I was one of the facilitators at a Christian youth retreat for the weekend, and he had come as a participant with his school.  Even though he went to a Christian school, his religion was Sikh.  Sikhism is a beautiful religion.   ”Sikhs believe in the equality of humankind, the concept of universal brotherhood of man and One Supreme transcendent and immanent God.”  And his persona lived that.  It was so cool seeing him interact with the youth of a Christian religion.  His presence was a reminder that we are all the same, regardless of religion, race, political standing, or economic place in this country and world.  In fact, his presence and exuberance of life sparked the unspoken question of why do we even have such borders around different religions – and even tighter borders around different denominations within Christendom…and dare I say, even tighter borders within the same denomination?

On our last day of the retreat, I stood at the back of the room helping with supervision of the teens as they had their last meeting together.  There was a band leading out in music from the front, and all the teens were singing loudly, revived and rejuvenated from the weekend.  The sound was beautiful, really.  The song that they sang was “How He Loves Us”.  The lyrics of the chorus say over and over “He loves us, oh how He loves us, how He loves us so…”   And then I saw him.  Singing his heart out.  With everyone else.  And in that moment a million things happened in my brain all at once.  It was crazy, really.

It was as if I saw a future picture of a time when we will all be in a place of peace – you could call it heaven, I guess.  And we were all singing that song, “How He loves us so”.  And we all – human beings from all walks of life, religion, sexual-orientation, political standing, dress, culture, mistake-ridden-life, – were united as one under this LOVE.  The thing that united us was not our belief, or any of the above categories.  The thing that united us was this crazy LOVE that takes us beyond ourselves, beyond our agendas, beyond our “I’m right” mentality.  There were no walls, no borders.  I could see us all – Buddhists, Christians, Taoists, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus, Agnostics, – I could see us all gathered there.  We were still in our different regalia that demonstrates our belief – but we weren’t looking at it or were distracted by it, nor were we trying to prove something by it.  We were all facing God, the One who is LOVE, all amazed that we are indeed Beloved…and it is THAT fact – we are ALL Beloved –  that united us.

Isn’t this the beautiful truth – We are beloved.  He loves us.  All of us.  Regardless of our crazy arguments.  Regardless of our experiences. Regardless of our brokenness.  He loves us.  He sees beyond our man-made disguises.  He sees us.  The beauty of who we are – sacred, created, truly a universal brotherhood of humanity, all drawn and existing because of the One Universal LOVE – the Being Who created us all.

It all came to me in a chorus of a song.  But it felt like I had been lifted into that moment.  It was beautiful, and I truly felt in awe of God. And then I asked myself – if we claim to follow this Being who is described as LOVE (see 1 John 4:16), then why do we not see our fellow humankind the way this God, this LOVE, sees us?  Indeed.  Because the fact is, He loves us.  All of us.  Oh how He loves us.  It’s time we did the same.

“With this Love, Bitterness becomes Honey

With this Love, Copper becomes Gold

With this Love, Dregs become Wine

With this Love, Pain becomes a Healing Herb

With this Love, Death becomes Life

With this Love, The King becomes a Slave.”

- Rumi

One of the parts of my job that I love is to teach. I love high-school age students because they are not afraid to ask questions. The questions they ask in class and outside of class are always so inspiring and mind-blowing. I am always encouraged by their questions, because to question shows you are willing to grow. To question shows you are humble enough to admit that you don’t understand it all. And to question is to show courage that you believe there could be something better. Questioning is one of the biggest ways that we show we are spiritual creatures, capable of choice and able to find or create a better answer, if one does not exist.

As a teacher, there is this thing called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a way to measure how a student learns, as well as what level of learning and thinking they are at. To be a good teacher means to encourage your students to be constantly growing higher in their level of thinking. Here’s what Bloom’s Taxonomy looks like:

As you can see, the first level of thinking and learning has to do with basic information, or “Knowledge”. In other words, know the facts about a subject and be able to remember what those facts are. The second level, “Understand”, deals with being able to understand the subject matter. In other words, how do you describe or explain, and how does it make sense. The third level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, “Apply”, is measuring whether the student can apply what he or she has learned and relate it to real life. These are the lower levels of thinking and learning. They are important, especially when learning a new topic or subject. But they are just lower levels and therefore stepping stones in getting to the higher levels of thinking. The next 3 levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are considered the higher levels of thinking and what all good teachers should strive for their students to attain to.

