Apparently, everyone is reading it. "The Shack," by Wm. Paul Young. I'd barely heard of it. I saw it at Costco. I bought it because I was sure it was the next month's book club book. It wasn't. I read it anyway.
The premise (from the book jacket): a young girl, Missy, is abducted on a family camping trip; evidence found in a remote shack suggests she's been murdered. Years later, her father, Mack, receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack for a weekend.
If you haven't read it, don't let me spoil it for you. Perhaps you'd best stop reading.
Okay?
I'm pretty suspicious of these pop-culture religious books. I mean, who is this author anyway? Has he read Pannenberg and Tillich? Where's his credentials?
There've been a number of these types of pseudo-religous culture books: Da Vinci Code, The Secret, anything by Joel Osteen, even Oprah qualifies. So I was wary. Got out my Lutheran microscope.
The story is compelling. It's hard to resist being drawn into the character portraits of Mack, wife Nan and their 5 children. The writing is a bit forced with descriptive adjectives but the story line makes up for it.
Mack goes to the shack and finds God. All three of them. (SPOILER ALERT!) God is personified as a large African-American woman who likes to cook, the Spirit is Sarayu, an Asian woman who floats about and emits bright and colorful lights, and Jesus is, well, a Middle Eastern carpenter with a big nose. What did you expect?
I like God in this portrayal. All three of them. I love God as an African American woman who gives big hugs and cooks tasty greens. God also tells Mack she's especially fond of him...and everyone else. I love a God who cooks buttery scones!
During his time with God at the shack, Mack works thorugh his anger and moves toward forgiveness and healing. It's a beautiful journey, with an intriguing portrayal of Sophia, Lady Wisdom. I appreciated the work Mack does around forgiving Missy's killer. We all know (at least in our heads) that holding onto anger only turns our own hearts black.
Mack also learns the nature of God. It's all about dropping personal agendas and trusting in God. Here's a quote of which I am especially fond. Jesus, the Jewish carpenter, is talking to Mack: (p. 181-2)
---------
"Remember, the peple who know me are the ones who are free to live and love without any agenda."
"Is that what it means to be a Christian?" It sounded kind of stupid as Mack said it, but it was how he was trying to sum up everything in his mind.
"Who said anything about being a Christian? I'm not a Christian."
The idea struck Mack as odd and unexpected and he couldn't keep himself from grinning. "No, I suppose you aren't."
They arrived at the door of the workshop. Again, Jesus stopped. "Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans and many who don't vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions. I have followers who were murderers and many who were self-righteous. Some are bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians. I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved."
"Does that mean," asked Mack, "that all roads will lead to you?"
"Not at all," smiled Jesus as he reached for the door handle of the shop. "Most raods don't lead anywhere. What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you."
-----
Not bad, theology. Not bad at all.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
O What fun with O Antiphons
I discovered the early church tradition of the O Antiphons this season.
Yes, I know my Catholic and Episcopal sisters and brothers have long known this lovely pre-Christmas tradition. But it's all new to me!
The joy of discovery is a good, good thing.
My spiritual director suggested I pray with the O Antiphons this season. In case you're a newbie to this like me, the seven antiphons are traditionally recited during vespers Dec. 17-23. This is a special time of Advent preparation.
The O Antiphons serve at least two purposes. Each one highlights a title for Messiah:
O Sapientia (wisdom)
O Adonai (Lord)
O Radix Jesse (root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (Key of David)
O Oriens (rising sun)
O Rex Gentium (king of nations)
O Emmanuel
Also, each one refers to Isaiah's prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.
I've been praying with each of these during my nightly prayer/meditation time. I like it. I like thinking of the diversity of names for the coming Lord. I like focusing on different aspects of the divine. I like singing one more verse each night of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," where most of these names for Messiah are found.
So, in case you didn't know, now you do.
May Christ come to you in just the way you need this season.
Yes, I know my Catholic and Episcopal sisters and brothers have long known this lovely pre-Christmas tradition. But it's all new to me!
The joy of discovery is a good, good thing.
My spiritual director suggested I pray with the O Antiphons this season. In case you're a newbie to this like me, the seven antiphons are traditionally recited during vespers Dec. 17-23. This is a special time of Advent preparation.
The O Antiphons serve at least two purposes. Each one highlights a title for Messiah:
O Sapientia (wisdom)
O Adonai (Lord)
O Radix Jesse (root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (Key of David)
O Oriens (rising sun)
O Rex Gentium (king of nations)
O Emmanuel
Also, each one refers to Isaiah's prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.
