This is not merely a seasonally specific rant. It just so happens that this season tends to tickle me a bit more than other seasons. That tickle becomes more and more like an annoying itch when folks attempt to dress themselves in a perverse piety that longs for God to be present and yet there is an unwillingness to allow that presence to be manifest among us. From what I hear, the only way God is to be present is in the way folks want - or shall I say demand - that presence.
For me we are no different from many of the biblical stories in which faithful people had to deal with their own unfaithfulness as they attempted to make something divine out of their own likes and loves and wants and desires. I irreverently call this the g-spot. It is and eternal conundrum among those who call themselves faithful. We convince ourselves that we are faithful to the one, true God only to turn to that which we can own and use to promote or bring pleasure to our lives as we want them. Thus, we turn our backs to this God we say we praise and trust and make for ourselves gods whose image we create. Being created in God's image is thus lost among us.
So, the story for me is one of upper and lower case images. One is the God whose image is to become the shape of our lives. The other is the god whose image is one we shape to fit our lives. This is no new insight. Read the book of Judges. It is a comedy of Oh God we long for you to save us - they are rescued - they fall for the gods of the day - they get betrayed by their gods - they cry out Oh God...again and again and again. Faithfulness becomes tribal - faithfulness becomes convenient - faithfulness becomes the pull to be nothing more than who we want. Therefore, all of us have to be on the watch for the gods that we long to have lead us and guide us. Unfortunately, too often we are all suckers for the sweet taste of self-love - a golden calf - a partisan promise - a time in the past - a stock market surge - a magical ride to a better place. Falling in love with the gods of our lives makes for both great comedy and tragedy. When we see they are only gods and then laugh at ourselves for falling for them, we understand the power and wisdom of comedy. When we long to keep them as our gods it is a bitter tragedy that will drive folks to destroy those who are able to laugh at the gods we make.
More and more when I hear folks take about putting God back into - schools or Christmas or the country or those folks over there - all I see and hear is the little g - the lower case g. Part of that has to do with my understanding of the eternal presence of God - always present - always with us - always bidding us to come and reflect the joy of God's eternal Reign. This God has never been removed from any place or time. But, the gods-of-the-day that we work so hard to keep in place often fall to the side and fail us. So, what are we looking for.
Are we sure we want the God of the Scriptures to be present among us so as to come alive in that image or are we simply so consumed by our personal wants we will settle for any god that ultimately will make us die from our self-consumption. Do you want God back in Christmas? Then for Christ's sake look again at the character of God in the flesh. Christ is not missing - we are missing the Christ. Do you want God in the schools? Then we must stay aware of the gods of the day that will teach us to love ourselves - our kind - our own - more than those others. Do you want God in politics/government? Then get ready to let go of the systems that let so many of God's beloved be dismissed and disenfranchised and devoured so that we can establish our own gods to rule our lives. Do you want God in your heart? Then learn how to spot how slavishly folks run after the gods of their liking and laugh. Yes, learn to laugh at the foolishness of our self-concern and self-consumption. When we can see those gods among us, our hearts will be filled with that promised joy. Joy of our God - for every season.
TRRR
No comments:
Post a Comment