers us I think there is a need for us to model some of Christ's grace, some of Christ's love, so that others can find that total grace and love a little more believable. At the same time, have we really been able to see and experience the Light for ourselves? have we left enough the darkness behind to see the Light? In Plato we are captives, chained to the wall, forced to look upon the shadow puppets dancing before us, unable to turn and see the show behind us directly. Does Christ free us from the chains? Does the Holy Spirit unbind us to get a better glance at what is really going on? Or is the separation of Babel simply a deeper reflection of the separation of Eden, that until we are fully united with God we can never return to being fully united with each other? How does Pentecost help us remove the barriers to understanding that divide the world constantly between us and them, how do we increase our understanding of what IS so that we can get a fuller glimpse of the Light and can come closer to the reconcilation we seek? I leave the answers for others to ponder and come up with ...

"Remember your baptism and be thankful"

For our worship service last night we did had a time where people could remember their baptisms. As people came forward and I touched them with water, I came to the realization that one of the people in worship was someone I had actually baptized. Suddenly I was remember the baptism as well. It was interesting to look back then and think about what that baptism has meant to me as well as to the person I baptized. It made me realize how communal baptism really is. We often talk about that at infant baptisms, that we as a community are all taking part in the baptism and in the commitments that follow, but I also think it is true for adults, as was the case in this baptism. By being the person doing the baptism I had the chance to help initiate a person into the community of faith. I have since had a chance to help this person on their faith journey, to walk with them through struggles and to see them grow in their faith. I have been changed by the sacrament just as much as the person I baptized. I think there is something holy and sacred about that. I think the sacraments are meant to be transformational and that this transformation cannot simply be contained to the person receiving them, but that anyone who comes into contact with them is affected.

So my thoughts for the week are this: how have you been affected by someone else's baptism? How has your life been changed by seeing a change in others? When have you been able to be John the Baptist, and be a position to create a change in another and in turn be changed yourself?

Altars Today

In our service last night we talked about the altar that was build after Joshua led the people through the Jordan. We used stones to build and altar of our own and shared different stories of faith that we had. What I wanted to focus for a minute on this morning was more on the concept of altars in our society today. In the early days of our faith, altars were things of stability amidst a mobile population. Today the population is far more sedentary, but I would be curious how spread around our altars would still be. Looking at my life, and thinking about where I would have built altars, I would see them existing in several states and in several locations within a given state, assuming I use altars to commemorate important religious events in my life.

Another thing that altars do is to give us a talking point, something we can point to and use to talk about our faith. When people see the pile of rocks they ask why it is there, we can then say what it represents, why it is important. We have new talking points, new piles of rocks in our lives. Some of us where crosses around our necks, or place them in our homes. Others have artifacts we carry with us from our travels, some obvious, such as maybe a replica of the Eiffel Tower, other far more subtle, a shell collect on Omaha beach in Normandy.

So here is the question to ponder, where would you have built altars in your life? What "stone piles" do you have to point to and talk about when it comes to your faith? What can you do to make new ones?

The Beauty of Language

There is a deep poetry to to John 1, "In the beginning was the Word ..." The poetry goes beyond simply the repetition of the words and the familiarity of the message to something deeper. Contained in that opening message is also that powerful state, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." What is "the Word?" What is any word except language, that thing which we use to refer to ideas and objects. So what does "the Word" become except the ultimate in ideas, the ultimate in objects, the very presence of God, made flesh to dwell among us. Jesus becomes the message, the idea of who God is, of what God stands for, and Jesus then dwells among us.

So how do we talk about God? What words do we use to describe God? If there was a "word" what would that word be, peace, love, justice, grace,power, everything? How can encompass God in words? How do we understand God better because of actions? Some of the beauty of Jesus is in Jesus we can see the juxtaposition of the human and the divine, what it looks like for God to be human and what it looks like for a human to be God. Perhaps the whole message of the Gospels is to take our words and make them flesh, to stop talking and start doing. We may not be able to agree on what it means for God to be a God of love and grace, but on the other hand through our actions we can show it. How do we use language to describe our faith nd ho do we try and make the language of our faith have flesh and form?

Jesus and the Woman at the Well

The topic this week is Jesus and his encounter with the Samaritan in John 4. Since the focus of worship today is how each of us reads and fits into the story, I am saving my thoughts for here in the blog, as I want worship to be about other people's views and ideas.

One of the things that strikes me about this story is all the different characters that are present and the fact that we can read them all in so many different ways. The classic example of this is simply trying to figure out who this woman is. There are several different theories that are debated amongst scholars. The traditional reading is to see her as a sinful woman, an adulterous who moves from one man to another. While this reading enhances her transformation story, it does so by first emphasizing how "fallen" she was to begin with. The marginalized nature of her, as a woman, and even more so as a Samaritan is powerful enough that we do not need to add to that. In fact some readings see her multiple husbands, not as a sign of her infidelity but as further evidence of how her gender turns her into an object, something to be passed from one master to another.

