Fullness and Lent Pt 2

This Sunday was the first Sunday of Lent, a time when Christians around the world give up something they enjoy for the sake of Christ. It’s a season of sacrifice that culminates in Christ’s sacrifice. It’s a season of emptiness that culminates in an empty tomb. It’s a time when we reflect on our own mortality in relation to the fullness of God.

But why is emptiness so important? In the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness we are given some clues.

Following Jesus’ baptism and before he begins his ministry, he spends 40 days alone in the desert, fasting. During that time, he is visited and tempted by Satan.

Here is Jesus at a point of emptiness, at a point when you think he’d be most vulnerable. He is certainly hungry. So Satan strikes there, tempting him into turning rocks into bread. Jesus’ response is from scripture, that "man does not live by bread alone."

Satan then tempts Jesus a second and third time with power and fame. Jesus responds again with the word of God.

In a sense, Satan offers Jesus what he offered Adam and Eve. He tempts with basic physical needs and with more emotional ones as well. He offers food to take and eat, and he offers power and fulfillment and happiness. And really, is there anything wrong with these things?

After all, doesn’t God want us to be happy? What’s wrong with pursuing happiness? Isn’t it one of our God given rights?

First off, God is not opposed to earthly pleasures, He infuses them with a foundation of meaning. Jesus isn’t a Gnostic, nor are his followers, they don’t disconnect the spiritual from the physical. Calls to fasting aren’t meant to deny ourselves of physical things so that we can concentrate on “spiritual” things, but so we can redeem the physical things as spiritual things. Food can become substantive and enjoyable instead of one more thing we shove into a gaping hole. So can entertainment, relationships, sex and other pleasures.

A theologian named Pascal once wrote about a “God shaped hole” that exists in all of us. He argued that every human being was created with a place inside of them that can only be filled up by the presence of God. He went on to say that humans make the mistake of trying to fill that hole with other things, the things that make them “happy”.

The God-shaped hole in the human heart is in fact an infinite and terrifying abyss, Pascal said, which I try to cover over with all sorts of false facades. But then a crack appears in the facade, and I see through it the well of eternal nothingness plunging down forever, and I hurl myself back in total horror.

Can I pour alcohol through the crack in the facade and fill the primordial abyss of nonbeing and remove the unbearable terror? This does not work for very long. Sigmund Freud said in Civilization and Its Discontents that no mood-altering chemicals ultimately perform this job satisfactorily. For a while Freud thought that cocaine could safely do this, and had to learn the hard way, through his own personal experience, that in the long run it worked no better than alcohol.

Neither does money or sex or power or security. We’ve seen evidence, either through witnessing it, or by first hand experience.

Only that which is infinite and completely transcendent, Pascal said, could fill such an infinite abyss.

The Bible says that we cannot love both God and mammon. Mammon is just a word for “stuff” or things. We cannot love both God and things. God is to be loved and things are to be used. And it is increasingly important that we love God and use things, for there is much in our gadget-minded, consumer-oriented society that is encouraging us to love things and use God.

Satan tempts Jesus with provision, wealth, and power. He tempts Him with what he tempts us. The pursuit of happiness. The American Dream. But we are called, as Christ did, to pursue holiness. Remember Jesus’ words to Satan, “man does not live by bread alone, but by the word of God.” Jesus knows where his blessings come from. His time in the desert has been a reminder of that. His time in the word was a reminder of that too. That’s why he can use it to sustain himself in the midst of temptation. He knows to put the giver before the gift.

The devil is always suggesting that we compromise our calling by offering us what is good in place of what is best. He plays on our hunger and he plays on our fear. We’re so afraid to face our own emptiness that we’ll consume anything to make that emptiness go away.

So, in this season of Lent, we follow the example of Christ in the wilderness and make a conscious choice for emptiness.

