Games of the Throne

A recent TV show had a popular tagline “Winter is coming.” And although in the show “Winter” stood for a lot more than weather, snow and cold were often part of the story. And as we transition from a rather harsh winter of our own (although perhaps not as bad as some a long time ago), we so yearn for the green of Spring or the warmth of Summer. It’s the yearning that drives us.

Yearning is the world of religion, poetry, and metaphor. We struggle to put thoughts into words, our ideas in actions, and our actions towards God’s preferred future for creation. Our hearts, minds, and souls seek God on so many levels of consciousness and experience, and that one—usually brief—moment when all is right in the world.

Throughout my life I’ve saved some quotations that have struck me as profound. All of them, it turns out, revolve around a yearning for God’s presence. Some, like St. Augustine’s “Our hearts are restless Lord until they rest in you,” are pretty self-explanatory. Others, like Samuel Johnson’s “It seems that while searching for the meaning of life you have neglected to live,” take some time to ponder and pray about. But in all there is a yearning.

As I now approach the last third of my life (at least according to insurance statistics) the yearning seems more profound. It’s not that I expect answers, or even to satiate the yearning, but rather how grateful I am to still be here to yearn at all. The smile of my grandson transports me to dimensions of reality I had not known existed. Amazing.

My prayer this summer for us, and all our friends, family, and neighbors who are part of lives, is that the yearning finds a home in God. The yearning finds love in the cross of peace. That our yearnings soar on the wings of eagles to bring us to the final throne, the throne of God.

May your tables be full and your conversations be true.

(a little music to pass the time)

My Privilege

I am constantly reminded of my privilege as a male, cis-gendered, heterosexual white person in the United States of America. Over the last 40 years of my life I have constantly changed my behaviors, my language, my attitudes in order not to take undue advantage of that privilege. I still benefited I am sure, but I took every opportunity I could to be less racist, sexist, elitist, and the like.  (Surprisingly, I have rarely had issues with sexuality and privilege. Must be the result of growing up in the 70s?) Whenever somebody called me out, and they did a lot at first, but over the years I have changed to be who I am today. But it has taken 40 years of people constantly reminding me of my privilege.

If I am any example, if you're just discovering your privileges (whatever they may be), you are in for a long haul. 40 years minimum. And if you don't have that long, well you best get started now. And for folks like my many teachers, acquaintances, friends, and colleagues, and my wonderfully amazing wife,  who prodded me along the way over the years, you too, as the current "wakers" (People who try to keep us awake to the reality of privilege and its devastating effects) your job is not done either.

After 40 years I can say that I do not immediately think in the ways of privilege that I thought in the first 15 years or so of my life, but they come back every now then in flashbacks and memories. I don't say this to brag or to show my street cred, but rather just to reflect honestly on how hard, long, and arduous the process for change is in my case, and I presume many others. Because I do know thing that all the folks who have helped me, reminded me, taught me, guided me, shown me, forgiven me, I know one thing all those folks cannot know: how hard it is to give up the privilege. Ever. In fact, we will never give it up. It has to be taken. Or...

But I am reminded that there is a "still more excellent way," as the Apostle Paul once wrote. There is love. And when it comes to privilege the way to love is to surrender the privilege. And, as far as I know, only guy did that. And they killed him on a cross.

And of those of us of privilege who come from the tradition of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross, all the giving up of privilege in our world, whether money, color, status, anything...all of that is secondary to the forgiveness we have in his life, death, and resurrection. In the end, as I look back on it, although I have never wanted to hurt anyone intentionally, I have generally tried to be considerate and helpful in changing our world for the better for all minorities of any kind, I have never really done it for them. Or, for that matter, because I wanted a "better" world.I have tried to change, and I will keep trying to change because of him. I love because he loved me. I give my privilege because he gave his.

If you have privilege of any kind, I invite you to join me in giving it away. And to those who don't have it, I encourage you to not lose heart. And to remind me if I've forgotten. It is appreciated more than you can imagine. After all, when you call me on my privilege, you are Christ to me. Thank you.

May your tables be full and your conversations be true.