The fourth highest level of thinking, “Analyze”, has to do with the student being able to analyze the material. In other words, being able to contrast or compare it with other materials, and be able to defend, or choose, the right answer and then explain why it is the right answer. The fifth highest level of thinking is to “Evaluate”. This means to basically be able to take the subject and defend it, critique it, justify it, support it, and possibly prove it, etc. (Sounds a lot like asking questions, right?!) The highest level of thinking is to “Create”. In other words, to be able to take all the knowledge you have from all the previous levels, and put it into a product of your creation. This means that after the Evaluation part of thinking, if there was anything that needed changing or improving, you now change it and improve it. This is the highest level of thinking because it uses all the faculties of the brain to take the information and not only apply it, but create a way of expressing it to the world, as well as making it a part of yourself. If you are a good teacher, this will be your goal in getting your students to strive for, not only in the subject matter that you teach, but in life as well.

So here’s the question: how are we doing in regards to Bloom’s Taxonomy in the Church? If the highest levels of thinking happen at the 3 higher tiers of Bloom’s (Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating), are we there as a church? Do we encourage and gently push each other towards these higher levels? Or is the church afraid of these higher levels of thinking? Is the church afraid of questions? Is the church worried what would happen to the truth if we promoted all people to not just be Analyzers and Evaluators, but ultimately Creators as well?

Don’t get me wrong. The lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are very important. They have to be in place so that the higher levels can exist. If someone knows nothing about a subject, you can’t ask them to create or analyze it, without first learning it. But here’s what I see is the problem: We are stuck in the 3 lower levels of Bloom’s, when it comes to the Church, Spirituality or Religion. We focus on what you know, whether it’s true, and memorizing those facts. The church encourages people to understand truth – to describe and explain it. The church even encourages people to apply truth to their lives… and then we repeat those lower levels and never seem to move up to the higher levels of thinking and being. It seems that there are those who get very nervous when the 3 upper levels of thinking begin to take place within the church (which they naturally will, if a person is being encouraged to grow).

There are those who are very scared or worried when some begin to question, which, by the way, is just another form of Analyzing and Evaluating. There are some who will let others Create, just as long as they stay within the lines of the man-made box of politics and religion…which begs the question: Is that really creating? It’s almost like the scenario of a parent giving a child a coloring book. The child knows how to color, etc. But then the parent holds the child’s hand and guides the coloring. Is that creating? Why are some so afraid of questions, of growth, or of improvement?

Our church, and the Church at large, is ready for something. It’s ready for growth. In fact, the change, the spirituality, is happening. Some of it is happening within the church. And change, spirituality, higher levels of thinking, are happening outside the church, as well. Which raises the question: Is the church only contained within the walls of man-made institutions? Or could it be that it is growing beyond the walls of the box, because, as every good teacher knows, we were all made to live, know, and process on the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. And if the box does not promote that environment, it will still happen, but it may happen outside the box. We were all made to take what we have and know, and create something better. In education it is encouraged – that is, if you’re a good teacher. It’s high time we encouraged this within the church as well. If we don’t, the church will be stagnant. Could it be that it is already? But then again, could it be that the Church is alive and well – but it lives where the questions live, and it thrives where creations happen? Just some questions to ponder…

On one of the last nights in the village, one of my students was asking one of the village elders, Walter, questions about jungle life, etc. He was asking through a translator. One of the questions he asked was “Are there any cannibals in the region?” Walter answered “no, not at all.” But then our translator, after thinking for a moment, said, “Yes, actually there are. They live in the city and they wear suits and ties. They have big houses only for themselves and they are consumed with greed that eats those who are weaker then them. Instead of using their power and wealth to help others, they use it to consume everyone and everything in their path. These are the cannibals – and there are many of them.”

