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A few years ago, I led a retreat on weakness, using 2 Corinthians as our text. As I studied the text, it seemed even more apropos because the letter confounds many scholars and appears to be an amalgamation of two or more letters. So even as we study the text, we begin in weakness, trusting the Spirit to reveal the Risen Christ in our midst. As I read Scripture, I try to read and consider the text as received even when the flow appears uneven or unclear, so my approach to 2 Corinthians is to read it as we have received it today in the form of one letter.

Lately I’ve been paying attention to Paul’s language of “in Christ” and in “one another.” He moves between both ways of talking, and I believe we are encountering a way of life that flows from the Father, through Christ, by the power of the Spirit. In other words, we are encountering “perichoresis,” the dance of life between Father, Son and Spirit. When Jesus Christ speaks of being in the Father and the Father being in Him (John 14:11John 14:11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  

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Instead of speaking and thinking in terms of isolated individuals, the Gospel reveals the Creator as one God in a mutuality of three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This idea of mutual indwelling or perichoresis shows up all across Paul’s letters. Here is a quick outline of thinking  about 2 Corinthians in a perichoretic way. (I realize this is rough and is not complete in any way.)

1. Comfort and Affliction (Chapter 1:1-11r 1:1-11
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans ^{1 1} Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, ^{2 3} Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; ⁴ And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: declared: Gr. determined ⁵ By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: for obedience...: or, to the obedience of faith ⁶ Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: ⁷ To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; with: or, in ¹⁰ Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;  

WP-Bible plugin) – Paul opens with language of comfort that flows from the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are comforted in our afflictions and our comfort then flow to others who are afflicted. The affliction and comfort that we share with other is a comfort and affliction that we also share with Christ in His sufferings. So in a few sentences, Paul reveals a mutuality between himself, the people of Corinth and the Triune God. In this mutuality of suffering and affliction, we may know deep despair that even draws near to death, but we also know the Resurrection life in Christ that flows from the Father by the Spirit.

2. Paul and Corinth (Chapter 1:12-3:3r 1:12-3:3
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. with: or, in ¹³ Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. among: or, in ¹⁴ I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. ¹⁵ So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. ¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. ¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. in them: or, to them ²⁰ For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: so...: or, that they may be ²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, ²³ And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. ²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. more: or, rather ²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: ²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. ²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; to retain: or, to acknowledge a reprobate...: or, a mind void of judgment or, an unapproving mind ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: without natural...: or unsociable ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. have...: or, consent with ^{2 1} Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. ² But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. ³ And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? ⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; ⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds: ⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: ⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; Gentile: Gr. Greek ¹⁰ But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: Gentile: Gr. Greek ¹¹ For there is no respect of persons with God. ¹² For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; ¹³ (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. ¹⁴ For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: ¹⁵ Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) their conscience...: or, the conscience witnessing with them the mean...: or, between themselves ¹⁶ In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. ¹⁷ Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, ¹⁸ And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; approvest...: or, triest the things that differ ¹⁹ And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, ²⁰ An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. ²¹ Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? ²² Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? ²³ Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? ²⁴ For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. ²⁵ For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? ²⁷ And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: ²⁹ But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. ^{3 1} What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? ² Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. ³ For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?  

WP-Bible plugin) – Paul transitions to a key theme that resurfaces at the end of the letter: his relationship with Corinth. As he introduces the relationship, he highlights a bond between him and Corinth that is established by God in Christ (2:21). This relationship, in the mist of the challenges, is a relation of mutual indwelling that has been created and is sustained by the Father in Christ through His Spirit. Paul reinforces the mutuality of relation by highlighting how those whom Corinth forgives, he also forgives. He is bound with them in Christ.

At the end of this section, Paul discusses how the people at Corinth are the “letter of recommendation” concerning his authority and ministry. This twist is fascinating because he does not point to external documents or some hierarchical form of authority but a relational authority that is still valid even when there is tension in the relationship between him and Corinth.

3. Mutuality in Covenant (3:3 – 5:10) – Paul’s mention of the letter of recommendation written on hearts transitions to a discussion about the mutuality of covenant with God between him and Corinth and between the contemporary followers of Christ and the ancient people of Israel who followed God through Moses by Torah. The law that was written on stone is now written on hearts but it is the same spirit who is bringing His people into life and glory even as they face suffering and pain. Even as our bodies weaken, we are stilling dwelling in Christ and in one another by the power of God’s Spirit who is bringing us all into glory.