There are schools of religious thought that teach an embracing of emptiness as the key to happiness. That we must die to ourselves. That a denial of our physical selves will, in and of itself, redeem our spiritual selves. That the physical is bad and the spiritual is good. That is not what we proclaim. We proclaim the physical and spiritual are connected and we witness that in the incarnation of Jesus. If we deny ourselves, it is only so we can take up the cross of Christ. If we die, it is only so we can live again. If we embrace emptiness, it isn’t with emptiness as the end goal, but as a means to an end, experiencing the fullness of God. If we stop grasping at stuff, it is so we can grab hold of God.

I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to give something up this Lenten season. Something you really like. Something you’ll miss. Something that you use as a crutch to sustain you, to keep you from being lonely or quiet or empty, to keep from looking into that abyss. I encourage you to ask God into that time and that place that you normally fill with television or chocolate or shopping. Let this season of Lent be a time when you embrace emptiness in order to better understand the sacrifice of Christ and to be more filled with the Spirit of God.

For Lent: A Communion Meditation on Fullness

When was the last time you felt full? What was it that caused that feeling?

Not full as in sick, but full as in satisfied.

Genesis 1 says so much, but it is also just one long amazing poem about God’s provision, and that it was good. It isn’t meant to be an historic play by play of six literal days, but to reflect the eternal truth that the universe exists, we exist, the earth exists and everything in it because God said “Let there be…” It destroys the myth of the self-made man and reminds us that we are dust and that we are of God, all in the same breath. God has created, God has provided, God has given us more than we could ask or imagine.

And yet, it seems as if no time has passed before we begin to value the gifts over the giver. Adam and Eve are in the garden, a garden full of everything they could ever need and one thing they aren’t ready for. God commands them to eat of any tree in paradise, except for this one tree. This tree brings death.

And still, life is good. Adam and Eve enjoy the presence of God and the paradise He has provided. Until the snake arrives. Satan, the tempter, the deceiver, the adversary, comes and asks Adam and Eve to put the gift before the giver. He tells them that they should eat what they like. He promises power on par with God Himself. Satan whispers “Take and eat. This eternal life.” And they don’t resist. They take and eat. And as a result, they are commanded to leave paradise. As a result, they bring sin and suffering and death into the world. As a result, our reality is broken.

And humanity spends thousands and thousands of years wrestling with this brokenness and wrestling with God, obeying Him one second and defying Him the next. And yet, He continues to provide. From the start, he provides clothing for Adam and Eve, since the clothing they have made for themselves is so inadequate, and continues on throughout history, providing second chances and new beginnings, deliverance from Egypt and food in the desert, the law and the prophets, judges and kings. And, finally, providing the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

If we’re going to talk about being full, we have to begin with where fullness comes from. If we’re going to talk about gifts, we have to begin with the giver. If we’re going to talk about sacrifice, we have to begin with Jesus. Jesus who was with God in the beginning, when paradise was first created. Who is with us now, through His Spirit and His Church. Who is with us in our time of communion.

Jesus who comes offering us salvation from sin and an end to brokenness. Jesus who comes offering us the bread that is His body and the drink that is His blood. who offers fullness when he says “take and eat, this is eternal life.”

Reading and Listening Pt 2: Desert Island Discs

I forgot, I also picked up Kill Your Idols and Stranded, in order to read them alogside each other. Stranded is a collection of rock critics sharing which disc would go with them on a desert island. Kill Your Idols is a collection of rock critics tearing down "classics" from the rock & roll canon. They're both an excellent excercise in validation and frustration, depending upon whether you find yourself agreeing with said critic.