Isn’t it true? The world tells us to live for self. Climb the corporate ladder. Success is defined as what brand you can buy, where you live, how much you’ve got put away for retirement, how big is your tv, what is your degree, how much money you make and what you spend it on … And on and on the message goes…

Yet I see my jungle friend’s love and lifestyle and realize they are the ones who are truly successful. They are the ones who have arrived. As one of my other student’s shared: “We have seen those who have nothing, yet who have every kind of happiness. And we see those who have so much, yet are still depressed.” Yes, my jungle friends, the people of San Andreas, are truly the wealthy ones. We are the ones who suffer from true poverty.

It’s true – there are cannibals still around today. The question to ask is this: Am I one of them?

As you can see, this portrays all the different faces that artists have used to depict what Jesus looked like.  Notice the similarities.  Notice the differences.  Now ask yourself:  Which ones do I relate the most to and why?  What makes a picture similar or different?  Is it similar because it is tied to what I feel Jesus should look like?  Is it different because of my cultural or religious background?  Are there any images on there that repulse me?  Why – why am I repulsed?  What do I expect Jesus to look like?  What do I expect Jesus to be?  And how many of these expectations are based on what I’ve created versus Who Jesus really is?

Now think about all the faces you will see today.  Think of all the stories behind each face.  Think of all the yearnings.  All the gifts.  All the love, the pain, the injustices and the graces.  Think of what makes you and I different.  Think about what separates you from another.  What draws you to a face?  What repulses you from another?  What makes you similar to another human being?  What makes you different?  How much of those similarities and differences are based on the biases, cultural & religious norms and walls we’ve created?  Now ask yourself:  Could it be that I have seen Jesus today?

In the child’s giggling, playful spirit

In the homeless man’s haunting eyes

In the addict’s desperate longing

In the stranger waiting patiently in line for coffee

In the driver’s intensity beside you on your commute to work

In your spouse’s steady rhythm

In the student searching for truth

In the young woman longing for love

In the young man chasing after strength and identity

In the migrant worker harvesting fruit

In the Muslim offering their petition

In the factory worker creating our garments

In all the yearnings and routines of the human race…

The different faces of Jesus surround us daily, hourly, moment-by-moment.  He can’t be boxed by culture, religion, sin, denomination, sexual orientation, politics, opinion, race, class, gender, bad-habit, country, species, or bias.  Remember that His name is I AM – He is everywhere, in everything, and present in all of space and time.  The Great I AM.  Remember that He is LOVE.  This word, LOVE, is what unites us all to every other being on this planet.  This is why we are here.  LOVE is the longing of every creature on this earth.  Therefore I am connected to you, and you are connected to me.  Jesus is in you…regardless of who or what you are.  “I tell you the truth, whatever you do to one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you do it to Me.”  (Words of Jesus, Matthew 25:40)

Now look in the mirror.  Look closer.  Look at yourself.

Do you see Him?

Coit Tower

The wind whipped around us and other tourists as we watched the sun sink behind the Golden Gate.  On each window sill there were coins from all over the world – mementos of real people, with real loves, real hates, real stresses, real journeys through life.  Each coin has a story to it – a representation of how we’re all linked to each other – how our lives collide and mesh more than we realize.  We dropped our coins with the others, leaving our dimes standing watch as tiny tourists overlooking the Bay forever.

Coins on the window sill looking out from Coit Tower

As the temperature began to drop we crammed with the others back into the tiny elevator to descend back to our separate lives, our schedules, our calendar of events and appointments.  The door closed and there we were, packed into the tiny box, our personal bubbles forced to pop as we all rubbed shoulders for the ride down.

There was that silence – you know the kind.  The silence that crescendos upon an elevator as the doors close, and those inside wait, as if frozen in time and space, hibernating from life for a few seconds.  But this time something changed.  One of the strangers made a joke about how we were all so quiet as we stood shoved into this common space, waiting for the floors to descend and the doors to release us.  We all laughed nervously, somewhat relieved that someone had helped to break the awkward silence.  Then my husband jovially told everyone it was his birthday today.  Suddenly the moving box became electric with an energy of voices wishing happy birthday and asking for his name.  And there it was –  that same feeling: magic in the mundane, Sacred in the chaos, Spirit among strangers.  One of the young men, a kid probably in his late teens, announced that we had to sing!  And so, the moving box of strangers of all ages, cultures and from all walks of life,  began to sing out a happy birthday chorus that felt spontaneous and authentic, even though none of us knew each other’s names or stories.  We were all suddenly linked by a song that the world knows – a song that celebrates life and a recognition that we are all connected and we are all a miracle as sacred, living beings who cohabitate this planet.

