September 29, 2021

“[I]t differs from ours not as white from black but as a perfect circle from a child's attempt to draw a wheel.” C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 30

The thrust of this book has to do with, “If God is good, why is there pain?” That seems to be one of the eternal questions of faith, along with, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In this short book, Lewis breaks down a variety of positions, moving from the omnipotence of God through human wickedness and eventually to heaven.

In the chapter, “Divine Goodness,” he discusses how the goodness of God is different from the goodness of man, as well as the total “otherness” of God. In other words, if God is so totally “other” from us, can it be possible that what we consider good God considers evil, and vice versa?

But as he breaks down the goodness of God, he comes to a point where he basically says that God is not so much “other” from us, but that God is complete; and he uses the above example.

We were created in the image of God. We all carry a spark of the imago dei, that we have innate qualities which allow God to be manifest in and through us. Like parents are something other than their children, the children sill carry a piece of their parents within them. So, yes, God is other, but not alien.

Among other things, this has implications for acts of repentance. In a number of places in Scripture we are asked to repent and return to the Lord. If we believe that God is something wholly other and different from ourselves, how shall we repent and return to that which is wholly other, different, and unobtainable? But if we believe that we were created in the image of God, that we each have the spark of the divine within us, then we have some understanding of what it is to which we are returning.

If we believe the latter, might we see ourselves as a child's attempt to draw a wheel – rough and uneven, maybe a little flat on the bottom? Repentance becomes an act where we erase some of those rough spots, smoothing them out, making them more circular.

This just doesn't apply to acts of repentance, but could also apply to our entire lives. Can we work to change/modify/perfect our poorly shaped, self-drawn circles in such a way that we are erasing our rough spots in order to become more godly-shaped circles?

This is really how we differ from God: we are shaped in the divine image, but we are not perfect; but hopefully we are willing to work at smoothing out our imperfections.

Blessings,

September 22, 2021

“After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open!” – Rev. 4:1

Revelation (official name: The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John, but NOT Revelations) is a strange, weird, wonderful, mysterious, confusing, and controversial book that has no easy or clear interpretations. It was the last book to be accepted into the Christian canon and cited as authoritative by Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Irenaeus. But it also has a disputed history as Christians have attempted to use it as a road map to the future, trying to pin down specific dates and times in predicting the “End Time,” as was done in the 2^nd Century by a Christian leader named Montanus and up through today by people such as Tim LaHaye, John Hagee, and other so-called “prophecy experts.”

But within this book are two things that stand out (probably more, but I want to keep this short): The first is a vision of comfort. Revelation was written to early Christians who were living under the boot of Roman oppression. It is basically saying, “Look, I know how you are suffering, but there will be a time when the oppressive, life-taking empires of the world will give way to the freeing, life-giving rule of God.” With all that the world throws at us, with our struggles against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness” (Eph. 6:12), Revelation puts forth the idea that Jesus wins. Early on in Revelation we hear that Jesus has conquered. There may be a battle against the forces of evil, but the outcome has already been decided – the love of God wins.

The second is a vision of heavenly worship. Before the four horsemen of the apocalypse, before earthquakes, falling stars, and terror, in the midst of persecutions, wars, and lakes of fire, worship happens. Images of a heavenly throne surrounded by the rainbow of peace from Genesis, of all creatures singing, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty,” of prayer and incense, of silence before God, and of people gathering in the holy temple are prominent.

This is important for us to remember: that in the midst of any number of problems and conflicts, the people of God worship. We worship the One who was and is and is to come. We worship the Lamb who is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. We worship with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. We worship with saints above and saints below.

The Church can and does do many of the same things any other social organization does, but the one thing the Church does that no other social organization does is worship. In the midst of our struggles, let us worship. In the midst of our conflicts, let us worship. In the midst of environmental crises, let us worship. In our joys and in our sorrows, let us worship. It is through our worship that the door to heaven stands open. It is in our worship where God comes to dwell with mortals in the beauty of holiness. It is in our worship where we experience all things being made new.

