There once was a herd of goats who were always looking for green grass.  Not that they didn’t have enough to eat but they always wanted the juiciest and tender clippings because those tasted the best.  As soon as the best blades were eaten they’d wonder on leaving behind a big mess from their hoofs and discarding of waste.  Worse yet they were taking the best food for themselves leaving meager portions for the other animals.

At one point the other animals banded together to confront the goats.  It wasn’t that the other animals wanted to get rid of them but they wanted the goats to understand that all of life is intertwined and one group’s actions effects the other.  If they wanted to live in peace and harmony then they had to help each other.  But, the goats felt the other animals were being lazy and told them that if they worked a bit harder perhaps they would be able to acquire better food too.

The herd of sheep were not readily known for being the wise ones in the group of animals.  They even caused more than their share of damage to the pastures at times.  But, they had big hearts and were always willing to help.  In fact, they were so willing to help at times that they would give away all the grass they had to keep the cows and deer and Buffalo’s from starving when times were tough.  The sheep found it difficult to protect themselves from predators being slow and clumsy on foot so they organized themselves along with the other animals into neighborhood watch groups that constantly looked out for wolves and lions on the prowl.  The sheep accepted that though the other animals were brighter and faster that they all needed to work together to create a safer world for their children.

One year a drought hit the land and caused a famine among the animals.  The sheep and goats gathered large quantities of grass to keep them through this terrible predicament.  As the famine spread and worsened the predicament of the animals grew dire.  The sheep did their best to help the others by supplying much needed food that they themselves had gathered and needed to the others.  The sheep were consumed with helping animals that were less fortunate and keeping the greedy vultures away from those dieing in the hot sun by tending to their needs.

The goats had gathered a large store of tender, juicy grass that they hoarded in a well built store house.  Many animals pleaded with them for help but the goats always said that if the others would have planned better then they wouldn’t be in this predicament.  Never mind the fact that the goats had organized themselves into a vast army that had swept across the best pastures gathering up grass.  The goats did relent to hand out grass that had become moldy or wasn’t the choicest pickings after some animals died of starvation in front of the door to their store house.

Once this great famine was over Jesus visited the devastated valley.  He tended to the wounds of the animals and blessed the sheep for their hospitality ensuring them that though they sacrificed without any thought of receiving a reward they would be given green pastures in Paradise.  But, when Jesus came to the fortified store house of the goats he found them to be fat and lazy though everyone else was lean and skinny.  Not only were the goats rebuked but their inheritance was the now dried out wasteland that they had helped to create.  After they protested and said that they had helped the less fortunate during the famine Jesus held up the bones of the animals who died in front of the doors to their store house.  The goats became silent as tears fell from the Lord’s eyes upon the bones causing them to rattle, skin to reform, and life to return to what had been death.  But, the goats received no tears or compassion for none was given by them.

Welcome to the world of disillusion where lives become dust blowing in the wind as the machine grinds away at your soul burning what’s left of life into a polluting viral smog that blinds the spirit and kills the body.  A world of death where decay is the only real thing to hang on to as isolation invades the senses building walls between hope and what’s within grasp of rotting flesh. 

We float like barren islands in a sea of pain unable to connect with the other as another becomes a monster that must be killed or kill to keep from the killing of one another.  Barren isolation ripping the soul to shreds in a sea of phantoms that burn the heart but can never be touched. 

Into this divided world of isolation comes a light, a hope, truth, a word that transforms and unites; the Creation of the possibility of the impossible, wells of life in the desert.  The wasteland becomes a source of life filled with the possibility of unity among islands of barrenness.  The word fills and surrounds the impossible with the powerless power of love uniting all that is empty with life to be fused with the Spirit that gives life through the breathe that God breathes upon the world to call it back into the paradise originally created to be it’s abode. 

The monsters of death, the powers of Hell come face to face with their enemy, their doom, their demise as the empty tomb made holy by the body of the Son reveals the glory of God’s chosen one.  Now the One within whom creation and Heaven have been fused together in a unity the monsters of isolation and corruption have been overcome.  Through the risen body the physical and the spiritual, the seen and unseen, the created and the uncreated are fused together to bring the life of love into the isolated creating a synergy of life.  

CHRIST HAS RISNE 

Who do you trust and just what is truth.  The political pundits spin their tales to change reality to their selfish aggrandizing benefit.  The powers that be control and manipulate the people with fear and torture.  On the streets there is death and no one dares speak up or say a word; voices have been silenced and hearts have been crushed, we’re just walking aimlessly through life to our deaths.  Where are you going they say?  Where the hell are you going, this world’s about to burn up and burn out.  Well I say I’m going to the tomb to the place where hope has been buried and love lies in death’s captivity.  I’m going to wait and see what comes when the sun rises over the hills and lights up the dark alley streets. 