The elevator inside Coit Tower

It was only 10 or 15 seconds.  Just the time it takes to descend 10 stories in an elevator.  By the time the doors opened at ground level, we somehow felt connected and like friends.  Everyone, smiling and giggling from the spontaneous warmth of what just had taken place, wished each other a great rest of the day, and many more “Happy Birthdays!” rang out through the air.  Life celebrated – in mere seconds – and the Sacred lingered with each of us as we returned to our schedules and routines and lives.  Each of us feeling a twinge of magic, a chord of connection, and an enveloping sense of joy.

The Sacred shows up everywhere.  Whether we’re in an elevator, or stuck in traffic on the interstate, or going through the routines of everyday life, the Sacred is there.  But we have to slow down to see it.  We must open our eyes.  It’s there, waiting to dance around us, sing to us, sit with us.  It’s happening all the time, but we miss it so many times because of the tunnel vision we let creep into our lives.  We miss it because maybe our eyes are cast down into our digital devices.  Or perhaps we miss it because of our schedules that rule our day-in-day-out interactions, so that spontaneity is choked by well-meaning plans and trivial pursuits.  But I believe that if we took time to pause, maybe just 10 – 15 seconds (the time it takes for an elevator to descend 10 floors), we would hear it.  We would hear the song that is being sung around us all the time.  This song that is telling us all how beautiful we are, how we are loved, and how this day and this space is special because we reside in it.  This chorus is cascading around you and me all the time –  may we have the courage to raise our voices with that song, celebrating this beautiful life we share with all creatures!  And even the most mundane places will turn into cathedrals where we encounter the Sacred.

It’s time to stop.  To shut up. To be silent. For the only sound to be a breath, a wail, a prayer.   To stop the chattering and rushing and debating.  It’s time to mourn.  When was the last time we had a day of mourning as a nation?  As a world? As a human being?  It’s time to stop the talk about politics for a moment.  It’s time to set aside our personal agendas for a day.  It’s time to look each other in the eye and feel the pain that is our world. It’s time to grieve.

We have a day to vote.  We have holidays to celebrate.  We have days off from work where businesses are closed.  But have we ever taken a day to be silent and to cry, to mourn?  Have we ever been given permission to remember that we are all human, and therefore all sacred, and to mourn the loss of tragedy that is happening around us?

As I pause from my usual routine of busy planning, of writing, of social interactions, of teaching, and I look into the face of grief, it can feel overwhelming.  But I also feel human again.  I feel the huge temptation to distract myself from the agony of mourning, and numb the pain that it carries: to watch a movie, to get more busy with work, to try to fix the situation, to sleep, to debate, to travel, and the list could go on.  None of these things are bad in and of themselves, but when I use them to replace and medicate what my soul really needs (which sometimes is to mourn), I begin to stop being human.  When was the last time we mourned – as a nation? As a world? As a human being?

There was something curious Jesus once said.  He said,

 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

- For our tendency to be too busy, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Us.

- For our tenacity in simply medicate our pain, instead of finding true healing, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Us.

- For the beautiful souls lost on December 14 in the Newtown, Connecticut shootings, ………..

- For the parents left with empty arms, empty beds, and broken hearts, …………………………….

- For those suffering from the inner torture of mental health issues, …………………………………

- For our need to satiate our lust for buying and selling, but neglecting our fellowman, …………………………………….

- For our time and money consumed in entertainment, while the realities of the world remain untouched, …………………………..

- For neglecting the poor within our reach, including ourselves, ………………………………………….

- For filling our world with more noise, instead of peace, …………………………………………..

- For debating issues for the sake of pride and promoting our own agenda, …………………………………………….

