| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today, Mount Shoop gives us a bit more on this notion of 'in-form.'
I use 'in-form' here rather than "re-form" which would seem a logical trope given the Reformation roots of this project. "Reform," a wonderful, ongoing gift of our Reformed heritage, suggests change from something flawed to something correct. When we reform we amend what is wrong, we change to a better form, we correct. While this causation leads to change (that we always hope and pray is for the better), it carries with it a judgment of the prior behavior or action; and I want us to avoid such judgment as we stretch into our own embodied experiences. It is not that we first need to correct wrongs (although there are wrongs that can surely be healed in this process), but that primarily we need more room to know and to be who we are. Being in-formed is a tender invitation to open up to the light of Christ in you and to the embodied possibilities that we hold collectively. It is not necessarily a move from something wrong to something right; it is instead an enriching , a nurturing, a deepening, and an expansion. This in-forming dynamic also has a deconstructing nuance suggested in the word "informality." Informality soften some of the more rigid aspects of formal/accepted behavior, dress, and conversation. Informality has the capacity to clear blockages entrenched by our holy habits.
"We need more room to know and to be who we are." I see that as a time of dialogue. It is the life of the church that invites all to the table - for a banquet - for discussion - for offering a bit of ourselves and taking in a bit of someone else. This is the kind of language that comes from the Holy Spirit. It helps to make us look at what is happening between us and what is the future to which we all move - even as it appears as thought we move differently. We in-form each other. We bring them in and they bring us in - we become the body of Christ - the form of the Christ. In the meantime, we listen and share so that as we are involved in this kind of inspiring give-and-take we often will be surprised by the life that is among us and that which is just beyond and yet coming our way. Rather than stacking up argument of how we will change what is, we come ready to unfold that which we are so that as this become our manner, there will be nothing to hide. As Mount Shoop notes, sometimes we can become 'entrenched by our holy habits' - I'm sure we have all been there. Connection: What does it take to let go of our 'holy habits' and begin to welcome that which is beyond us and yet at our door - or in the room with us? Day in and day out I find it is a struggle that needs much attention from more than myself. Within the strangeness of all who gather in your name, O God, let our strangeness be seen as the gifts you bring among us as a Holy people. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today we will work in a chapter called "In-Forming the Body of Christ." It begins with a 'pentecostal/charismatic' woman who comes to a group where people are gathered for contemplative prayer. We'll she was speaking in tongues and moving around the sanctuary - a bit distracting for some. From here Mount Shoop takes us along a look at ourselves and the whole body and how we are in-formed.
We are in-formed when we listen to the wisdom, the pain, and the promise of body language, and let these narratives, poetics, and metaphors enhance our embodied awareness. This dynamic forms us from the inside, out by virtue of its primal intersection with embodied experience. While we most often understand ourselves as receiving "information" cognitively, in-formation is received cellularly. The how and the why of this kind of cellular communication is the very nature of feeling itself. Feeling flows, it forms us, and it is the mode of our redemption. To in-form is to permeate, to inspire. In-formation means feeling is acknowledged, enriched, and nurtured. To in-form is to strengthen the flow of feeling. To in-form is to facilitate the integration of cellular knowing.
Just today in worship I told a story of a nurse who laid her hand on my shoulder as as I was waiting to go into surgery - I was frightened. I didn't say anything - she just knew it. Her hand rested there. I was being healed through and through. She did not need to speak words. I was being in-formed of the power of God to be utterly present and available even when I was just another piece of meat in the pre-op area. I was no piece of meat. I was being held up and sustained and honored. Deep down on that 'cellular' level, there was a conversation taking place - an announcement. There were no right and proper liturgical movement - not here. It was more on line with being grasped and caressed from within so that I could breathe freely. The anesthetic always puts me out cold - way cold. But this touch put me in touch with a place peace and rest that only comes when others gather around us and with us and let God's presence flow deeply among us. Connection: There are so many ways we can be in-formed about the presence of the Body of Christ. Too often we are looking elsewhere. And then, in the 'out of ordinary' maybe even the 'intrusive other' we begin to fly. Within the strangeness of all who gather in your name, O God, comes the fire of that your Spirit that disturbs and heals. Within your creative power we are made new in ways we have yet to understand - we are always blessed by your action. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | I was so caught up on it being my wife's birthday (today, July 1) I forgot to send out yesterday's devotions - duh! Continuing with Marcia W. Mount Shoop.