So, I invite you to share your Desert Island Discs as well as a "classic" that you'd only take to a desert island as something to burn. I'm doing 25. You do whatever you like. In order:

Johnny Cash -Live At Folsom Prison
Bruce Springsteen -Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
Bob Dylan -Highway 61 Revisited
The Beatles -Revolver
Elvis Costello -My Aim Is True
Van Morrison -Moondance
Tom Waits -Closing Time
Jackson Browne -Late For The Sky
Paul Simon -Graceland
Ron Sexsmith -Other Songs
U2 -The Unforgettable Fire
Otis Redding -Otis Blue
Marvin Gaye -Let's Get It On
The Kinks -Arthur
John Coltrane -A Love Supreme
Neil Young -On The Beach/Tonight's The Night (tie)
Harry Nilsson -Nilsson Schmilsson
The Band -Music From Big Pink
Big Star -#1 Record
The Beach Boys -Pet Sounds
John Lennon -Imagine
Elton John -Tumbleweed Connection
Wilco -Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
The Who -Who's Next
Jeff Buckley -Grace / Neutral Milk Hotel -In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (tie)


My disc for burning: Captain Beefheart/Lou Reed -Trout Mask Replica/Metal Machine Music (tie)

Reading and Listening

I said it would be every week, and that works out about right. A couple of books per week and a change out in the stereo. All that brings us to this week's installment of what I'm reading/listening to.

Reading:

Divine Nobodies by Jim Palmer. I've had about 6 different friends recommend this to me, so it's really about time. Not that far into it yet, but it has a Donald Miller feel to it. I'm enjoying it. A sort of spiritual memoir about a minister who almost threw in the towel and the people that helped him find his way back.

Searching For Truth by John Polkinghorne. Polkinghorne is a well respected physicist and theologian. This is a collection of Lenten meditations on science and faith. One for each day of Lent, in the style of a 'My Upmost For His Highest'.

Still working my way through The Brothers K and Decoding the Universe.


Listening to:

Clemency by Summer Hymns. Has that easy folkie indie feel of Neil Young's 'Harvest' or The Byrds 'Sweetheart of the Rodeo'. Summer Hymns get better with each album (this is their second to latest). Put out by the Misra label and is a sunnier version of other artists that Misra produces.

Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron & Wine. Neither this nor Clemency are particularly new albums (both came out in 2003 or 2004, I think), but this, like Clemency, is a favorite I hadn't pulled out in a little while. Rachel and I pulled it out last night and soaked it in while we played cards. At one point, one of us mentioned that it felt like we'd gone back in time. Very cozy and warm and heartfelt and sad.

The Very Best of...The Tremeloes. Wow. I forget how amazing The Tremeloes are. Those not familiar with the name would still recognize a few of their songs ('Here Comes My Baby', 'Silence Is Golden'). That stuff is the tip of the iceberg. For fans of the British Invasion (particularly The Kinks). I dare you to listen to 'Hello World' and stay in a bad mood.

If Mankind Can't Come To The Mountain...

Most of us are familiar with the phrase “if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must come to the mountain.”

The phrase gets used when someone or something can’t or won’t budge. Sometimes we apply this proverb to grand events and sometimes to everyday circumstances. The idea is that when one cannot get one’s own way, one is forced to make adjustments.

The proverb has roots in a story about Mohammed. The legend goes that when the founder of Islam was asked to give proofs of his teaching, he ordered Mount Safa to come to him. When the mountain did not comply, Mohammed raised his hands toward heaven and said, 'God is merciful. Had it obeyed my words, it would have fallen on us to our destruction. I will therefore go to the mountain and thank God that he has had mercy on a stiff-necked generation.’ Because the mountain would not come to Mohammed, Mohammed went to the mountain.

In the New Testament gospel of Luke, we have a story that is popularly known as the Transfiguration. It is a story about a mountain. In the story of the Transfiguration, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain. Mountains, you may well know, in Greek, Hebrew, Roman and Asian religious literature, were always places where the human could touch the divine. Sure enough, at the top of that mountain with Jesus, a wonderful thing happened. Jesus was revealed in new form, surrounded by bright light. The apostles began to see Jesus a new way. The apostles got a brand-new insight into whom this Jesus really was -- dazzling, consuming, literally enlightening. Here stood their teacher, Jesus, alongside two of the greatest men from their history; Moses and Elijah. Two men who were, for all intents and purposes, the law and the prophets. Jesus is revealed in His true form, and the effect on the apostles is instantaneous and the experience is glorious.

