How many of you have been in a country where there was a real, live, monarch? I’m not talking about the Queen of England or the Prince of Wales, royalty with honorary titles, but about a King or Queen who is the center of power in the country. A real monarch makes commands that others must follow, and a real monarch demands obedience to the throne.
I recently spent a week in Saudi Arabia, a country that is ruled under a real, live King. I found the sense of political authority there to be much different than what I am used to here in the US. In the United States, I often feel that the government is sort of a wide-ranging, but diffuse organization that administrates much of the country. Although I may not agree with a specific decision by our congress, it was usually made by people who were elected by other folks in our country, and I understand that part of the “deal” in living in the US is that the elected representatives may not be who I wish they were, but that they were (ideally) voted in through a fair process.
The full name of Saudi Arabia is actually “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” and the country makes no effort to hide the fact that King Abdulaziz bin Saud is its ruler. On the contrary, portraits of him are a common sight, and many important buildings and institutions have his name in the title. Examples of this would be “King Abdulaziz Public Library” or “King Abdulaziz University.”
Take a look at a part of what serves as the Saudi Constitution (from Chapter 2, "Monarchy"):
Article 5
(a) The system of government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is that of a monarchy.
(b) Rule passes to the sons of the founding King, Abd al-Aziz Bin Abd al-Rahman al-Faysal Al Sa'ud, and to their children's children. The most upright among them is to receive allegiance in accordance with the principles of the Holy Koran and the Tradition of the Venerable Prophet.
(c) The King chooses the Heir Apparent and relieves him of his duties by Royal order.
(d) The Heir Apparent is to devote his time to his duties as an Heir Apparent and to whatever missions the King entrusts him with.
(e) The Heir Apparent takes over the powers of the King on the latter's death until the act of allegiance has been carried out.
Article 6 Citizens are to pay allegiance to the King in accordance with the holy Koran and the tradition of the Prophet, in submission and obedience, in times of ease and difficulty, fortune and adversity.
Article 7 Government in Saudi Arabia derives power from the Holy Koran and the Prophet's tradition.
We can see from this example that the Saudi State is very serious about two things, that it is an Islamic state, and that it intentionally centers political power around the King. Article 6 sounds somewhat similar to wedding vows in America, a pledge of allegiance through the best and worst times in our lives.
This Sunday, many Christians around the world will be celebrating Christ the King Sunday, and the question I’d like to ponder this week is this: What would our lives look like if we confessed Article 6 of the Saudi Arabian constitution in this way,
“[We] are to pay allegiance to [Christ] the King in accordance with the holy [Bible] and the tradition of the [Church], in submission and obedience, in times of ease and difficulty, fortune and adversity.”
Christ the King Sunday has a fascinating history, according to this article by Carey Gardiner Mack:
Christ the King Sunday is a relatively new development. It does not bear the history of many long-held church traditions such as All Saints or Christmas or Easter and does not possess the deep and traditional biblical backing of these celebrations. Pope Pius XI brought Christ the King Sunday into the church's liturgical year in 1925. He was attempting to do several things, but mainly to advance the message of God in Christ over and against that of the political forces moving in the world at that time--people like Mussolini and Hitler.
The idea that Christ is King over and against earthly political forces and not just on the side of our own political forces is something we all need a strong reminder of. However, the best reminder comes not from me and my limited experience, but from the appointed Gospel text for Christ the King Sunday. Take a look: Luke 23:33-43
This is a disquieting image of our monarch, a profoundly ironic text in the light of what we normally associate with “Kingship.” To say, as this reading from Luke implies, that the moment of crucifixion is the strongest argument we can make for Christ’s Kingship is to actively subvert a culture that views wealth, power, and fame as the primary markers of success.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that “The sermon on the mount is there for the purpose of being done. Only in doing can there be submission to the will of God. In doing God’s will we renounce every right and every justification of our own; we deliver ourselves humbly into the hands of the merciful Judge” .
In some ways, these words by Bonhoeffer are the hardest we can ever hear. When we are directed to a passage Matthew Chapters 5-7 that blesses the poor, the peacemakers, the merciful, the meek, and the hungry (among others), we are confronted with a way of life that directly challenges how we are taught to evaluate a “successful” life in American culture.
We often work hard to align the authority of the gospel with our positions, beliefs, and prejudices, making sure that our rock and our foundation is built on nothing less than the "Faith of Our Fathers" .