4. Mutuality in Reconciliation (5:11-7:16) – Even as Paul celebrates God’s covenant binding of HImself to His people in Christ, he emphasizes how this is externalized in a life of reconciliation. We are reconciled to God and we are called to reconcile the world to God in Christ. Even as Paul talks about reconciliation, he also talks about his own relationship with the people at Corinth. This reconciliation is not simply between God and man, but must take form in relation between Paul and the people at Corinth.

In the midst of this discussion of reconciliation and Paul’s “open heart to the Corinthians,” we hear a warning about being unequally yoked. Paul raises the idea of relationships that are not based on mutuality in Christ but actually opposes the mutuality in relationship in Christ. While the idea of being unequally yoked is often applied to marriage (and rightly so based on some of Paul’s other comments), I think he is talking about relationships that break up the covenantal love of God’s people. And I think he returns to this later in the letter.

At the end of this section, Paul expresses his love and comfort in relationship with the people of Corinth. This comfort is from God mediated by Corinth through Titus (7:6-7). Paul finds joy in Titus who has found joy in Corinth, and this joy is but the grace of godly repentance by the Spirit. So all their lives are intertwined by God’s Spirit. They are being made into the prayer of John 17.

5. Mutuality Between Communities (8:1 – 9:15) – Paul now steps back from his relation with Corinth to focus on the relation between Corinth and the other churches. There is a mutuality of life shared between all of God’s people, even when they don’t know one another personally. This mutuality takes expression in sharing of life and resources. So even as Corinth prospers, they can strengthen other communities that are weak. Interesting that this passage is often used for giving to the church. Paul is encouraging giving, but the focal point of this giving appears to be from communities rich in resources to those who are in need of resources.

6. Mutuality of Adam and Eve (10:1 – 13:14) – In the final sections, Paul returns to his relationship with Corinth. He works out from the argument that just as the Corinthians are in Christ, so Paul is in Christ, and his authority derives from this relation (10:7-16). Then Paul does something that is shocking and fascinating, he connects his relationship with Corinth to the bond between a man and wife, and even further he connects specifically to Adam and Eve. I think Paul proceeding argument is based on the mutuality of husband and wife and the responsibility that Adam had to protect Eve (and according to Genesis he failed).

Corinth is in danger of being unequally yoked with people and ideas that are in opposition to mutuality in Christ, and ultimately are in service of Belial (7:14) or the seduction of the serpent (8:3). Satan is testing, tempting Corinth, and Paul will defend and protect his beloved no matter how much shame and humiliation it causes him. He is willing to humble himself if the community is exalted (11:7). He is willing to suffer humiliation, stoning, beating, imprisonment and more for the sake of this call in Christ. Of course, we can never forget that Paul is writing out from the mutuality of relation he shares with the Father in Christ by the Spirit. Even though he may rebuke at times, his heart is for building up the community at Corinth and not tearing down (13:10).

As we consider what does it mean to life in the reality of the Triune life of God, 2 Corinthians fleshes out an image of mutual indwelling in Christ in the midst of severe challenges and threats from inside and out. We also see a picture of Adam defending and guarding Eve with his life. This same image is fully revealed in Christ who steps fully into the suffering of the cross on behalf of his Eve.

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Joyeux Noel (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/)

The other night as I was sitting with friends discussing faith, movies, poems and more, one lady asked about Jesus’ statement,

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt 18:20Matt 18:20
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.  

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She was wondering how does this verse relate to the idea that we are “in Christ.” If we are “in Christ,” what is the difference with His promise to be in the midst of us. Isn’t He already in the midst?

One man began talking about how that statement precedes a discussion about forgiveness and how Jesus connects his presence to unit divided people in Him. (There’s much to ponder in this). This discussion spilled over into today (via email) and the film Joyeux Noel came up as a dramatic representation of this. As I listened and pondered the various thoughts, I made a few notes this morning and thought they’d fit here.

If you think about this in light of the Lord’s prayer, you’ll note that the prayer is in the plural pronoun of “our.”

