Where is the Love? Spiritual, but not Religious

(Editor's note: This blog post is part of the Darkwood Brew series "Prophetically Incorrect." This series is looking into the question of the relationship between us and our neighbors in political and cultural ways through our faith. Check out Darkwood Brew for more information.)

"Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over into Beersheba..."
                                                                                                            Amos 5.5

If we knew that Bethel and Gilgal were important sanctuaries to seek God, the verse this week from Amos is a head-scratcher. God wants us to seek God, but not go to the big-box congregations that are famous in Bethel and Gilgal. So where are we to seek God? If God wants us to seek our the Divine, but not go to the famous worship centers of our time, where do we go to seek God?

Now, when Amos answers that question, his response is "the gate." His gate would be akin to our coffee shops, our grocery stores, our post offices, our law-courts, anywhere where public discourse happens.

Have you heard the phrase "Spiritual, but not religious?" That is, people are seeking spiritual experiences, but not necessarily having those experiences of the Divine, the spiritual, etc., within the confines of religious parameters. In other words, people want to seek God, but not in the sanctuaries of our current religious institutions. (check out this video for more information on this term)

In other words, we want God, but not necessarily this: . (That's the Vatican, the supreme symbol of religious institutionalism.)

I feel that way a lot. I have been on leave from religious institutions for a couple of years now. It has been great! My spiritual journey has taken me to new and innovative ways to experience God like Darkwood Brew , deepening spiritual reading of the Bible through Dwelling in the Word , and just taking time to plant an organic garden. My spirit has gained some great depth, but I have not been too tied to religious institutions.

But where is the love? Where is the love of God, the love of the neighbor, even the love of myself? (go ahead, sing the song with the Black Eyed Peas.) At their best, religious institutions try to get at this love, usually by doing something like this 

Notice in that event, started by God, a person set aside to serve is offering the love of God in a cup of wine to anyone who comes. How is that love? The only answer to that is because God promised to be there in that event, wherever, whenever it happens. ("Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them." Jesus of Nazareth) Institutions are ONLY important in ways that they offer time and space for people to participate in, with, under, and against the love of God

Amos knew that it seems. Jesus did too. Jesus knew that the most precious  thing about you, gentle reader, is your soul, your spirit. If religiosity gets in the way of your spirit, get rid of your religion. If God is hindered by your religious institution, don't let the institution stand. We might still need institutions (Hegel might be right!), but we definitely need the love. It's God's love that motivates our spirits, I hope that love also motivates our institutions too.

May your tables be full, and your conversations be true.

People of Good Will

(Editor's note: This blog post is part of the Darkwood Brew series "Prophetically Incorrect." This series is looking into the question of the relationship between us and our neighbors in political and cultural ways through our faith. Check out Darkwood Brew for more information.)

"Then the LORD said, 'See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I (the LORD) will never again pass them by...I (the LORD) will rise against the house of Jeroboam'" Amos 7. 8-9

What does it mean to be a person of "good will?" Are you one of those people who wishes for others goodness? Do you wish blessings and peace on strangers? If so, good job of following Jesus (see the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10)...for those of you who may not, why not?

So, as we consider the LORD's plumb line  this week, it is helpful to remember one thing: The LORD--not us people--uses the plumb line. That is, the plumb line exists for the LORD to measure righteousness and justice. The plumb line is how the LORD keeps relationships straight.

The big question then is WHAT is the plumb line the LORD uses? Christianity has answered that question for years by saying "Jesus." But Christians have meant a lot of different things by that word "Jesus." Broadly speaking (and we are painting with the big brushes here, no little details) there are three uses of "Jesus" as the plumb line of God.