To proclaim Jesus as our King, we must abandon this and put Christ at the center by proclaiming the painful redemption of a broken world, not the righteousness of our own privilege. Some ideas for reflection this week:
• How do our political and social commitments detract from a life led in allegiance to Christ? How are they shaped by our faith? Do we strive to wed religion and politics as the Saudis do, or do we separate them into different compartments of our lives?
• How can we act differently to proclaim our allegiance to Christ through actions, not just in our creed? Where do we actually place Christ in our pecking order of authorities that influence our lives? How do we keep from letting our boss’s directives or media messages influence our decision making more than our faith?
Please feel free to join in the conversation, by leaving your comments and looking out for the comments of others. You can also join in an audio skype conversation Thursday at 7pm (EST), November 18. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then add "bythewaycommunity" to your contacts list on skype, and call in on Thursday.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Even when it's bad, it's good . . . by Elisabeth Aurand
As the leaves complete their exodus from branch to ground and gaunt November trees therefore appear menacing, and temperatures fall even as we arise in darkness and work the final hours of the day in shadow, we are reminded of dark realities. We can push away the dark thoughts. Or we can talk about them, plunk the fearful realities down on the table. Like Jesus often did.
Take a look at this reading from Luke’s book of the Bible Luke 21:5-19, which comes to us with images of terror: Nations will rise against nation; there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. November’s natural imagery of nature’s change into winter, a metaphor for old age and hardship, is mirrored in texts that speak of difficulty and underscore unsettledness and announce again the fact of insecurity in our world.
As if we needed a Bible reading to remind us! Thomas Friedman's column in last Sunday’s New York Times articulately trumpeted a not uncommon message that has been given to the general American public for some months, Long Live Lady Luck. Friedman reminds us that Americans have either foiled or found lacking 5 terror plots executed against citizens since last Christmas, the most recent of which was the package bombs on the cargo planes, timed to go off possibly when the planes were over our country (maybe even over Chicago – the President’s home and symbol relating to Nov. 2nd, I’ve heard.) Friedman states that avoiding these heinous direct attacks is akin to winning the lottery five times in a row, and he plants the logic in the reader’s mind that such luck may run out any time.
Jesus does not stop with the list of calamities in Luke 21, rather corrals the depressing stampede with instructions about a believer’s protocol during such times: When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, he states, or enlightens with the perspective, This will give you an opportunity to testify (in the case of the calamity of persecution.) Then come his divine assurances: But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
It behooves us just now to ask, exactly to whom is he speaking. Who will not be harmed when in the midst of such peril, in fact? Who exactly can have this kind of endurance? Is it a group of elite ancient marathoners he is instructing? Visiting Kung Fu practitioners from ancient Chinese civilization? It turns out that the audience is his disciples, though it seems that “all the people” who are nearby in the temple at Jerusalem are overhearing the conversation and, as such, would be a group who wouldn’t display unusual talents or strength or intelligence. Jesus teaches with confidence in this part of Luke and suggests that his followers – any follower- might be likewise self-possessed and a non-anxious presence should threatening events become even more dire. This makes one wonder if Jesus has simply become a little unhinged by now, with his own trials soon upon him, or perhaps just chooses to avoid reality by suggesting a desperate plan to counter worldly turmoil with the confident approach.
Christians do take to heart, though, this approach as an answer to tough times. For we have seen God’s power at work, in fact, even reversing such a calamity at Jesus’ crucifixion -- bested by his resurrection. We believe that the power of God in Christ is truly at work. God’s presence allows for what no one could do by their own skills and therefore people of faith agree with the assessment of Old Testament professor William Holladay: The Bible doesn’t answer why there is darkness, rather offers a vision of how evil in the world is overcome.
Oh God, give us courage that we might stop and let you do what we cannot.
Brother Christ, cheer us with your simple, smiling focus on God’s work and
Holy Spirit, give us the faith to know without doubt that even when it’s bad, it’s good.
(Prayer attributed to Lutheran writer Maude McDaniel)
Please feel free to join in the conversation, by leaving your comment and looking out for the comments of others. You can also join in an audio skype conversation Thursday at 7pm (EST), November 11. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.
Quick fun fact: By the way has been recognized as being one of the Top 50 Lutheran blogs! Kind of nice to be noticed, yes?