Just as motherhood embodies fragmented subjectivity, dispositions of adventure give and encourage abundant life over time in the midst of contradictions. This, fragmentation is not a problem to be solved but an invitation to let contradictions be part of our identity. One set of experiences is not overdetermined as the trump card of how everyone should be. What is "natural," "instinctual," or "normal" is troubled by the metaphors of motherhood. Mothers nurture, but we also must see our children for the unique creatures that they are. Mothers encourage, but we cannot control. Mother teach and form, but we cannot determine. Maintaining relationship is in the midst of differences, challenges, and even insults and pain is the adventure of motherhood. Not being a mother I cannot say this is so. And yet, I also know - from observation - that is is quite so. It is a good metaphor for our life within the Reigning power of God. "Inviting contradictions to be part of our identity" is no simple task. And yet, it is an essential part of the essence of the body of Christ. Too often, we do not let that be so. We work to control - to give answers - to fit - to make sure there is a bottom line that will somehow prove to someone that we are right and good and worthy to be followed. Baloney! This metaphor of motherhood is enlightening. And yet, I say that as a man. Maybe it is not so groundbreaking to women. It is my guess that it may be the same for many of us because we do not give this part of the adventure of our life room to develop and space to unfold outside our control. I find two words in Mount Shoop's writing that are important to me. "Mothers nurture but we must see our children for the unique creatures that they are." This is not an easy task. Too often, the nurturing turns into control among us. It is vital to the health of the whole body of Christ that we give space to the unique who are among us. There we will learn a bit more about how wide is the Reign of God and what love it takes to allow it all to be one. Connection: How do people nurture the unique creatures of our lives? I'm sure we have seen many examples of nuturing and unique creatures - I am sure we have been amazed at the vision of God's Reign that come through for all to see. When you draw us into the faithful adventure of life, O God, we become involved in the amazing adventure of grace alive and among us. We bless you, O God. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Continuing with Marcia W. Mount Shoop.
Dispositions of adventure do not so much feel compelled to draw lines, but seek first to clear spaces for the indwelling of God's effusive Spirit. Humility and confidence are the connective tissue of these dispositions. Such a disposition is humbled by God's elusiveness at the same time that it is emboldened by God's immanence. The body's ambiguity is not so much to be feared, but is to be accepted as part of the mystery of life. Dispositions of adventure are not afraid to welcome those who stretch the ways we have always thought and done things. These dispositions are hospitable to difference and embrace its challenges At the same time, relativism is not the character of these dispositions. Dispositions of adventure stand firmly in the conviction of a living God who has reconciled us to that life-giving reality. That simple act of 'clearing spaces for the indwelling of God effusive Spirit' can bring about a change in direction when our lives are being lived under the weight of all the other fires that try to consume us. Clearing spaces within all the running around - that may only be happening in our heads - provides the possibility for viewing what it common and ordinary as brilliantly alive and available. Unfortunately, we too often are not able to see the clear spaces and therefore we are not able to breath in the life that is able to grow there. Instead we spin around - going nowhere and afraid to step out of what has been keeping us spinning. This disposition of adventure is part of a freedom march beyond the place in which we stand knowing that we may become someone new with each step we take on this adventure in life. Connection: Clearing spaces may be as simple as taking a breath or closing our eyes or acting a bit out of character. In all of these actions, provide us with a way to re-view ourselves in the midst of a new day. When you draw us into the faithful adventure of life, O God, keep open our hearts that we may be pulled out of old ways and begin to see you present among us taking us into all that you have promised that is not yet. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Today Mount Shoop quotes Alfred North Whitehead - I think it is wonderful Alfred North Whitehead asserts that without adventure civilization trivializes religion and will eventually perish from its fear of what might be. He describes the nature of religion as follows: Religion is the vision of something which stands beyond, behind, and within, the passing flux of immediate things; something that is real, and yet waiting to be realized; something which is a remote possibility, and yet the greatest of present facts...something which is the ultimate ideal, and the hopeless quest.... The worship of God is not a rule of safety - it is an adventure of the spirit, a flight after the unattainable. The death of religion comes with the repression of the high hope of adventure. Mount continues - Religion and piety are not the quest for control or certainty, but they are the embodied trust of holy mystery. Dispositions of adventure are open to the ambiguity of God's mystery. This is as dynamic of a quote as is needed for this conversation on adventure. Adventure is to be 'in play' with the world as it is engaging us. Faithfulness is the backbone to such a willingness to move into that which is ambiguous and yet know for certain that what will unfold will be a part of the procession of faithfulness through time. I know that I am often one who wants to pin something