For some Christians Jesus is the plumb line as we try to live and do our lives as we follow his example. So, whatever things Jesus did is the stuff we should try and do in our lives today. If Jesus fed people, we feed people. If Jesus prayed, we pray. If Jesus drank wine, we should drink wine (OK, to be fair, that doesn't always make the list, but it should!) Jesus becomes some kind of iconic moral, spiritual, and religious exemplar, and how we follow that example (plumb line) is how God measures humanity. (Note: for some people, following Jesus is so important, that you don't even have to know you are following Jesus to be measured by God...if you are doing the kinds of things Jesus did, that's OK by God, and you don't even have to know you are following Jesus in this.)

For other Christians Jesus measures us by how well we believe in what he did in his death and resurrection for our salvation. For these Christians, what matters about Jesus as the plumb line of God is how we believe in the death of Jesus as a way to set the world right, and how we believe in his resurrection to bring justice to the world. What he actually did when he was alive, although helpful and holy, is not how the LORD uses Jesus to measure us. It is Jesus' death, his resurrection from the grave, that the LORD uses for measuring.

The third popular use of Jesus is to say that the LORD only uses Jesus to measure Christians. That is, whatever Jesus is, does, whatever he did or hopes to do only applies to those who believe in God through Jesus. Jesus as the LORD's plumb line only affects those who want to measure their lives by Jesus. (Notice, this is good, because if you want to be measured by Jesus, you tend to also want to do whatever you have to to have that measurement work in your favor. Too bad for others, but for you? Good news!)

The only problem with those three uses of Jesus as the plumb line of God is that, at least according to Amos, they are all wrong. If we grant Jesus is the plumb line of God that Amos is talking about (and that is risky at best to assume that, but most Christians do...) Jesus is what God uses to measure relationships. That is God, uses the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth to plumb line the world. However Jesus measures it, well, that's what the LORD is going to use...

So how does Jesus measure the world? Well, he dies with no money, no possessions, a new family taking shape in the shadow of his cross, and his friends all running away and waiting to see. He plumb lines the world on a cross that is not his last resting spot. He plumb lines the world with an empty tomb, with a hope and promise of something we cannot taste or see.

To be honest, gentle reader, I do not find it too interesting how you use Jesus to measure your life. I really don't care which of the three options above you use, or even if you have another one you use. What interests me is that LORD uses Jesus as a plumb line. God measures God's being in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Because you see, Jesus was just a guy...just a person...who showed all of us humans what it means to be human. Because as strange as it is, we humans never get being human right...we always try to be God rather than being human.

Jesus, as far as we know, never tried to be God, he was satisfied being human. So, are you? Are you satisfied in being human? If so, then you probably have no trouble with good will and blessings towards others...that's about as human as we can get.

May your tables be full and your conversations be true.

Dwelling in the Word: Little (houses)Conversations on the Prairie

I am at a Dwelling in the Word festival sponsored by Church Innovations Institute  What a great time!

We are sharing a lot of our experiences in Dwelling in the Word (Dwelling in the Word is a spiritual practice that Church Innovations has used to great effect over the past 25 years. They have a developed a Spirit-led, Christ-centered, God-encompassed patience over the years to listen strangers into the freedom of the gospel. Check them out on the link above.) Anyhow, we have folks from South Africa, the USA, Native Americans, India, England, Germany, Belgium, Norway, and probably more as I haven't had a chance to meet everybody. Everyone is jumping up to share a new insight or introduce a new friend. Great times!

I've been using Dwelling in the Word as a spiritual practice of my own for years, and we used it for our worship at Prairie Table Ministries in Bismarck, ND. I never realized just how much impact this way of being a congregation or a community can have on lives.Yeah, it may be good for me, but congregations learning how to deal with the after-effects of apartheid? Never occurred to me that God's Spirit might have something to say to them too. Talk about God being great!

But my own ignorance and limitations do not limit how exciting it is to be here.I am brought close to tears at hearing the stories people share about how talking together, sharing leadership, and trusting in the promise of God to transform despair into hope. For example, one lady from Norway shared how she learned to trust her people to be the people of God, and that led to her working on improving Christian-Islam relationships in Oslo.These are truly impressive leaders.