As we make our way through any number of trials, tribulations, conflicts, and difficulties, let us remember that the love of God wins – and let us always to remember to worship the Lord.

Blessings

September 15, 2021

Same job, different job.

Football season is upon us. I had my first two games last week and my next two games are scheduled for tomorrow and Friday. It's been good to put on the stripes again and gather with the guys of my other team as we do what we love to do – participate in football games.

For those of you wondering, no, I have not been allowed to work games as an on-field official. Even though the back surgery seems to have gone well, I still need to be careful, so I'm on a strict BLT diet: no Bending, Twisting, or Lifting.

What I have been allowed to do is to serve as the clock operator for games. This means I go up into the press box, plop down in a chair, set the clock for 12 minutes, and keep track of down, distance, yard lines, score, possession, and timeouts. And let me tell you, the first time in the booth running that clock I was absolutely terrified.

I am still a game official, but I have a different job.

Which got me wondering: as we have moved through COVID and all that entails, what are some of the same jobs you have that are different? How we do school is the same but different. How we've done vestry meetings have been the same but different. How we've ministered and worshiped and welcomed and served people have been the same but different.

People like for things to be the same because it's comfortable. I would much rather be on the field than in the booth because being on the field is comfortable. I would much rather be doing all the things associated with church like we've always done them because that's comfortable.

Life, though, is a series of changes where the overall sameness (living) takes on different aspects over time. We are experiencing that now – there's a sameness to things while at the same time being vastly different.

I think it's important to note how we react to all of that. I certainly don't have all the answers on the best way to accomplish it, and I certainly won't say that people who are depressed or angry or annoyed shouldn't feel that way, because we all have felt that way at one time or another. But we can look for the good in the situation and work to make it the best it can be.

Being in the booth isn't ideal, but I'm still busy on Friday nights enjoying a football game and being part of a team. Worshiping with masks, limited singing, and physical distancing isn't ideal, but we still have the pleasure and honor of worshiping God in the beauty of holiness with our team of Saint John's.

We will get through this – all of it. And I believe with every fiber of my being that we will come out stronger in the end.

Blessings,

Todd+

September 8, 2021

Do you have the courage to be in the pause between what is “no longer” and what is “not yet?”

Octavia Raheem

Octavia Raheem is an author and yoga instructor, and I ran across this quote of hers on a friend's Facebook page. I don't know anything about her other than what you can learn from using google, but I found this quote to be thought provoking.

It goes without saying that COVID has messed up and played havoc with our lives in a way that most of us have never experienced. Like a lot of people, I spent most of March – June of last year trying to navigate COVID-time. My sense of time was reduced to yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Planning moved to coping, and staying in contact with friends and acquaintances took on a new sense of importance.

Thinking back to the beginning of the pandemic, there were those who, for whatever reason, believed it would be a quick inconvenience lasting no more than three or four weeks. There were others who thought it had the capacity to last up to nine months. A few were thinking a year. Nobody I know was thinking it would carry on for 19 months and counting. But here we are.

I think earlier in the pandemic we were all hoping that somehow, some way, things would return to “normal.” We've been at this long enough now to understand that that is probably unlikely. While there may be some things that return to normal, there are just as many, or more, that won't. If we honestly evaluate where we are, I would say that we are most definitely in that pause that Ms. Raheem mentions.

We are in the pause between what is no longer and what is not yet. This can be a difficult place to be, primarily because we are mourning the passing of what was. How we used to conduct our lives has been changed or ended altogether. How we worship and do ministry has been changed or ended. For some of us, what is “no longer” may leave us feeling devastated and empty.

We are in the pause between what is no longer and what is not yet. This is both a challenging and exciting time as we look for new and creative ways to do things. How we might conduct our lives can be infused with a new sense of purpose. How we worship and do ministry has seen any number possible alternatives. The ministry of the “not yet” is still taking shape. How we do ministry – how we Welcome and Serve – in the future has yet to be defined.

As we live into the pause between the “no longer” and the “not yet,” this is a good time to use our imaginations about how we can make the “not yet” come to life.

Blessings,