Our Father who art in heaven…forgive us our trespasses….deliver us from evil

The modern world has had difficulty thinking in terms of “us” and instead focused on “I” (as in the individual). But Jesus and the Father reveal a way of life that both affirms personal existence while placing that personal existence in an inseparable relational context (onto-relational). It might be interesting to notice all the ways Jesus speaks of our existence in relational ways as opposed to individualistic ways. The Eastern world gets the idea of the group, but often loses the idea of the person. There is a longing to merge into oneness with the cosmic spirit. Even some Christian mystics used language like this.

But Martin Buber helped me see the the goal of communion is not lose of personal particularity but step out into encounter between the I and the Thou. So we live in Christ, we live in one another, we pray in one another, we suffer in one another, and yet we are each members (arm, foot, tongue, ear, hands, etc) with distinctive particular gifts. In one sense, this is a form of the Triune life revealed by Jesus being lived out in the midst of His people (His body). From distinct personalities to distinct bodies and distinct histories, each of us is unique. But our uniqueness is not to be understood outside of “one another.”

Our particularities are meant for one another (Rom 12, 1Rom 12, 1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 ¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  

WP-Bible plugin Cor 11), so to pit my particularity against another person’s particularity in competition is absurd in light of who we truly are in Christ (thus the letter to the Corinthians). Thus it makes no sense to speak of “my own personal Jesus.” Because once I am grafted into the vine, I am grafted into the community of faith in Christ and into one another. For me, the Gospel of John and the letter to 1 John capture the essential nature of who we are as being in one another (in Christ, in one another). The so called post-modern culture focuses on a longing for connectedness that was absent in the modern world of the individual. This makes our ears alert to this call to community. Yet outside of the Triune revelation of God, this impulse toward relationship and community will change individualism to tribalism. The interdependent community becomes a self-contained unti pit against other communities. (Buber calls these communities of affinity.)

My community vs your community. Red state vs Blue state. Home church vs traditional church. Man vs Woman and so on. Each community of affinity builds part of its identity by noting the communities they are opposed to.

Only in Christ can we discover the way (the truth and life) to live as distinct persons in relation with other distinct persons in a distinct community in relation with other distinct communities. This is the fulfillment of the 12 Tribes who are not at war with one another but join under one head, King David. King Jesus brings and is bringin all the tribes of the world under one head.

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A Big Hug (flickr photo by jen_maiser)

Richard Wurmbrand writes,

Jesus saves not only from sin, but also from the solitude that oppresses so many. You will enter close communion with the saints of all ages, the angels, and more: you will walk continually in the companionship of the Lord Himself. You will also find loving brethren and sisters in the faith.

Wurmbrand highlights an aspect of the gospel that is sometimes overlooked. Salvation is so often considered in terms of afterlife and heaven vs hell that we lost sight of the promise of relationship. While the culture continues clamoring for diversity, the Christian faith affirms genuine diversity by confessing faith in the Triune God who is particular and universal at the same time.

In Christ, the barriers to genuine relationships of reciprocal love are demolished. In the cross, the Jew and the Gentile become one new man. This is not simply two groups becoming one but all particularities, all diversities, and possible distinctions that might divide: male and female, rich and poor, black and white. The distinctions of race, culture, gender, and class block true mutuality in human relations. We see this in Romeo and Juliet, the political theatre of every age, and even the Hatfields and McCoys.

One barrier that we rarely consider is the historic barrier (which Wurmbrand addressed). One age is often in contention with another age. The present judges the past with unsympathetic and anachronistic arguments, while failing to actually listen to those who we now consider less advanced than us.

In the Cross, relations across time and space are united. Now we love in and through the cross of Christ. This mutuality is not based on my own will or advanced ethical state of being but on the redeeming action of the creator in the midst of His creation. As Rene Girard has explored in his thoughts on scapegoating throughout history, God in Christ becomes the other, the scapegoat for all our human striving.

By trusting in the scapegoat, I am freed from the prison of my own superiority or inferiority. I am freed to love one who is unlike me, who disagrees with me. And as Wurmbrand writes, I am bound in familial relation with others in Christ who span the ages. I am part of an extended family that even as we learn how to love one another, we are learning how to love all of creation.