Take a look at this reading from Luke’s book of the Bible Luke 21:5-19, which comes to us with images of terror: Nations will rise against nation; there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. November’s natural imagery of nature’s change into winter, a metaphor for old age and hardship, is mirrored in texts that speak of difficulty and underscore unsettledness and announce again the fact of insecurity in our world.
As if we needed a Bible reading to remind us! Thomas Friedman's column in last Sunday’s New York Times articulately trumpeted a not uncommon message that has been given to the general American public for some months, Long Live Lady Luck. Friedman reminds us that Americans have either foiled or found lacking 5 terror plots executed against citizens since last Christmas, the most recent of which was the package bombs on the cargo planes, timed to go off possibly when the planes were over our country (maybe even over Chicago – the President’s home and symbol relating to Nov. 2nd, I’ve heard.) Friedman states that avoiding these heinous direct attacks is akin to winning the lottery five times in a row, and he plants the logic in the reader’s mind that such luck may run out any time.
Jesus does not stop with the list of calamities in Luke 21, rather corrals the depressing stampede with instructions about a believer’s protocol during such times: When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, he states, or enlightens with the perspective, This will give you an opportunity to testify (in the case of the calamity of persecution.) Then come his divine assurances: But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
It behooves us just now to ask, exactly to whom is he speaking. Who will not be harmed when in the midst of such peril, in fact? Who exactly can have this kind of endurance? Is it a group of elite ancient marathoners he is instructing? Visiting Kung Fu practitioners from ancient Chinese civilization? It turns out that the audience is his disciples, though it seems that “all the people” who are nearby in the temple at Jerusalem are overhearing the conversation and, as such, would be a group who wouldn’t display unusual talents or strength or intelligence. Jesus teaches with confidence in this part of Luke and suggests that his followers – any follower- might be likewise self-possessed and a non-anxious presence should threatening events become even more dire. This makes one wonder if Jesus has simply become a little unhinged by now, with his own trials soon upon him, or perhaps just chooses to avoid reality by suggesting a desperate plan to counter worldly turmoil with the confident approach.
Christians do take to heart, though, this approach as an answer to tough times. For we have seen God’s power at work, in fact, even reversing such a calamity at Jesus’ crucifixion -- bested by his resurrection. We believe that the power of God in Christ is truly at work. God’s presence allows for what no one could do by their own skills and therefore people of faith agree with the assessment of Old Testament professor William Holladay: The Bible doesn’t answer why there is darkness, rather offers a vision of how evil in the world is overcome.
Oh God, give us courage that we might stop and let you do what we cannot.
Brother Christ, cheer us with your simple, smiling focus on God’s work and
Holy Spirit, give us the faith to know without doubt that even when it’s bad, it’s good.
(Prayer attributed to Lutheran writer Maude McDaniel)
Please feel free to join in the conversation, by leaving your comment and looking out for the comments of others. You can also join in an audio skype conversation Thursday at 7pm (EST), November 11. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.
Quick fun fact: By the way has been recognized as being one of the Top 50 Lutheran blogs! Kind of nice to be noticed, yes?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Civility begins with emptiness . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl
It seems we are living in a world where rudeness rules. Incivility sells. We’re being “entertained” by having our blood boiled.
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk the past couple of years about “the end of civility” in America (video ; blog). I’m glad we’ve been talking about it. I hope someday we can grow out of it. But for now, it just seems to be getting worse.
The Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision has resulted in a stream of unbelievably uncivil attack ads “preparing” the voters for the upcoming elections. And I’ve been astounded at the disrespectfulness of the debates that I’ve peeked in on.
My 8th grade daughter was given a school assignment to watch a Fox News debate between our state’s (CT) gubernatorial candidates. Having never watched a debate before, she was excited about it. It was fun to see her eagerness to be part of this.
That’s where the fun ended. The candidates spent most of their time making fun of the other, speaking directly to each other in the most condescending of tones. “Bullying” was the word that kept coming to my mind. I was horrified that these two grown adults were speaking this way in front of my child. As she turned off the TV, her dismay poured out: “Are these the only two choices we have to be our next governor?”
There’s nothing new about incivility, of course. There’s nothing new about people being spittin’ angry and playing blaming power games to make themselves feel better or more important or “right”.
