This may be a stretch. While evaluating strategies for dealing with church conflict, several class groups dealt with personnel issues, work/life balance for staff and volunteers, shared leadership and other areas for potential conflict. Jean Vanier in a few speeches describes that if we live in community, we live in conflict for various reasons. Others describe that conflict is inevitable and necessary for personal and community maturity.
I was struck by what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5. The earthly household of the tabernacle (epigeious...oikia tou skenous) will be battered by storms and troubles. But have no fear, He is preparing a heavenly household that is eternal. Our earthly households may split and divide. There may be struggles as we figure out how to love God and love our families and neighbors, balancing the time (does God ask us to punish our families for the kingdom?). We may judge others because our desires aren't being met. Differing values clash. We don't allow weaknesses; we need strengths to bring glory to God. We succumb to caring about ourselves (recognition, respect, security, right-ness) rather than caring for others. We have broken relationships, broken trusts, broken spirits through false perspectives of competition. We respond to unmet expectations in our habitual ways because our spirits haven't been fully transformed and filled with His spirit--revealing love, joy, peace, patience...We will work hard and endlessly at reconciliation and restoration, making peace within our walls. We groan. We are burdened. We would rather be with Him than away from Him. "So make it our goal to please Him...All this is from God who reconciled us to Him through Christ and gave us a ministry of reconciliation."
Sande and Van Yperen exhort us to be peacemakers, not peacekeepers. Peace making is hard work. Peacekeeping can be as easy as running away to a different church. Not what Christ has called us to do.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Driven Mad By Grace
A lot of times we're in a rut, and we follow a path we've taken before, or others have taken. Often that path is one in which we think everyone else acts like us, thinks like us, decides like us.
Recently, I watched a show in which the actor Ethan Hawke researched Shakespeare's MacBeth (superstitiously called the Scottish Play) as if he was preparing for the role. He learned about the real, historic MacBeth. He learned from others' portrayals of the character. He wondered if MacBeth was changed by the prophetic words of the witches, and the urging of his wife, or did their words explode the ambitious fire within him. He talked with people who have worked with murderers to understand their psyche. Unfortunately, he didn't question the assumption that MacBeth may not have been ambitious at the start of the play and was bothered by committing murders of his king and friends. Shakespeare didn't write with emoticons; written words of regret could be said sincerely or sarcastically depending on the context. All of the experts talked about MacBeth as if he had never killed anyone before. I would've screamed at the TV if I thought they would have heard me, "What are you saying? He was a general. He's killed people on the battlefield. He was rewarded for his excessive boldness, recklessness perhaps, and courage. He was surprised that he was given another title and land by chance (i.e. the coincidence of his battlefield success and the betrayal of the king by another lord). It was common in those times to gain territory and power through murder and conquest. The murderers of the thane of Cawdor seemed not to go mad. MacBeth's actions were 'normal'. Now re-read the play, you morons!"
"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me," MacBeth says, "without my stir." MacBeth didn't think he deserved any newfound wealth, title or fame without earning it.
If you think you need to earn your rewards, you will be driven mad by grace.
Throughout scripture, God continues to love even though we do not love Him back. "Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ" (Ephesians 3.8 NLT). "We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in [titles, wealth, appearance, etc.] rather than in the heart. For if we are out of our mind, it is for God..." (2 Corinthians 5.12-13 HCSB).
Paul's actions make no sense to the Corinthians or to anyone really. We analyze what he does in view of what we would do given our worldview, experience and the 'success gurus' of our culture. Unfortunately, they have false assumptions. They assume we have to earn love. We never earn love, not the love of God, our spouses, our kids... We can definitely kill love, but we do not deserve the love except that we are. Because we are, we get love. We are not worthy in the sense that we earned it. We exist, therefore God loves us, desires more of us, challenges us, spurs us on, rejoices over us...and so on.
Recently, I watched a show in which the actor Ethan Hawke researched Shakespeare's MacBeth (superstitiously called the Scottish Play) as if he was preparing for the role. He learned about the real, historic MacBeth. He learned from others' portrayals of the character. He wondered if MacBeth was changed by the prophetic words of the witches, and the urging of his wife, or did their words explode the ambitious fire within him. He talked with people who have worked with murderers to understand their psyche. Unfortunately, he didn't question the assumption that MacBeth may not have been ambitious at the start of the play and was bothered by committing murders of his king and friends. Shakespeare didn't write with emoticons; written words of regret could be said sincerely or sarcastically depending on the context. All of the experts talked about MacBeth as if he had never killed anyone before. I would've screamed at the TV if I thought they would have heard me, "What are you saying? He was a general. He's killed people on the battlefield. He was rewarded for his excessive boldness, recklessness perhaps, and courage. He was surprised that he was given another title and land by chance (i.e. the coincidence of his battlefield success and the betrayal of the king by another lord). It was common in those times to gain territory and power through murder and conquest. The murderers of the thane of Cawdor seemed not to go mad. MacBeth's actions were 'normal'. Now re-read the play, you morons!"
"If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me," MacBeth says, "without my stir." MacBeth didn't think he deserved any newfound wealth, title or fame without earning it.
If you think you need to earn your rewards, you will be driven mad by grace.
Throughout scripture, God continues to love even though we do not love Him back. "Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ" (Ephesians 3.8 NLT). "We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in [titles, wealth, appearance, etc.] rather than in the heart. For if we are out of our mind, it is for God..." (2 Corinthians 5.12-13 HCSB).
Paul's actions make no sense to the Corinthians or to anyone really. We analyze what he does in view of what we would do given our worldview, experience and the 'success gurus' of our culture. Unfortunately, they have false assumptions. They assume we have to earn love. We never earn love, not the love of God, our spouses, our kids... We can definitely kill love, but we do not deserve the love except that we are. Because we are, we get love. We are not worthy in the sense that we earned it. We exist, therefore God loves us, desires more of us, challenges us, spurs us on, rejoices over us...and so on.
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