Nothing like a little humility during Lent

      There is nothing like a Norovirus to make one humble.   It seems to strike without warning, it is contagious before the symptoms set in, and it spreads like wildfire from contaminated food or drink.  Hand washing is our only defense – there are no vaccines.  The fear begins weeks before you are sick when you notice that Joe Schmo is not at Vestry meeting.  “Anybody know if Joe is going to be late?”, you say.  “Oh I was supposed to let you know that he is home sick”, the clerk says,- “GI bug I think….”  And then the words that strike fear in the hearts of the strongest human being – “It’s been going around!”
      Last week I was sitting at my desk at 2 in the afternoon and I noticed that I did not feel well.  I  shook it off, but when supper time came I thought…  “Maybe I should not eat a lot – just in case”.  About an hour later I began to imagine, maybe I would feel better if… I suspect you get the picture.  Twenty-four hours later I was five pounds lighter (not necessarily a bad thing) and exhausted - even though the only time I had been out of bed was when I traded my pillow for the toilet bowl. 
      This little bitty bug brings to the forefront our vulnerabilities, our fears, our sense of helplessness, and the fact that no matter who we are or how many “things” we have, we are not invincible.    When our bodies finally stop retching, we are confronted with our weakness and our need for compassion and love.  Is there anything more comforting than a loving hand with a cold wash cloth stroking the face and lifting you up to return to bed when you are too weak to get there on your own?  Having someone to help you when you are not able to help yourself is intimate, reassuring, comforting, and affirming.  Think about it– we are all human creatures with limited abilities to help ourselves.  Creatures who need to be in relationship with each other and with God.  When we are at our most vulnerable unable to pick ourselves up out of our own guilt, sadness, anger, suffering, oppression – it is God to whom we turn for acceptance, mercy, and love.  It is God who wipes the tears from our eyes, lifts us up, and carries us to safety.   That, in the end, is how I look at the Lenten discipline of humility.

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Mt 6:1

      To be pious is to acknowledge and revere God.  If my piety comes from a place of strength, a place where I feel like I am in control, then humility goes out the window.  But if my Lenten devotion is an honest appreciation for God’s loving compassion and care for me, then I am practicing my piety in my weakness and acknowledging my dependency on God.  Out of that place of weakness comes awe, gratitude, dedication, faithfulness, and love. 

I wish you a blessed Lent and a healthy tummy,
Jane+

What's Christianity about anyway?

Christianity is Not about Morality.
Christianity is about God.
Christianity is about Living as a Revolutionary
in a Broken World.

If I hear another person say, when speaking of Christianity, “Well, as long as I’m a good person, that’s the most important thing,” I think I will scream! There is a vision of the church out there that our role is to create good citizens: dutiful, responsible, doesn’t question authority, is thoughtful, cheerful, and loving. Bah Humbug I say! Not that many of these aren’t good qualities to possess, but these are not the purpose of church.

Such a milquetoast, tired, boring understanding of Christianity is what leads to a decline in church membership. Why bother going to church if you can be a good person on your own? As a rejection of that, some have come to believe that they need to focus only on a particular morality and believe it with passion. For instance oppose homosexuality, abortion, and liberals, and you have a clear shot to heaven. This is yet another distortion of the gospel. I am not taking a position on these issues, merely pointing out that any position on them by itself is insufficient for being a Christian. Christianity is much bigger and more meaningful than our morality.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about being a good citizen. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about having a particular morality. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about turning your world upside down and orienting it towards God in Christ. It is about living as a revolutionary in a broken world. It’s not about milquetoast. It’s about red meat. It’s about loving your neighbor, even the ones who aren’t lovable; even the ones who are sinful. Both the ones in the cubicles next to you as well as the ones who live on the other side of the globe and aren’t Christian. It’s about striving for justice for the oppressed. It’s about voting for candidates who will help the poor. It’s about opposing racism, ageism, sexism, and anything that distorts the dignity of another human being. It’s about confronting lies and evil. It’s about saving God’s good earth. It’s about standing up to do and say the right thing even at personal cost.

Most importantly Christianity is about loving and worshiping God. The Holy Trinity is the source of all and deserving of our daily prayers, praise, and thanks. We are not the center of our lives. Money is not the center of our lives. Good morality is not the center of our lives. Not even the Bible is the center of our lives.

God in Christ is the center. All else should point towards God.

As a Christian we do the moral thing not because it’s “nice,” and not because it’s how we get to heaven, but because our love for God is so passionate that it overwhelms us and we cannot do otherwise.

In Christ,
Stephanie+