But here's what's funny: all of these leaders would say, "It's not me." Leader after leader has expressed how God did all the heavy lifting in the Dwelling sessions, and how the leader "just" listened and prayed. I wonder if we don't need to re-think what a leader is? I wonder if we need to see that leadership is not about having the answers, but about being patient enough to listen for God to speak and act through, in with, under, and maybe even against people?

Maybe leaders in the Christian world are not this  but rather this



 What if Christian leadership is not about leading people into to battle, but rather leading them into life? What if Christian leadership is not about sitting on a horse surrounded by an army, but rather sitting on the floor surrounded by the lame? A lot of what passes for Christian leadership these days is bullshit. It's misguided because it uses standards not set up by God in Christ in the power of the Spirit, but rather standards set up by the Marine Corps (like Robert's Rules of Order--the most un-Christian document ever!)

But what this Festival has witnessed to me is how many great Christian leaders there are out in the world, trying to make a difference, and not being too bothered by whether they look foolish or not.

And that not being bothered comes from a deep place, gentle reader. A deep trust in a God who keeps promises. A deep trust in a God who loves the world, and all the creatures in it. A deep trust that the Spirit is the best conduit for meaningful, hopeful, and loving relationships. Soon we will gather for dinner...and soon we will have conversations. Sounds like a good day to be on the prairie.

May your tables be full, and your conversations be true.

On Returning to the Place I grew up (home)

What is "home?" Is it the place you grew up? Is it where you feel safe? Is "home" defined by people, or by a location? Can you have many homes? Or, is it just one? Is a "house" the same as a "home?" I mean, we have
* home pages
*home bases
*home away from home
*home fields
*home "boys" (which, curiously, also often includes "girls")
I am sure there are some I have missed...feel free to add in comments below

But, "home" carries with a definition that most of us can't describe...but we know "home" when we see it, or experience it, or feel it.

I think that is why "home" is such a powerful metaphor. I haven't lived in Minneapolis for 11 years, but still coming back into the southern suburbs yesterday felt like home. Maybe it's familiar? Maybe it's comfortable?

    I have a suspicion that home is more important now that immigration is a reality for so many people. Immigration used to be only for those going from one country to another, but now it is people going from one city, one place to another. I remember in Bismarck, being at a Golden Corral (it's one of those buffet restaurants where all the food tastes the same), and the manager, in a nice Southern accent welcomed us. You're not from North Dakota, I asked? No, he said, I moved here from Atlanta, and this is so exciting to have a job!

The first winter came, and Golden Corral had a new manager. From Pick City, a little town just north of Bismarck. It takes more than a job to make a place a home. It takes more than people to make a place a home. Early in our life together, Chris and I lived six blocks from Wrigley field in Chicago. We were surrounded by people all the time, but we never thought we were "home."

Curiously, when our youngest turned 16, and we wanted to take her on a trip anywhere she wanted to go, she chose Chicago, because although she hadn't lived there for 15 years, it was home. Really? You were one when you left? Is home the place you were born? Maybe...

So I am back in the verdant greenness that is Minnesota in the Springtime. This is where I learned to ride a bike, kiss a girl, and graduate from school. This is where my brother lives. This is where some of my longest tenured friends live (although I rarely talk to them anymore...I'm too busy...too selfish...to ignorant--see my last post.) I am sitting 100 yards away from the first sanctuary I ever preached in, where I learned Luther's Catechism, where I taught pre-schoolers about Abraham and Sarah, and teenagers about God's Spirit.

Right now I am sitting 100 yards away from the home of my best friend's mom whom I did the funeral for a few years ago...a family we used to have dinner with until divorce broke them up 12 years ago...this is all part of "home."