When we find ourselves in the midst of enlightening experiences, what we often call “mountain top” experiences, there is a strong desire to want to live in the moment, to want to make of the experience a pious response. To say to ourselves "this as close to heaven as I can get, so I'm staying here." This is what Peter opts for. He says, "Let's settle down here, Jesus, and build three booths, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

I'm not really sure, but I think what he had in mind was to build a sanctuary and call it a church. Peter, in other words, was opting for a religion of temples, institutions and shrines. Peter was opting for a religion that transcends the world, but the scripture reads that before he could even finish speaking, God interrupted and said, "Listen." Before Peter could go into the greater details of his amazing plan, God spoke, pointed to Jesus, and said "Listen to him."

Then something happens that we too often forget. The gospel is completed by a portion that is usually unread, too little remembered, too much unfulfilled. At the very moment, when it would seem that Jesus is emphasizing the mystical and transcendent dimension of religion, Jesus himself takes the apostles away from visions, away from privatized religion, to meet the ones who needed them most in the town.

Jesus takes them down the mountain to a man whose son was possessed by a demon. Jesus himself leads them down to the bottom of that mountain to the hurting people, unbelieving officials, the ineffective institutions and the demons below.

Following Jesus isn’t about building a church, but being a church. It is not about building temples and keeping shrines. It is about healing hurts, speaking for and being with the poor, the helpless, the voiceless and the forgotten who are at the silent bottom of every pinnacle, every hierarchy and every system.

Following Christ, the scripture insists, is not about transcending life; following Christ is about transforming life.

The purpose of holiness is not to protect us from our world. The purpose of holiness is to change the way we live in the world, not for our own sake but for the sake of others.

The disciples are permitted to see the transfigured Jesus, but now they want to stay in the world of the transfiguration, and no longer return to the real world. They want to remain in the world of Jesus' visible glory and power, in the world of the visible fulfillment of the promise. They want to remain where they can see, not where they simply have to believe. But the disciples are not allowed to do this.

The people below, the people at the bottom of our mountains, wait to be healed of the diseases that spring from our spiritual darkness. The poor wait for jobs; the homeless wait for shelter; children are waiting for food. Those who are lost and lonely and broken wait to hear some piece of good news.

That is what the Transfiguration is about, that is what religion is really about, we are transformed so that the world might be transformed.

When Mohammed commands the mountain to move, the mountain scoffs at his arrogance and will not budge. But the people who sit at the foot of the mountain cry out for mercy. Thousands of years earlier, God’s people, the Israelites, encounter the presence of God at a mountain known as Mount Sinai. The glory of God is so great, that the people cannot even touch the base of the mountain. It is so terrifying that the Israelites ask that Moses go up on the mountain and bring back some word, some glimpse of God’s glory. The people cannot come to the mountain and they suffer as a result.

Today our predicament is the same. The glory of God is too great for us. Our sin creates a gap between us. We cannot come to the mountain.

And so, if mankind cannot go to the mountain, the mountain must come to mankind. In the person of Jesus Christ we receive the Word who was with God and is God. We have looked on Jesus and we have seen his glory. Through the Son of God, born as a man, crucified as a sacrifice, and risen as Lord, the glory of the mountain is brought to us. Through His Holy Spirit, it dwells in us.

If Christ brings the mountain to us, then we must follow suit on behalf of others. Too often the church has existed for it’s own purposes, a people on a pedestal instead of a city set on a hill. Too often we’ve been so enthralled with our own mountaintop experience that we have sought to re-create it as an ongoing series of mountaintop experiences. In starting churches we built booths at the top of unreachable mountains. Too often we have said that if people want church they have to come to church, but that doesn’t follow with the example set by Christ. If Jesus Christ goes down the mountain, the followers of Christ must follow Him down. Follow Him into the everyday circumstances where the light of Christ is most needed, into the lives of people who are crying out for someone to save them, into contact with the demons who torture and afflict them. If the people won’t come to church then the church must come to the people.