down and say "this is it." And yet, that which I am trying to pin down is never 'it.' Rather, it may be a piece of what will unfold next. Too often, we can be led astray before that which is next is allowed to engage us and we to engage it. Fear and anxiety often find ways to rule us and turn us into idolatrous people set on security rather than faithfulness. Therefore, we need those people around us who continue to draw us into mystery so that questions never cease and faithfulness blossoms in ways we may have never anticipated. Connection: It never fails. Safety is allowed to rule even as God is drawing us out into the wilderness of what is not yet. If you are like me, do you find yourself stepping back or to the side rather than stepping forward into the realm of hopefulness that is not yet securely in place? When you draw us into the faithful adventure of life, O God, draw us into that holy mystery that is the way of your Reigning power. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | This week is a continuation from "Let the Bones Dance" in a section named - Dispositions of Adventure: Embodying Ambiguity. The discordant and melodious metaphors of the body's language are indeed cryptic. But dispositions of adventure take their obscurity as an invitation to seek not control, but surrender, humility, and hope. Dispositions of adventure are open and indeterminate. They trust God to help us live in the gray areas of both our sinfulness and our created goodness. Dispositions of adventure are not afraid of what God's mystery makes possible. These dispositions can spot idolatry and are ready to explode the hold it has on us. Dispositions of adventure have convictions, but avoid the stagnation of unbending dogmatism. When there can be so many voices of fear coming out of the church - though I never understand that action - it is so good to hear that 'dispositions of adventure are not afraid of what God's mystery makes possible.' We are the ones who live within the promise of our God who has walked with us in and through all things and then promises to be with us in and through all things that will come. We are not sure how this life will unfold and we will be tempted to be pulled off the way by many powers of the day that do not care about God's Reign or the healing of all things. Never can we be a people who must know anything more than our God will walk with us - even when the way we walk is not a clear path of good and bad. Within the choices of the day we must deal with those 'gray areas' and we must do that with a sense of how our God - in Christ - walked in the midst of just such a world. As this kind of adventurous folks, we learn what it is to hold on and what it is to let go. This simply means that we are free to bend - free to bow - free to stand up - free to say 'yes' or 'no' - free to give ourselves away in humble acts of service for the well-being of others. Nothing to fear in that - only celebration upon celebration. Connection: When we enter an adventure, we do so with a purpose. If it is too rigid, we often enter into warfare with others. If it is too soft, we never put forth a vision. When we are open to inspiration that blows our way, we will find ourselves in new places with a sense of character and grace. When you draw us into the faithful adventure of life, O God, inspire us to move within the hopefulness of your Reign. Amen. |
| | | | Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions | | | | | | Once again, a phrase within Mount Shoop's writing bring out the depth of adventure that is the life of the body of Christ.
The ambiguity of the body has generally been something that the church has either ignored or feared. Moral purity is often left unbalanced by substantive attention to the body's fragmentation and the promise that fragmentation holds. Ambiguity, like holy mystery, has life-giving capacity and shows traces of God's image in us. Feeling shows us that ambiguity is part of the created genius of our bodies. Dispositions of adventure do not try to erase the ambiguity, but welcome it with the confidence of faith. Dispositions of adventure embrace the capacity of the body to be a helper in our spiritual journey, not simply a distraction or, worse yet, only a liability. The phrase that grabbed me was simply the note about how we are to deal with ambiguity -welcome it with the confidence of faith. Too often religious people run away from ambiguity. It is as though there is something within these moments and times that will overwhelm us or conquer us. And yet, that is quite unbiblical. Never were the people of Israel or the disciples or the first followers of Jesus to be deterred by the stuff around them that seemed to be down right out of control and - at best - confusing. Rather, they walked with a confidence of faith. We must remember that. Walk with a confidence of faith. We do not need to be known as a people who seem to be afraid of the world around us or troubles that may be towering over us - but that is quite how the church is viewed by many people. We often look as though we are trying to control the world and control it in such a way that only one view of life is able to 'work.' We must remember that within days of chaos God's whirling wind of life makes a people - a simple, common people - into saints who boldly engage whatever is around us. We engage it all knowing that nothing - can separate us from the love of God. Connection: Ambiguity is not comfortable for many folks. Therefore our God promises to be present - with us - in and through all the messes that may spill over into the day. We may do best to trust that this is so and watch with open hearts for how God's Reign will open up around us. When you draw us into the faithful adventure of life, O God, we have our ways of stuttering and moving slowly and often turning to run away. Continue to pull us and inspire us that we will walk with you through all things. Amen. |
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