Do we fail? Of course. The church has never lived up to the call or promise of true reciprocal love in Christ. But because we have failed in the past and still fail in the present, we do not abandon the call, the hope, the standard in Christ. Rather, we press on toward the mark of our high calling in Christ. May we rest in His love and move in His love and act in His love as a people embraced by the great Father who has embraced His family by His Spirit and is transforming us in His love.

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Yesterday, I heard a man say “Merry Christmas” and then apologize switching to “Happy New Year” instead. But he was really right the first time. We’ve entered Christmas “time,” and today is only the sixth day of a 12-day feast. During some seasons, Kelly and I have chosen to exchange a gift for each of the 12 days, helping remind us of the extended season of feasting.

Since I love getting presents this makes for a good tradition. While I realize that it is better to give than receive, I find it delightful to get…lots of presents. Presents and Christmas just go together. Some of my fondest memories from childhood include sitting under the Christmas tree and stacking up all the gifts that were labeled, “To Doug.”

During my early childhood, we’ve lived up in New Jersey. Every year we’d receive several large boxes from Tennessee, and each box was filled with presents from all our relatives.

What a delight I had to tear into the boxes, unpack the gifts and stack them under the tree. During the days leading up to Christmas, I’d sit by the tree and gather the “Doug” gifts, shaking, weighing and wondering upon the contents of each pretty package.

Sometimes I think I enjoyed the presents more before I opened them. The fancy papers, the colored bows, the odd shapes, and the varying weights all were a feast for my young imagination. Augustine’s idea that true happiness is found in anticipation of the good was being proved even in my childlike world of wonder.

In a way, this may be why Christmas sometimes seems like a letdown for some children and adults. The anticipation of the event is far more delightful than the actual experience. We discover like Augustine that the good we longed for is still ahead of us and not found in the mere gifts we exchanged.

As he reflected upon our longing for the “good,” Augustine came to believe that this good must be outside of us or we wouldn’t long for it. Then he assumed it must be something greater than what our outer world could supply. Because all our earthly goods never live up to the longing we have.

As he wrestled with this unfulfilled longing, Augustine came to see this greater good as something or someone that would fulfill the “desire” within us that drives us to long. And eventually Augustine came to realize that this “good” must be God, and that true happiness was found on earth in the anticipation of God who is beyond us.

For him, true earthly happiness was found in the longing for the “beautiful vision” of God. We merely touch hints of this vision in present life and will only enjoy the complete vision in the life to come. So even in the delight of a Christmas present, Augustine might see hints of God’s wondrous love.

I like that because my delight with Christmas presents might be seen as an act of spiritual devotion. Then again, it might be my unbridled selfish desires. And oddly enough, I suppose it is really a mixture of both. And God in his grace is working and transforming me in spite of my selfish motives.

But for now, let me go back to the presents! I have a question for you. What is the most memorable present you have ever received? I asked myself this several days ago, and oddly enough, it’s not an easy question to answer. All the presents blur together in my mind. Sweaters and pants and shirts and toys and boxes and bows all jumble together in one confusing mix.

So I’m not sure I can answer the question. After a few days of consideration, I have begun to remember the Bozo riding in the Bozo car that still sits in my house to this day. Then I remembered a Fisher Price circus set and a golf ball yo-yo and a train. Oops now the memories are flooding my mind: multiple race tracks, G.I. Joe dolls, magic tricks, a chemistry set, and a Tootsie Roll machine. Now I can’t stop. On and on I could go for pages listing trinkets and toys that delighted me for seasons of my childhood.

I failed to mention that the first gift which came to mind was a broken toy: a little car with broken wheels. I hated this gift but remember it more than any other gift. My sister and I were attending a youth choir Christmas party. We exchanged gifts using numbers we drew from a hat.

When I opened my little package, I was shocked to find a used and broken toy. Sad to say, I burst into tears. “Why me Lord?” “Why in heaven would someone have given me a broken toy?” As usual, my sister came to the rescue. She quickly pooled some money with another girl, and they ran down to the bookstore to buy me a puzzle.

I appreciated her kindness but somehow always felt a tinge of guilt playing with that puzzle. Why was I so sensitive and selfish over such a small thing? The memory stills haunts me on occasion.