- For putting chains upon each other based on gender, race, social class, political affiliation, religion, and other man-made statuses, …..

- For using You, God, as the reason and source of our bigoted views, therefore using Your name in vain, …………………………………

- For our fear of being uncomfortable and getting involved to help end suffering, ………………………………………

- For raising our voices to share our opinions, but closing our hearts from getting involved, ………………………

And the prayer never ends, does it?  This is just the beginning. Join your voice with mine…

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Us…

Yesterday we were in San Francisco for my husband’s birthday.  The day was perfect, with clear skies and no wind.  We ran all over the city, checking out Coit Tower, Union Square, Fisherman’s Warf, and finally ending the day with a trolley ride back to our parked car.  The sun had set, and the cool air caused us all to snuggle a bit within the rattling cable car.  There was a satisfied stillness to the ride, as we all sat at the end of another day of life, riding back to all our different destinations, stories, journeys, histories and lives.

Then I saw her.  Probably no more than 3 years old, her big eyes taking in all of life.  Her curls danced a frame around her face that painted a hint of kindred kindness, steeped in innocence.  She sat there next to her mom, crossed legged on the uncomfortable wooden bench that is the cable car seating.  She sat like an old soul with the openness and awe of a fawn.

Then the moment happened.  She looked at me.  Into my eyes.  Across the cable car from her corner besides her mother and grandfather, she saw me.  Our eyes locked.  She looked at me with a curious kind of wonder, looked right past my adult masks that I’ve learned how to hold up and claim as my identity.  She looked at me.  I smiled at her.  And then she smiled at me.  But it was more than smiling at my face.  She smiled at my soul.  She saw me, and seeing that I saw her, she smiled back.  That was it.  But it was so incredibly powerful.  In those 3 seconds she said more to me than has been said in a long time.  She saw my true authentic self and smiled with that awe and wonder still written all over her face.  She saw the human in me.  I wasn’t a category, or a job, or a social status, or a religion.  I was a fellow human being.  And she recognized that beauty and returned a smile, as if we were in on the secret that, yes, indeed this life is beautiful.  She showed me God.  She exemplified the Sacred in that moment.

On a cable car?  In San Francisco?  With just 3 seconds so much can be said?  The innocence of an exchanged look and smile of reverent commonality.  A shared grin of “this is life, and it’s a beautiful ride, isn’t it?”  A gaze that spoke the blessing of Namaste, which means, “The Divine in me recognizes and honors, the Divine in you.”  I had encountered a moment of the Sacred from a 3-year-old fellow-traveler.

The Sacred is all around us.  Have you seen it’s colors painted within the threads of your day?  Have your ears heard the rise and fall of the song?  Has your soul sensed the pulse of the dance, pulling on your routine schedule and challenging your steps to move to a different beat?  The Sacred is all around us, and perhaps, especially in the chaos.

It seems lately that the first part of this phrase could go many different directions.  Let’s try some:

They will know we are Christians by our…Facebook Updates

They will know we are Christians by our…Christian Quotes

They will know we are Christians by our…Vegan Diet

They will know we are Christians by our…Bumper Stickers

They will know we are Christians by our…Political Affiliation

They will know we are Christians by our…Calling Out Sin

They will know we are Christians by our…Allegiance to the Church

They will know we are Christians by our…Tithe-paying

They will know we are Christians by our…Dress-code

They will know we are Christians by our…Websites

They will know we are Christians by our…Serious Demeanor

They will know we are Christians by our…Conservative Stance

They will know we are Christians by our…Liberal Stance

They will know we are Christians by our…End Time Prophecy

They will know we are Christians by our…Jesus-Music

They will know we are Christians by our…Righteous Deeds…oh wait.

They will know we are Christians by our…Bickering and Fighting…I mean…

They will know we are Christians by our…Plastic Smiles…uh-oh…

They will know we are Christians by our…Condemning of Others…ouch…

They will know we are Christians by our…Having to Always be Right…

They will know we are Christians by our…Having a Proof Text to Win an Argument…

They will know we are Christians by … How much we Talk about Hell…

They will know we are Christians by our… Picketing Signs and Shoving Pamphlets at People

They will know we are Christians by our… (What would you add?)