Who the woman at the well is gives us one thing to focus on, however there are several others to look at. One of the characters that stuck out to me in looking at the story are the Pharisees. The role that the Pharisees play is simple, their jealous and envy over Christ's ministry drives Jesus from Galilee into Samaria. The inability of the establishment of that day and age to accept this new ministry causes Jesus to shift his focus from working with Jews to working with Gentiles. As I think about the journey to and from the Well, I wonder how often I end up on the sidelines, like the Pharisees, watching others partake but unable to really accept that life giving sustenance for myself because I know better.

Reflecting on this story and the roles that each of the characters play in it as made me realize how rich the story becomes when we take the time to see the characters as real people. Too often I think we mine the gospel stories for Absolute Truths, scrapping and dredging the Word of God for every nugget of wisdom we can find. In doing so I think we can mar the natural beauty of the story. Instead of looking for the richness and depth of the story, we try and make it into a tract or essay. I want us to read the story with fresh eyes and new hearts and look for it come alive for us. Rather than looking for the bullet point versions, let us focus on who each character in the story is, what are they feeling, and how are they eager and ready, or scared and reluctant to experience the life-giving water and message that Christ offers to all.

Baptism

This week our focus for water is around baptism. The two video clips we used during the service (The Lion King and O Brother Where Art Thou) give us two clear examples of baptism as seen through film. What is interesting to note however is how baptism plays a role in other films without being so overt. A third film that I considered showing but decided against was "V for Vendetta." In V, you have the story of a tortured soul seeking revenge against a 1984 style government that destroyed his life. V, the main character enlists the aide of a young women, Evee in his attempt to bring down the corrupt government and return the power to the people. The moment of baptism comes fairly late in the movie, but it marks an ultimate transformation for Evee. She goes from someone who is still caught up in the structures of conformity and fear that the government has placed over her. Pretending to be the government, V captures her and through her imprisonment she learns to no longer be afraid. Once she abandons her fears she gains a power she never knew she had. This all comes to a climax in a scene where she stands on the rooftop basking in the rain. Her conversion is contrasted with V's own rebirth. His comes from fire and leads to hatred and revenge, hers comes from water and love and leads to new life.
The scene is so powerful to me because in it I see the ways that baptism can work in our lives. I am struck by how we become trapped in the needs and desires of our society. Through baptism we can be born into something new. New life in Christianity frees us from the traditional needs of our society, acceptance, wealth, and ultimately survival. In baptism we are guaranteed a new life with God, a return to relationship with the Divine. In contrast to that the needs of this world become trivial. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that until we overcome the fear of death we can never be free. Evee is able to overcome her fear of death and through baptism we can do the same. In baptism we are promised new life, if we are to take it whole heartily what do we have to fear in death? How do we let our baptism transform our life?
V for Vendetta gives us one perspective on baptism, but how do we see this being shown in other movies, in other pars of our lives. The language and symbols of Christianity are interwoven into the larger culture. As we look for these symbols we can gain a better understanding of the sacred and divine gift of grace that comes through water. How can we see and experience this gift? How can we let it change us and be born anew for God?

The Flood Story

Well, since I did not get to preach on the Flood Story last night it would be tempting to use this space to add my lengthy pastoral reflections on it, but I will start with just outlining again what we did and what that was like for me.

As we were designing this service, I wanted us to highlight the destruction element, so we started by destroying a mountain of sand with water at the same time as our arc floated to safety. From an organizational standpoint I was nervous about whether or not it would work. It makes me wonder how slow the flood might have been. The waters in the fish tank slowly crept up slowly eating away the sand and moving towards the arc. It was hard to tell at first that the arc was even going to float. What would it have been like to be on that boating, hoping as the waters approach that everything is ready and secure and you will be safe for the journey?

The second stage of the experience was one of hope, of being held in by God and hoping that all will be alright. As we placed candles on the water and watched them float I think this was a really cool experience for people. Several people shared their own feelings of feeling alone like the candles floating there. Something being adrift is so powerless. No where in the design concept for the arc is there any thought given to steering, that is left to God. Watching those candles drift around in the pool of water reminded me how helpless we can be and how dependent on God we can be for direction. Someone shared a really cool thought about the tensions between fire and water and yet they were able to co-exist in this space.

Ultimately for me the experience brought to life to critical elements of the flood story, its destructive nature and its faithful/hopeful nature. While the flood is about destruction it is also about new life and new hope for the future. The flood reminds me a lot about baptism, we submerge in water in order to be made new. But that is something for another week.