I still wonder, “What is the story on that broken car?” Who thought bringing a broken car as a gift was a good idea? Were they too poor to buy something? If so, maybe this little broken car was actually a treasured gift, and they were giving me something of great value.” I’ll never know the story before it came to me, but I can tell you the story after I received it. Discarded. Trashed. But not forgotten.

Every gift is not simply a gift. It is actually a story in motion. It had a story before I got it and in one way or another it becomes part of my story once I receive it. For every gift that someone bought for me over the years, there was a moment or many moments of wondering, “What would Doug want?” Or possibly, “What can I get the best deal on?”

A whole series of thoughts might have occupied someone’s mind: “What size does he wear?” “What color does he like?” “Maybe I’ll just get him a goofy toy and call it a day.” For every gift someone bought for me, a thought or series of thoughts passed through their mind about me.

Now I realize something rather odd about the gift. It is actually an extension or symbol of the relationship I enjoy with that person. They took a few minutes to think about me and to find a gift for me because I am in relationship with them (even if that relationship consists in simply feeling some obligation to buy something).

Now this might seem odd, but I come to realize that gifts are but symbols for persons in my life. The wonder of gifts might not only point to some deep longing for the God, they might also point to the wonder of human relationships.

Looking around me at all the people in my life, I realize that I am surrounded by all shapes and sizes of gifts. Some talkative. Some quiet. Some big. Some tiny. Some friendly. Some a bit grumpy. And yet, in the mystery of God’s grace all these people are gifts of love and relationship God has granted me in this life: hints of His divine and all-surpassing love.

I can admire the packages. Or I can open up the gifts. How? I listen, enjoy, appreciate the wonder of the people around me. I can realize that each of these people have a story that extends far beyond me. But in some mysterious way I am part of their story and they are part of my story.

Every person in my life will change me and I will change them. I can celebrate them and thank God for them, or I can act like I got a bunch of broken toys. And ask, “Why me?”

I hope I’ve learned that even broken toys have mystery and wonder and stories that may unfold surprising hints of God’s goodness and grace.

As I celebrate the 12 days of Christmas this year, I am opening up gifts. Not physical boxes, but the amazing wonder of people in my life. From family and friends to the mystery of the stranger in the story, I am surrounded by gifts of wonder and glory. May I have eyes to see this wonder and sense the stirrings of a love from deep heaven that binds us together in grace.

Doug Floyd

“From a human perspective, when you compare [God] to the other gods of the other religions in the world, you have to say our God is really sort of odd. He uses the most common of people, people that aren’t any different from any of us here; he comes in the most common of ways, when by his Spirit an anonymous young woman is found to be with child. And the strangest thing is that he comes at all—he’s not the Above-Us-God, too holy to come down. This God’s love is so immense that he wants to come down. And he has proven his love by the fact that he did come down and touch our ground.”
James R. Van Tholen, Where All Hope Lies (cited from ChristianityToday.com)

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The Bible is not simply one story but many stories. And these stories form patterns that are repeated again and again. For example, the creation story appears in Gen 1 and Gen, but then variations of the creation story reapper throughout the scripture in places like Job, Proverbs 8, John 1 and Romans 1. Each story reflects a different aspect of the pattern.

Some of the many stories appearing in the Scriptures include:

The story of the Law

The story of Sojourn

The story of Slavery and Exodus

The love story between a Groom and Bride

The story of Father’s and Sons

The story of rebellion and redemption.

These are just some of the many stories that appear, reappear and reappear again. All these stories might and probably would have seem disconnected. But Jesus comes and fulfills/embodies every story. All the stories are flowing in and out from Him.

These stories might also be thought of as bardic songs. The ancient Celtic bards would sing songs of adventure and love and nature and war to the people. Their songs not only entertained but also helped forge a common memory of the tribe.

As we read the story (and sometimes realize we are acting in some of the story patterns), we also discover that we are being forged into a common memory of a family that spans time from beginning to end.

Hans Urs Von Balthasar speaks of the complexity of interwoven stories. He calls this a “symphony,” ” a dance fo sound.” Here are few of his thoughts on symphony from the classic treasure, Truth is Symphonic – Aspects of Christian Pluralism.