I've been praying with each of these during my nightly prayer/meditation time. I like it. I like thinking of the diversity of names for the coming Lord. I like focusing on different aspects of the divine. I like singing one more verse each night of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," where most of these names for Messiah are found.
So, in case you didn't know, now you do.
May Christ come to you in just the way you need this season.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Can I get a Witness?
After my previous post (rant) I'm now ready to tackle the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B.
I was somewhat unimpressed to discover that the Gospel (this time from John) is the John the Baptist text again (it was found in Mark last week). More preparing! More crying out! More straight paths! Pastor Glenn's sermon last week was entitled "For Crying out Loud!" I'm tempted to title mine this week "For Crying out Loud Part Duex."
Well, if we must return to J the B, perhaps there's something new in John's text. Perhaps it's about witnessing.
John's Gospel tells us there was a man named John, sent from God. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all would believe. He wasn't the light, he just testified to it. (John 1:6-8 paraphrase).
We're reminded the Bibical witnesses of Christmas were always witnessing to something other than themselves. They witnessed to the amazing things God was doing in the incarnation, the coming of Christ as a human. (Thanks, Bishop Mike, for this reminder!)
So when we witness (which we are called to do) we are not to witness so that we receive the glory or that our lights shine. We merely hold the flashlight up to what God's is already doing. Maybe we can help someone to see in the dark.
This morning on NPR's "Fresh Air," Terry Gross interviewed Frank Schaeffer, son of Francis and Edith, authors who helped link evangelicals to the anti-abortion movement. Schaeffer himself promoted the religious-policial agenda but has now renounced those teaches and has joined the Greek Orthodox church.
Schaeffer commented on growing up evangelical, where he was encouraged to witness to his faith and try to turn people to Christ at every opportunity. He said he would wait patiently while people talked about their families, friends, passions and work, and then jump into the more important conversations about whether the person knew Jesus or had been saved.
His point was that was always witnessing, always trying to turn every conversation into a talk about God.
Did he miss God's genuine movement? Did he find God in the other stories people told about their daily lives? Perhaps. Perhaps that's why he doesn't live this way any more.
So what does it mean to witness?
Perhaps a witness points to something beyond herself.
Perhaps a witness points out God's simple and powerful movements in all aspects of life.
Perhaps we really must stay awake this advent season.
I was somewhat unimpressed to discover that the Gospel (this time from John) is the John the Baptist text again (it was found in Mark last week). More preparing! More crying out! More straight paths! Pastor Glenn's sermon last week was entitled "For Crying out Loud!" I'm tempted to title mine this week "For Crying out Loud Part Duex."
Well, if we must return to J the B, perhaps there's something new in John's text. Perhaps it's about witnessing.
John's Gospel tells us there was a man named John, sent from God. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all would believe. He wasn't the light, he just testified to it. (John 1:6-8 paraphrase).
We're reminded the Bibical witnesses of Christmas were always witnessing to something other than themselves. They witnessed to the amazing things God was doing in the incarnation, the coming of Christ as a human. (Thanks, Bishop Mike, for this reminder!)
So when we witness (which we are called to do) we are not to witness so that we receive the glory or that our lights shine. We merely hold the flashlight up to what God's is already doing. Maybe we can help someone to see in the dark.
This morning on NPR's "Fresh Air," Terry Gross interviewed Frank Schaeffer, son of Francis and Edith, authors who helped link evangelicals to the anti-abortion movement. Schaeffer himself promoted the religious-policial agenda but has now renounced those teaches and has joined the Greek Orthodox church.
Schaeffer commented on growing up evangelical, where he was encouraged to witness to his faith and try to turn people to Christ at every opportunity. He said he would wait patiently while people talked about their families, friends, passions and work, and then jump into the more important conversations about whether the person knew Jesus or had been saved.
His point was that was always witnessing, always trying to turn every conversation into a talk about God.
Did he miss God's genuine movement? Did he find God in the other stories people told about their daily lives? Perhaps. Perhaps that's why he doesn't live this way any more.
So what does it mean to witness?
Perhaps a witness points to something beyond herself.
Perhaps a witness points out God's simple and powerful movements in all aspects of life.
Perhaps we really must stay awake this advent season.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Bypassing Happiness
Why do we bypass happiness and choose crankiness, worry and fear?
Perhaps it's just because I'm a pastor and thus a repository for people's complaints, both trivial and life-changing. Maybe it's the economic downturn or my congregation's veeeery tight budget for FY 2009 but I seem to be hearing lots of complaining and unhappiness lately.