Even though the last few were a bit facetious, unfortunately they ring way too true.  What are Christians known for?  As Mahatma Ghandi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

As we know (or should know), the phrase actually goes like this:  ”They Will Know we are Christians by our Love”.  Ah! That’s it! Love.  The phrase comes from a song, which is taken from the Bible verse John 13:34, 35 which says

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

What’s interesting to me is who Jesus is talking to.  The context here is everything.  The group Jesus is talking to are His disciples in the upper room. Many people have looked at this verse and this phrase and have said that the world will know we are His disciples if we love.  And so Christians focus on loving the world, which is good!   But loving the world and everyone in it is already a given if you’re a follower of Christ.   The context is right in the passage itself:  Jesus is referring to people who follow Him, loving other people who follow Him.  Jesus says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”  It’s already a given that we are to love the world and everyone in it.  But it is an entirely different thing to love each other.  Let me explain.

Right now in many churches and denominations we have so much fighting and dissention.  In fact, it’s not just in religion, it’s in politics as well!  Just recently after the election in the United States, there was talk of secession because certain voters in certain states felt that they could not belong to the United States of America because their political party looked like it had lost.  In some churches and denominations right now there is huge infighting based on discussions regarding gender roles, worship style, homosexuality, unity, and the list could go on and on.  That’s why we have over 35,000 denominations within the Christian faith today.  Because we have never learned to disagree well.  Dare I say, we’ve never learned to love.

The other interesting thing about the context of this verse is that Jesus has just washed the disciple’s feet at the last supper.  This is a tradition we do in the Adventist church to show humility and love to one another, and to remind each other that the only One lifted up higher than any of us is Jesus Christ. That my opinion is not higher.  My stance on a certain issue is not higher.  But that we are all under Christ and therefore brothers and sisters.  We are family.

And notice also that Jesus calls it a “new commandment.”  It looks like He knew it would be a difficult thing to do.  He needed to show us that this is not a small issue to Him.  This is big enough to make it a commandment.  It’s as if He knew we would get our focus on nit-picking others and pointing fingers and fighting to be right, and  we would forget how to love.

On the sermon on the mount, Jesus also refers to this mindset when He says,

 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor  and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies!  Pray for those who persecute you!   In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”  - Matthew 5:43-45

Once again, most people apply this to the “world” versus “followers of Christ”.  But what if Jesus was also referring to those within the walls of Christendom?  What if my “enemy” is the one who disagrees with me and is persecuting me because of our differences?

One more verse that is of interest to me comes from 1 John 4.  The whole chapter is amazing, but check out these verses:

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. … If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.”

- 1 John 4:7, 8, and 20

It’s so easy to love and commune with those who agree with us and think the same way we do.  But what about those who don’t?  It looks like God wants us to learn how to listen to others and extend grace to each other, especially those we don’t agree with.  It appears from these passages that God desires us to love others, and especially each other.  Especially those with whom we find it so difficult to like.  Because in all reality, when the world sees a group of people who love and respect each other, even in the midst of disagreeing, there is something divine about that.  Because it is not human.  It has to come from a greater source.  This will prove, not only that we are His disciples, but it will also prove that perhaps a God of Love actually exists.

I’ll be honest.  This won’t be easy.  But maybe that’s the point.  I’ve been hurt by so many “Christians” within my own denomination, and I know you have, too.  But Christ is telling me to love. He’s telling you to love.  What if we actually took Jesus seriously and did it?  To love each other (instead of competing to “be right”).  To pray for each other (instead of praying against each other).  To honor each other by “washing each other’s feet” (instead of gossiping about how aweful the other is).  To pour out our life for each other (instead of our anger and malice).  To not let bitterness control us (but instead let LOVE compel us).   Oh God of LOVE, be the very pulse in our wrist, the watchword on our tongue, and the spring in our step.  As the old song goes, “what the world [church]  needs now, is Love, sweet Love!”