In his revelation, God performs a symphony, and it is impossible to say which is richer: the seamless genius of his compositions or the polyphonous orchestra of Creation that he has prepared to play it. Before teh Word of God became man, the world orchestra was “fiddling” about without any plan: world views, religions, different concepts of the state, each one playin gto itself. Somehow there is the feeling that this cacophonous jumble is only a “tuning up”: the A can be heard through everything, like a kind of promise. “In and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets…” (Heb 1:1Heb 1:1
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews ^{1 1} God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,  

WP-Bible plugin). Then came the Son, the “heir of all things,” for whose sake the whole orchestra had been put together. As it performs God’s symphony under the Son’s direction, the meaning of its variety becomes clear….Initially, (the musicians) stand or sit next to one another as strangers, in mutual contradiction, as it were. Suddenyl the music begins, they realize how there are integrated. Not in unison, but what is far more beautiful–in sym-phony.

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If I ask a person, “What time is it?” Normally they will respond with an answer that includes hour and minutes such as, “It’s 5:45.” The clock and the watch have trained us to think of time in terms of minutes and hours. While we don’t normally count time in terms of the second hand, our watches usually provide us with the ability to count seconds as well.

While this is one way of thinking about time, it has actually limited our field of sight by reducing the vast ways we should think about time. We think we are managing minute blocks of time, so we scribble on our calendars and PDAs and Blackberrys, 30 minute meetings, 60 minutes meetings, and so on. But the idea of time management is much more ancient than trying to follow a hectic schedule that may or may not have any lasting sginificance.

A better way to think about time and time management might be in terms of calendar instead of clock. Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy suggested that if you want to understand people from a given point in history, you should look at their calendars. What days and weeks do they observe as significant?

Calendars teach us that for over several millenia, people have counted time in terms of significant points in time. They associated meaning with specific points in time. For example, two of the oldest points in time that people have counted are the spring and fall equinox. Planting and harvest are activities that took place during these events, but the activity is hinged with significance beyond simple survival.

The spring and fall equinox were “times” to exercise tribal memory. Consider Halloween. This ancient holiday has had different names and manifestations, but it has consistently remained a time for remembering. The idea of dressing as skeletons or ghouls would be a connection with some Celtic traditions of looking back to ancestors or spirits that have not freely entered into rest.

So the calendar provides a way of remembering. In the church, the liturgical calendar is rooted in memory. Not simply memory as thoughts but memory as action. We remember the birth of Christ by certain activities. We mark the memory. We build a monument in time: a memorial. This memorial serves as a reminder for who we are and the community that helps to define us.

As long as we are limited by minutes and hours, we do not have the ability to really see time: past and future. This infatuation with measuring and controlling small bits of time, limits our ability to really understand who we are, where we are and what we are supposed to do. As a result, we become slaves to the urgency of the moment. And in one sense, time then becomes captive to space.

We search for significance in timeless space such as nicer cars, bigger houses, more stuff. Without the weightiness of time, this stuff is empty. Simply look at the latest foible of some rich and foolish to see the emptiness of lots of stuff with no weighty significance of time.

A healthier understanding of time moves between the past and the future through memorials. By looking back and forth, we might begin to see larger epochs of time. We might think in terms of years, decades and even centuries. Our grasp of time and our call to act in time will move us beyond actions that benefit us in this moment, this hour, this minute. Rather, we learn to act in ways that anticipate, and create a future that extends far beyond us.

Obviously, this way of thinking and acting is not appealing if I need immediate satisfaction. If I am in fact a slave of space, and I want my moment in the sun now, I will not see any value in acting in ways that benefit the future or in some ways complete the past.

But if I want to act and speak in ways that are rooted in the weightiness of time, I must rethink the way I approach time and the way I respond. To help us better understand where we are and what we are to do, we can draw from Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy’s cross of reality and think in terms of moving in four directions: past, future, inner and outward. These four directions encompass time and space.

To think more about the relation of time and human, I will write the next post on life-time.

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We can begin to think more about how space and time intersect by considering the Tabernacle.

There are three areas related to the tabernacle: outer court, Holy Place, and Holy of Holies. The Israelites can come to the outer court, but only priests can enter the Holy Place. And only the High Priest can enter the Holy of Holies at specific times and according to specific rules. The Holy Place is veiled from the eyes of those who are not priests, and the Holy of Holies is veiled from everyone except the High Priest.