Jesus once told a story to people who were prettydam’ sure they were “right”, as long as they could spot a loser to compare themselves with. It’s the kind of “in your face” story that put Jesus on the hit lists of some powerful folk. Take a look, at this link: Luke 18:9-14.
If you’ve read this story before, you may be more familiar with an ending like this: For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. I love the way The Message version says it in picture language: If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.
Shoot. I wish Jesus would be running for governor.
I suppose with words like that, he wouldn’t get very far in a Fox News debate.
But what if I tried believing that Jesus is present at every debate -- standing there between the debaters with arms outstretched, sighing, crying, trying to tell the bullies they've been redeemed ("righted") already. Sure cools down my boiling blood, gets me breathing easier, makes me hopeful.
This story Jesus tells can get us thinking: How do we talk to and about each other? How do we talk to God? And how does the way we relate to God affect the way we relate to people who are different from us?
Newsflash: Your relationship to God has nothing to do with how rotten other people are. Your relationship to God has everything to do with how open-heartedly forgiving God is!
What would happen to the way we humans treat each other if we truly believed that? How would the incivility factor change if we all talked to God like the tax man in Jesus’ story: coming with open hands, unloading our emotional baggage, standing EMPTY before God, allowing God to fill us with new life and love.
Try out these words of prayer, written by Frank von Christierson. They can be sung with an ancient chant melody called Adore te Devote or just prayed in silence. They just plain carry me into the heart of God...
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ,
I know not how to ask or what to say;
I only know my need, as deep as life,
and only you can teach me how to pray.
Come, pray in me the prayer I need this day:
help me to see your purpose and your will,
where I have failed, what I have done amiss;
held in forgiving love, let me be still.
Come with the vision and the strength I need
to serve my God and all humanity;
fulfillment of my life in love out-poured:
my life in you, O Christ, your love in me. Amen.
Please join the conversation here by leaving your comments and/or coming to an audio skype conversation: Thursday at 7pm (EST), October 20. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.
Peace, civility, and holy emptiness be yours,
Kari
I’ve been hearing a lot of talk the past couple of years about “the end of civility” in America (video ; blog). I’m glad we’ve been talking about it. I hope someday we can grow out of it. But for now, it just seems to be getting worse.
The Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision has resulted in a stream of unbelievably uncivil attack ads “preparing” the voters for the upcoming elections. And I’ve been astounded at the disrespectfulness of the debates that I’ve peeked in on.
My 8th grade daughter was given a school assignment to watch a Fox News debate between our state’s (CT) gubernatorial candidates. Having never watched a debate before, she was excited about it. It was fun to see her eagerness to be part of this.
That’s where the fun ended. The candidates spent most of their time making fun of the other, speaking directly to each other in the most condescending of tones. “Bullying” was the word that kept coming to my mind. I was horrified that these two grown adults were speaking this way in front of my child. As she turned off the TV, her dismay poured out: “Are these the only two choices we have to be our next governor?”
There’s nothing new about incivility, of course. There’s nothing new about people being spittin’ angry and playing blaming power games to make themselves feel better or more important or “right”.
Jesus once told a story to people who were prettydam’ sure they were “right”, as long as they could spot a loser to compare themselves with. It’s the kind of “in your face” story that put Jesus on the hit lists of some powerful folk. Take a look, at this link: Luke 18:9-14.
If you’ve read this story before, you may be more familiar with an ending like this: For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. I love the way The Message version says it in picture language: If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.
Shoot. I wish Jesus would be running for governor.
I suppose with words like that, he wouldn’t get very far in a Fox News debate.
But what if I tried believing that Jesus is present at every debate -- standing there between the debaters with arms outstretched, sighing, crying, trying to tell the bullies they've been redeemed ("righted") already. Sure cools down my boiling blood, gets me breathing easier, makes me hopeful.
This story Jesus tells can get us thinking: How do we talk to and about each other? How do we talk to God? And how does the way we relate to God affect the way we relate to people who are different from us?
Newsflash: Your relationship to God has nothing to do with how rotten other people are. Your relationship to God has everything to do with how open-heartedly forgiving God is!
What would happen to the way we humans treat each other if we truly believed that? How would the incivility factor change if we all talked to God like the tax man in Jesus’ story: coming with open hands, unloading our emotional baggage, standing EMPTY before God, allowing God to fill us with new life and love.
Try out these words of prayer, written by Frank von Christierson. They can be sung with an ancient chant melody called Adore te Devote or just prayed in silence. They just plain carry me into the heart of God...