I attended a yoga workshop a few weeks ago where the presenter began not with headstands or hamstring stretches but this question: If at our deepest center is this level of peace, quiet and calm (Sanskrit: Ananda, or bliss) then why do we spend so much time in these outer layers of the physical world, mental chatter, stories we tell ourselves and our reativity to others. Good question.
Here's my addendum/Christian spin: If at our core we hold the light of Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, why do we live with such unhappiness, negativity, complaining and just plain whining? Why do we do it ourselves? (I am, of course, asking the question of myself, too.)
So why don't we choose peace, gratitude and contentedness? Do we even know we have a choice? Do we see that we are not the sum of the stories we tell ourselves? We are not our feelings. We are not our reactions. We are created as God's image and bear the Holy Spirit within. Why not live out of that?
Well, Pastor Lisa, (some say) because the world is a rotten place. I've lost $100,000in my retirement account and my husband ran off with a younger woman. Or, I've lost all control of my children's actions and I feel left out and lonely. Or, I hate the hymns at Central and no one sets up for coffee hour and why don't we have a fellowship committee and where are the children in worship?
Yes, I hear you. I am truly sorry for your losses. But complaint on these smaller items without action or follow through? Listen up folks, when you notice that somebody should be doing it, that somebody is probably you. Listen up folks. God is calling. I'm just the receptionist.
I went to see a parishioner today at Providence Hospital; she requested prayer before her triple bypass.
I entered the room in all seriousness of my pastoral office. How are you, I said with great worry.
"I am so blessed," she responded, smiling.
Her story: chest pains were misdiagnosed last week as high blood pressure. On a second trip to the ER yesterday, a smart doc realized she had major blockages in three arteries. If not caught, the doc said, the heart attack that was soon to come would likely have killed her. She expressed complete thankfulness to God and to her family for getting her this far. She was joyful, peaceful and ready to face the surgery and recovery.
She is the single happiest person from my congregation I have seen in weeks.
Why do we bypass happiness?
Where are our blockages?
What if we don't clean out those blockages?
Why do we bypass happiness?
Perhaps it's just because I'm a pastor and thus a repository for people's complaints, both trivial and life-changing. Maybe it's the economic downturn or my congregation's veeeery tight budget for FY 2009 but I seem to be hearing lots of complaining and unhappiness lately.
I attended a yoga workshop a few weeks ago where the presenter began not with headstands or hamstring stretches but this question: If at our deepest center is this level of peace, quiet and calm (Sanskrit: Ananda, or bliss) then why do we spend so much time in these outer layers of the physical world, mental chatter, stories we tell ourselves and our reativity to others. Good question.
Here's my addendum/Christian spin: If at our core we hold the light of Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, why do we live with such unhappiness, negativity, complaining and just plain whining? Why do we do it ourselves? (I am, of course, asking the question of myself, too.)
So why don't we choose peace, gratitude and contentedness? Do we even know we have a choice? Do we see that we are not the sum of the stories we tell ourselves? We are not our feelings. We are not our reactions. We are created as God's image and bear the Holy Spirit within. Why not live out of that?
Well, Pastor Lisa, (some say) because the world is a rotten place. I've lost $100,000in my retirement account and my husband ran off with a younger woman. Or, I've lost all control of my children's actions and I feel left out and lonely. Or, I hate the hymns at Central and no one sets up for coffee hour and why don't we have a fellowship committee and where are the children in worship?
Yes, I hear you. I am truly sorry for your losses. But complaint on these smaller items without action or follow through? Listen up folks, when you notice that somebody should be doing it, that somebody is probably you. Listen up folks. God is calling. I'm just the receptionist.
I went to see a parishioner today at Providence Hospital; she requested prayer before her triple bypass.
I entered the room in all seriousness of my pastoral office. How are you, I said with great worry.
"I am so blessed," she responded, smiling.
Her story: chest pains were misdiagnosed last week as high blood pressure. On a second trip to the ER yesterday, a smart doc realized she had major blockages in three arteries. If not caught, the doc said, the heart attack that was soon to come would likely have killed her. She expressed complete thankfulness to God and to her family for getting her this far. She was joyful, peaceful and ready to face the surgery and recovery.
She is the single happiest person from my congregation I have seen in weeks.
Why do we bypass happiness?
Where are our blockages?
What if we don't clean out those blockages?
Why do we bypass happiness?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)