Now consider a house. We build walls around a set a relationships we call family. Family members can freely come and go from the house, but the house may be locked to those outside the family. We put a solid veil or a door between the outside world and the inhabitants of the home.

The door represents more than a physical barrier. The relationships within the home are veiled to the outside world. Within the sacredness of family, there are guarded memories, conversations, and stories. The space of the house represents a sacred placed for shared relationships or shared time. Inviting someone to pass through the outer veil is an honor. By inviting them into our space, we are inviting them at one level into our shared time.

The dinner table might be likened to the Holy Place. At the dinner table, we eat (break bread) and drink (pour wine). The bread and the wine (or whatever the meal) becomes a point of contact for sharing space and time together.

As we eat and drink in the presence of one another, we begin to discard veils. If wine is present, it can help accentuate the removing of veils/inhibitions. As we let down our guard (our veils), we begin to speak.

Around the meal, we tell stories. We share the highlights of our day. We recall memories. We dream together. We think out loud. The dinner table is place of the gathered tribe where people (both in the ancient past and in our current world), learn identity, connect to a family, learn proper social behavior, learn patterns and rituals that will shape their memories and dreams for the rest of their lives.

The dinner table extends beyond the family (tribe) and is a place of forming treaties between tribes. Thus the dinner table has been a place for negotiating great decisions like marriage, peace, business and friendship.

Beyond the dinner table, there is one other room that bears an even weightier sense of the sacred: the bedroom. The bedroom is an exclusive place of protection for only the husband and the wife. Behind the veil of the bedroom door, the couple removes all veils (both physical and emotional).

The physical veil is easy to remove and comes off on the wedding night. But the emotional veils guard such precious secrets that they take years to removed. And unfortunately, some couples never develop the trust of vulnerability required to begin remove these inner emotional veils.

Removing a veil leaves a person naked and completely vulnerable. Isaiah experiences the intensity of such exposure in his vision of the Holy God. A similar (though much less invasive) exposure happens between a husband and a wife.

This removing of veils binds memories and dreams together in a way that makes the couple both physically and emotionally one. The bedroom can be a great gift of healing and transformation when properly guarded, allowing for deep vulnerability, deep trust and deep shared time.

The husband and wife relationship gives a glimpse of the relation between the person and God. By the Spirit (through Jesus), the veils are removed one-by-one as we grow from glory-to-glory. Eventually we will truly behold Him with unveiled face—and we will be changed, glorified in the light of His love.

Without the Spirit’s grace of gently unveiling, exposing and transforming, the glory of the unveiled soul would be painful and terrifying much like Isaiah’s encounter and the encounter of the Israelites on the side of Mt. Sinai. This unveiling exposes our weaknesses, our sins, our absolute need for mercy and grace. Without mercy and grace, it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

Thus the gift of a home begins to help us understand how space becomes a place which serves time: the sharing of memories and dreams and the essential mystery that forms us as unique persons.

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Relationship with another human being does not exist in abstraction. It requires space and time. By reflecting on relationship, we may begin to better understand our relation to space and time.

Think of a marriage. The relationship begins and is cultivated in specific places and specific times. There are times and places where an intimate relationship bonds, and these might be thought of as sacred space and sacred time.

Sacred time might include a family meal, soft conversations in the bedroom, and even sleeping together (resting unguarded in one another’s presence). These sacred times occur in specific places like the dinner table and the bedroom. In a house, some rooms carry more weightiness due to history of cultivating relationships in these rooms.

The same activity may or may not enhance intimacy, depending on the participation of the people. Sometimes when my wife and I watch a movie, I sit on my recliner and she lays on the couch. During the film, I may also divert attention to my laptop to check my email. Or we might watch the film sitting together on the couch, sharing the experience in a more intentional way. The dynamic of shared time and space changes based on how we participate.

I would suggest that the element of intentional intimacy is located within time. Dumitru Stăniloa suggested that time is the interval between the offer of love and the reciprocation of that offer. Intimacy is not something that exists within a space but rather it is something that the people choose to do within that space. They choose to spend time together. We don’t speak of “spending space together” but “spending time together.” (I’ll share more on time and intimacy later.)

