Leather bags

This summer I almost bought a leather bag from a nigerian chap in a market in Florence. Thankfully I was able to resist the temptation and instead bought something far better and consequently far more expensive in a great leather shop next to the Duomo. I did not regret the extra expense.

So often in life we settle for something less than the real thing. An imitation. A cheap rip off. But it never does the same as the real thing. It never satisfies, it never performs for as long or as well. Inevitably we feel ripped off by the whole experience and we always wish we had done it properly the first time around.

I think it is the same with God too. The temptation is to settle for less than the real thing. So often we settle for knowledge about God rather than knowledge of God. We think that this will do the same job, plus it's far less expensive to attain. All we need do is listen to the right people, read the right books, use the right religious language and listen to the latest worship music. But the cheap imitation will always break down under stress and we will be left worse off than when we began.

As with buying leather bags the trick with God is to never settle for anything less than the totality of reality. We will never attain it, no, which is of course very frustrating in its own manner. But yet in this endless pursuit and struggle we will develop character and become the right sort of person, a person who knows God for themselves.

Death by a thousand cuts

I had a great chat with a good friend over coffee this morning. We were talking about how learning the truth in life and growing into the shape God would have us take up is more often than not such a slow and painful process. The reason for this is related to my last post.

Growing up is actually growing down! That is to say that maturity is about 'learning how to die' (see Jon Foreman's song of this title). But dying necessarily takes a long time. God could do it in one knock-out punch; he could knock us off our feet. But the trouble is that if He did it in one we would never get up off the canvas. Or to switch the metaphor, if He cut the mess out of us with one incision we would die of blood loss.

So we endure the death of a thousand cuts, which is to say He does his work slowly and surely. This is his mercy, although it does not feel much like it at the time. It feels more like a long, drawn out death, which is just what it is. It is actually for our good that it happens in this way.

What is our role? To pray for endurance I suppose, that we would stay on the operating table long enough for the work to be completed.

Death as the gateway to Life

The Christian gospel has at its centre a wonderful paradox: the idea that the way to receive life in its fullest and most undiluted form is to die. This is not necessarily a physical death - in fact it encompasses way more than just the physical - but it is a choice to 'let go' in all areas of life, which means to give up the pursuit of ones own agenda for life and submit it to God's agenda.

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matt 16: 25 & 26)

The answer to Jesus' questions in these verses is of course 'nothing'. Nothing can be given in exchange for a person's life. No material thing, no earthly achievement, no degree certificate, no healthy family, nothing. The only hope the follower of Jesus has is utter abandonment to Jesus' cause, with a commensurate trust that he will do everything necessary for life 'through' us.

The better we learn to die, the better the risen Jesus will be able to live through us. That's the exchange we are to become a part of as Christ followers. One of the best examples of such a life was John the Baptist, who said of Jesus; "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3.30).

I believe that this is one of the greatest meanings of Jesus' death and resurrection; that after a death always comes a new life for the ones who learn to trust in God.

Excellence versus Obedience

I believe that God is far more interested in whether we are choosing to follow Him in how we live - by loving Him and loving other people - than whether we are pursuing the appearance of 'excellence' in our lives. Obedience then is of much greater importance than excellence.

Yes, I believe that we are to do our best with what we have been given. Jesus, after all, talks along these lines in the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25). But his main point in this text seems to focus around how we respond in obedience with what He has entrusted us with, not whether or not the results appear impressive from the outside looking in.

This kind of perfectionism misses the point. It focuses on the outward appearance instead of the inner motivation or the power of God, something that Jesus continually warns us against doing in the gospels (eg. Matt 5 & 6). Jesus' life shows us that what is powerful in God's eyes is often profoundly unimpressive in human terms.

What is of far more consequence to God, in my opinion, is what the motivation of our hearts is. If we are doing things because He has led us in a certain direction, then more power to us. But we must beware of getting to a place where we think that our excellence can compensate for God's power.

The Emerging Church

Over here in the USA there is a great deal of controversy over the Emerging Church. For those of you that don't know, the Emerging Church (EC) is a broad movement which is seeking to re-interpret the gospel for today's culture, rather than to stick with outmoded ways of doing things just because they are familiar. Those within this broad movement recognise that the medium is the message and that there is a huge responsibility on the church to change in order to stay true to the gospel Jesus preached.

As with any movement there are those who have perhaps gone too far in this quest; that is inevitable. But what excites me is that there is energy present in this conversation, not only in the emerging movement, but in those who have for too long been dormant who now refute the new thing. Whether or not you agree with these emergents, the presence of this energy (zeal?) can only be a good thing.

Here are some things I like about this broad movement;

1) The EC is willing to broaden the field when viewing scripture. That is to say that it is willing to come to the scripture afresh and view it through different lenses. This is a recognition that no one lens will suffice in viewing the truth of God's word, not even a middle class, white, male lens! This to my mind is a sign of reverence for the scriptures although it is sometimes interpreted as being the very opposite.

2)There is a willingness within the EC to change the forms/wineskins where they have obstructed the message of the gospel. For all the talk about the evangelical movement doing this on its own, there has been little fruit. (The 'Fresh Expressions' in the Anglican Church has achieved this).

3) There is a re-emphasis on the organic, relational elements of faith. This is a choice to favour what is 'real' over what is 'true'. This is imperative for our generation.

4) There seems to be less of a pre-occupation with structure and hierarchy. This may be a function of the newness of the movement. Enjoy it while you can!

If this is a move of God - and I believe that it is - then it will continue to generate further energy. One of the most exciting facets of the movement is that it has arisen independently in many different parts of the world. What I am not suggesting is that this 'denomination' is perfect, nothing is. But through it I believe God is going to do some great things.

"Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5.38-39)

God's energy is LOVE