But when I am not here, this is not the place I think of when people ask me, "where is home?" My answer is always the same, wherever Chris is. 26 years ago I married her, and although I have yet to take her on a honeymoon, or even be in the same state with her for our anniversaries (to be honest, I had to do the math right now--I am a horrible spouse...maybe someday I'll buy her a gift?) But she is home to me in a way that my own mother, my own children are not.  Whatever is home for you, I hope you have a little bit of it this summer. Summer seems like a good time to "go home." Wherever, whatever that is.

May your tables be full, and your conversations be true.

We'll get together then, on a golden autumn day

(Editor's note: This blog post is part of the Darkwood Brew series "Prophetically Incorrect." This series is looking into the question of the relationship between us and our neighbors in political and cultural ways through our faith. Check out Darkwood Brew for more information.)

"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream." Amos 5.24

Amos climaxes his argument here in chapter 5. The point of having God is not so that you can do religious things, but rather so you can treat your neighbor, yourself, your entire world with justice. In other words, without God, you're never going to be righteous.

Immediately, whenever you say something like that, an argumentative type says, "What about an atheist who works in a soup kitchen? What about a non-Jew (or Christian) who takes care of her grandparents? Isn't she righteous? Aren't they doing justice?" Sure. BUT--the whole reason for believing in, with, and under God is for justice. So, not only should atheists, non Jews/Christians be doing justice, but so should Christians and Jews. 

And now the argument goes, "Wait! Aren't we suppose to worship God? Isn't that the whole reason for believing in God?" Not according to Amos. I suppose worship and justice are the two arms of our relationship with God, but for Amos, the justice arm is the more important one. ( For this reason, I assume, congregations that are somewhat justice-averse don't spend six weeks reading Amos.)

But I wonder how many of us believe in God so that we can be just or righteous with our neighbors, our families, our friends, and even our own selves? Have you ever heard this song by Harry Chapin? Cat's in the Cradle is one of those haunting songs that gets you to tears pretty fast.  Dads, moms, sons, daughters, we are all subject to to the pressing issue of time. We all get older. We all let things slip away, even things we love and cherish like our children or our parents. We replace all our important relationships with the things we want to do, or think we should do, or other people tell us to do, and then it gets too late to do anything at all.

Over the years I've met many people, and most have slipped away from me. I got too busy building a new life, focused on raising my kids, supporting my family. A lot of friends I can stay in touch with a bit through Facebook, but since they're my friends many of them post as infrequently as I do. So I have lost a lot of great relationships, a lot of justice, a lot of righteousness through my focus on me and my stuff.

I wonder if Amos knew stuff like that happens. A lot of scholars think Amos was some kind of priest, and did he know the anguish of the human heart that laments the lack of righteousness or justice in our world, even though our intentions are noble and good? I mean, just last night while I was talking to my daughter in Los Angeles, my brother in Minneapolis called, and I missed the chance to talk to him because I was talking to her. And time says YOU CAN'T HAVE IT ALL!! Bastard time. I want to talk to both my daughter AND my brother, but alas...

Maybe there is no definitive answer to this conundrum: maybe we live with the righteousness we are allowed by time and space? What I love about Amos is that he is convinced that being "religious" is not a substitute for being "righteous." And given the choice between the two, "righteous" is God's preferred option.

And Jesus of Nazareth also knew something of this which Amos speaks. Jesus tells a story about a Samaritan man, whom many Jews felt that as a Samaritan he did just not worship God the right way in the right place, but even though he had that "handicap," he still was able to be righteous (just) when the time came.  I wonder who the Samaritan ignored so he could help a Jew, his enemy? Did his wife say, "What are you spending our money on that heathen for?" Did his daughter say, "Dad, how come you missed my baseball game?" Did he have to tell his boss he was late for work because he was helping a Jew? This justice gig is fraught with peril. Somebody is not going to like you when you do it.

But, both Jesus and Amos seem to think God will still like you...and sometimes that's enough, but you and I both know, gentle reader, that sometimes it isn't. 

May your tables be full and your conversations be true.