(in light of the discussion, we’ll end with that great tune)

Recently someone reminded me that “the gospel is not safe anywhere, especially in church.”  This gospel, or good news, is radical.  It’s life-changing.  It can’t be contained.  It can’t be dwarfed into a doctrine or explained within a fundamental belief.  Think of it this way: How do you box air?  How do you describe music to someone who’s never heard the sound before?  How do you express in words the color of a sunset to someone who has never been able to see with their eyes?  How do you whittle down the gospel of love into 28 beliefs, or cram it into a creed?  It may be a good try and you may hit parts of the gospel, but it is ultimately quite impossible.  In fact, when we do that, could it be that we begin to lose the very essence of the gospel?  Could it be that it slips through our fingers like trying to cup all of the oxygen into our hands?

What is the gospel?  It is the scandalous truth that there is this Love, this Grace, that is beyond any human achievement.  It’s given everything for us and is constantly compelling us to surrender to it, to look beyond ourselves and give this Love and Grace fully to others – regardless of who they are.  I believe it was made manifest to us beautifully by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is anti-ego, anti-agenda.  It is this sacredness that is yearning to pick us out of the mundane of our routined-existence and awaken us to the reality that there is a Being Who not only loves us, but is constantly wanting to rescue us from our kingdom of selfishness, and carry us into an awareness of a new reality about a kingdom of love and a freedom from the darkness that surrounds us…including the darkness of religion.  The gospel is this crazy movement that is the essence of a life-force that brings the world, the entire world, hope.  It embodies Love to every single creature on this spinning earth, and that love is more than just a feeling or a mere belief – that Love will manifest itself in actions to every creature, because that is what it is at its very core.  So if people are filled with this Love, they can’t help but BE that movement of love to their world, wherever they may be.   This love has the potential to turn our world upside down!

This reality, this gospel, is dangerous – especially to religious people.  When you think about organizations, corporations, companies, etc., the people who work within them can become religious about the company itself, and lose sight of why it even started.  They can protect the building and corporate offices, and end up losing the essence and vision of why it was created in the first place.  Religion protects and guards – Spirituality pulses and moves.  The gospel is dangerous to people who have to protect an organization because the gospel, aka LOVE, or the SACRED, threatens those who have built their identity and foundation of belief on ideas instead of on the Spirit.  When we look at history, many religious organizations have referred to this gospel movement as “apostasy.”  The definition of apostasy is ” the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.”  And so, maybe many religious people are correct to call the gospel an apostasy – because Love, Grace, and the Kingdom of God are a sort of Apostasy – they go against human thinking of self-preservation and man-made ideology.  The gospel can’t be copyrighted.  It can’t be claimed by a group of people, because it claims all people!  We just respond – that’s the crazy movement of the gospel of love and grace!  It’s like trying to patent water – impossible.  We just respond to its existence and thrive off of it.

The church should be the place that helps to vehicle this gospel to every nation, kindred tongue and people – no signing of papers to join our company and start paying club membership fees.  Just trust the gospel to do what it does – draw people to it, like an oasis in the desert – free and available to all.  The church should be the place to let everyone know that the oasis exists.  Unfortunately the church has, at times, fallen short.  And so the church needs people who are willing to stand and shout it from the rooftops (or steepletops) within these man-made buildings, corporations, and companies called “church”.  I would even go so far as agreeing with Jesus (Who was guilty of apostasy by the church of His day), by stating that perhaps there are people who are not “in church” who are getting into the kingdom of God ahead of the religious people.  It’s possible to be religious about church, but deny the gospel (see Matthew 21:31).  In fact, could it be that the church is too many times holding the gospel hostage, adding clauses, lines to sign, policies to vote, amending articles, etc?  And so those who are outside the confines of church politics have the freedom to be an avenue for the gospel to fully express itself.

So it is that at this time in my life, I will choose to preach – experience, live-out, shout out, step out-side-the-box – yes, I will preach this gospel!  Especially to the church.  But I am also aware that those who have done this (Jesus, Luther, many of the Reformers, etc)  have been crucified in one way or another.  The gospel is dangerous!  It is scandalous.  The gospel is not safe anywhere.  May God give me the strength to never be ashamed of the gospel – especially in church.