By choosing to use a space in a way that enhances our time together, we invest that space with greater significance. A house should be built in a way that accentuates the time we spend together. If we choose to use large spaces within our houses for private experiences such as bathrooms and walk-in closets, we may be suggesting by our use of space that our personal space is more valuable than our relational space. The shape and size of the spaces/rooms within a home and the objects within those rooms (furniture and decor) can all communicate stories or ideas that reflect the values of those who occupy those rooms.

So the content of our spaces and the uses of our spaces reflect the value we place on the times or shared relationships within those spaces. We’ve heard the saying, “A house does not make a home.” This statement reinforces that idea that a place to live, eat, and sleep may not always be a place where people forge intimate relationships.

On my next post, I’ll try to consider “How is a home like a tabernacle?”

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Contining from the last post, I reiterate that these ideas are my own flawed eyes and insights.

I’ve been involved in some form of home church meetings for the past 17 years, and for nine of those years with the same group of people. At times it has been painful, discouraging and exhausting, and that’s probably because it has been a small family. This is about a choice to love and to continue building relationships, and not about, “If it feels good, do it.” (Which is what a lot of American Christianity looks like to me.)

I’m not blind to the weaknesses of home churches, and I do not believe that they are some kind of panacea for the body of Christ. While there are many challenges, here are some problems that initially come to mind.

1. Sectarian and judgmental – Many home churches movements that I have been around use words like “Basilica” to describe the larger, organized churches. They fundamentally believe that these churches are some expression of paganism or compromise with the greater culture. And I admit, our group has struggled with feelings like that at times. When I first started participating in home churches meetings, a good part of the meeting would be devoted to castigating other large churches.

Our little group has tried to discipline our tongues and spirits not to stand in judgment on the church system. When I’m in a group (home churchers or otherwise), I do my best to refrain from the common tendency to point out all the flaws of paritcular churches, movements or “TV Evangelists.” For the most, these groups are not part of my world, and I simply need to keep my mouth shut.

This pattern of judgment and criticism toward the larger body of Christ seems to be a pattern in various small church/simple church movements over time. Now I don’t deny that this pattern can show up in any size and type of church, but it seems particularly magnified in the home churches with an us vs. them mentality. (There’s a good sign though in that some newer home churches see themselves as missional extensions of a larger body.)

2. Low commitment – Because of the casual nature of home churches, I’ve watched many people come and go. People may disappear for weeks at time and then reappear. While I don’t like the heavy-handedness I sometimes see in churches, this overly casual attitude can limit the possibility for real intimacy over time. It is hard to reveal our weaknesses in front of people who may have no deep commitment to the relationship.

3. Doctrine of the Holy Spirit – While some home churches embrace the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, I’ve seen a tendency to reject His action in history. What do I mean by this? They tend to read church history through the lens of how a bunch of people messed up the church and turned into a pagan substitute for the body of Christ. And only a few faithful held to the true calling of the church. I see this as a practical denial of the Holy Spirit’s involvement with the church. As though somehow God couldn’t keep sinful man from ruining the church He created, so a few faithful have to keep relighting the true torch of faith and passing it on.

Any groups (home church or otherwise) that are looking for some pure expression of the church, end up putting more confidence in man’s plans and designs than the Holy Spirit’s guiding presence to preserve and present the church as the Bride of Christ. God calls sinful men into His kingdom of love. He transforms them in the midst of a called-out community of other sinful men. Of course, our humanness interferes and ends up wounding and distorting. But the wonder of God’s providence is that He works out His purposes in the midst of our fallen lives and creates a masterpiece (as Paul so wonderfully captures in Ephesians).

4. Continuity through time – One of main problems of I see home church and large Evangelical churches is the breakdown in continuity through time (past-future-present). But I will pause here and write a bit about that in the next little post.

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After a church fire last week, the Spring of Light community will be spending lent on pilgrimage. We’re a small family of friends who are learning to enter into relationship with one another and with whoever comes across our path. Following the simple rule of St. Francis, we seek to bless those who cross our path with the peace of God. We eat together, sing together, watch movies together, and are gradually learning what it looks like to spend our lives together. Along the way, we’ve met many friends who join us for various parts of the journey. After mourning the loss of our building, we’ve chosen to mark the time there with a slideshow celebrating the seasons of life that we have shared.

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