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ,
I know not how to ask or what to say;
I only know my need, as deep as life,
and only you can teach me how to pray.
Come, pray in me the prayer I need this day:
help me to see your purpose and your will,
where I have failed, what I have done amiss;
held in forgiving love, let me be still.
Come with the vision and the strength I need
to serve my God and all humanity;
fulfillment of my life in love out-poured:
my life in you, O Christ, your love in me. Amen.
Please join the conversation here by leaving your comments and/or coming to an audio skype conversation: Thursday at 7pm (EST), October 20. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.
Peace, civility, and holy emptiness be yours,
Kari
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Pessimism or Persistence… What’s This Life For? by Pastor Bill Petersen
I’ve been stuck recently by the amount of pessimism in our world today and the amount of persistent injustice through harassment and bullying. One of the more visible examples is the death of gifted musician, Tyler Clementi who committed suicide September 22nd, apparently after discovering that his Rutgers University roommate live-streamed him in a homosexual encounter without Tyler’s knowledge. This harassment went beyond the sophomoric heterosexual webcam scene from the movie American Pie
and apparently Tyler was overcome by a level of pessimism he saw no way out from.
Given the rash of suicides (pessimism with a death sentence) resulting from bullying (persistence of provoked injustice), all I can do is wonder...
• What would be justice in these cases? and,
• What, in light of these examples of injustice, should we pray?
Thankfully God gives us the gift of prayer, a direct connection not for the outcome, but rather for relationship… God wants us to be in open communication, to be real with God, to authentically share our frustration, sorrow and pessimism with God persistently. God loves us so much that God wants us to share ourselves with God through honest, heartfelt conversation. Prayer does not necessarily immediately change things. There will still be pessimism and heartbreak in our lives, but God wants us to share all of our highs and lows with God. A relationship with God is built through ongoing conversation, us talking (sometimes yelling and screaming) and then listening, being quiet in God’s presence.
Prayer changes one self because God can be trusted more than any human relationship with others… and even with ourselves (for we often get in the way and sabotage our relationships through selfishness, control, and impatience). In the book of Luke, there is a lot of encouragement to pray. We are given examples of Jesus' praying, and if he of all people needed to pray, how much more do we need to (if we are honest with ourselves)?
In the story about the persistent widow in Luke, Jesus is trying to encourage his followers to see beyond their pessimism, recent set-backs and disappointments and their perceived lack of response from God. It seems to me that because even the judge caves in and gives justice to the widow, we can trust in God (who is all about unconditional love and justice) will love us and see that justice is done for you and me.
But the world is both good and evil. There is always injustice, someone or some system that takes advantage of the poor, the widowed, the alone, you and me… Harassment and bullying happen, even to the point of suicide. And we wonder, we get angry and we often forget, or defiantly don’t raise these concerns with God (the God who longs for us to do just that). In the end, Jesus' story is not about a sketchy judge and it's not about a pushy widow. In the end it's a story about God and about you and me. This story is about the God who has and will love you always. A God who will always listen to you
and be there for you, no matter what!
In the Creed song "What's This Life For?" the band wrestles with the suicide of a friend and they bring their music as a prayer to God. The band doesn’t sing a syrupy sweet praise to God, but an agonizing questioning prayer to God. Their song echoes the pessimism many experience and the question of life’s meaning in a world full of injustice…
Hurray for a child that makes it through
If there's any way, because the answer lies in you
Their laid to rest, before they've know just what to do
Their souls are lost, because they could never find
What's this life for
I see your soul it's kind of gray
You see my heart, you look away
You see my wrist, I know your pain
I know your purpose on your plane
Don't say a last prayer, because you could never find
What's this life for
But they ain't here anymore
Don't have to settle no goddamned score
Because we all live under the reign of one king
God the king whose reign we live under is one who wants us to bring our questions directly to God through prayer. The story of the persistent widow reminds us that justice comes, even in a world filled with unjust judges and persistent bullies to those who persist regardless of how much faith they have, or how pessimistic their reality.
So what injustice is in your life that makes you pessimistic? And, what, in light of your personal experience with injustice, do, or could you pray for?
Please share your thoughts and comments. If you would like to learn more about Pastor Bill Petersen and his ministry go to http://www.faithlutheranct.org/ .
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