The poor sit in their dark corners waiting for the sun to shine upon a land scorched by bombs and bullets that rip the sky slicing the heart’s of innocents caught in the crossfire.  The sick lay in bed waiting for the sun to shine through windows dirty from years of neglect and apathy wondering if eyes will ever gaze upon them again.  The tomb is filled with the incense of death as all the world below and above waits to see what will happen while a war rages in Hell for the souls of the ancients. 

My heart bleeds for love as I sit at the tomb of the one who died at the hands of cruel powers that neglect the people while sucking life from the world.  The body of the immortal, the light, the holy one of God lays in the tomb from the wounds of the cross that gives life to our bodies inflicted with sin and death.  I sit at the tomb awaiting with hope and faith for the Lord to raise from death and lead us to Heaven’s glory. 

Apparently the McCain campaign is highlighting the fact that Barak Obama’s middle name is Hussein and interpreting this fact as something to fear because it’s a Muslim name.  This raises some serious questions about how we interpret life and understand cultural differences.  I would also beg the question as to whether or not our nation is capable of sustaining the diversity of religion and ethnicity that we espouse to if religious fear is exploited during campaigning; in other words, are we a nation of bigots, but that should be for another blog.

Names are powerful because they connect us with a person or thing.  We don’t identify ourselves with our social security numbers when greeting people.  We introduce ourselves with our name because that’s who we are.  Sometimes names can identify our ethnicity and sometimes our faith.  In my Mennonite church tradition there are certain last names that identify you as a cultural, cradle Mennonite because it’s a name that has been part of the Mennonite church for generations and can be traced back to some sort of German or Dutch roots.  What’s ironic is that in today’s plurality and change in demographics there are many people with these last names who are no longer part of the Mennonite church but they still have the name.  What does this mean?  So a person has a Muslim name does that make them Muslim?

I have a friend who has a Muslim name but he’s a Christian.  His family was Muslim and naturally gave him a Muslim name but he decided to be a follower of Christ.  It’s important for us to distinguish between the name embodying who we are in the sense that it connects with a person who has a story and history.  But, to say that a name means your a particular ethnic or religious group is absurd in a world of freedom and choice.  How ironic that at election time when candidates are touting “American ideals” they destroy those ideals by suggesting that a person’s name means they belong to something that they don’t belong to.  Shame on the Republicans (I know the Democrats are not innocent.)

Words are powerful and we must ask what fills the word.  In the gospel of John chapter 1 we read that the Word became flesh and blood meaning that God took on flesh and blood through the Virgin Mary.  If God would never have become human in Christ then God’s words would always have a disconnect from the reality we live in.  It’s only through God’s fusion with the world that the world can be fused with God to transform it and save it.  This is why the name of Jesus is so powerful in identifying a reality; a loving reality that has conquered death.  

But, there are many people with the name of Jesus; a very popular name among various Hispanic groups.  Does that mean that anyone given the name Jesus takes on the same reality as Jesus Christ in the Bible?  Of course not, it doesn’t even guarantee that their Christians.  We do have free choice after all.  So why the big fuss that Obama has the middle name Hussein?

The Republican campaign is playing on fear; an anti-American fear for after all this is suppose to be a nation of religious freedom which means it shouldn’t matter what religion the president is but I guess we haven’t come that far in our belief in religious freedom.  There is an attempt to put meaning into Obama’s name that doesn’t exist.  Barak’s name embodies the story of a particular man who has a particular story and that story reveals who he is and what he believes.  That is what should count, the story that the name connects with.  If we need to resort to fear tactics then perhaps the campaign isn’t worth the air time it receives.  So I pray that the ignorant and dangerous ploys on the part of some people in both parties is put aside so that the story and ideas of all the candidates is reflected on in an open and honest atmosphere enabling the American people to make a decision based on what’s best for the nation. 

To be consumed with the stuff of life seems to be the way of the world.  We burn ourselves out desperately seeking to satisfy our desires only to find ourselves empty and shallow in the end.  If we let go of it all there is peace but letting go can be painful. 

There once was a man who dragged himself out of a life of poverty, of desperate existence, to make a fortune and live the life most dream of.  What he desired he acquired through the fame and wealth that was at his fingertips.  It was a life of luxury and ease that seemingly erased the pain of his roots where poverty ruled. 

One day this man’s family fell apart; though the brokenness of his family had been a long time in the making and he had been blind to it.  His concern for wealth and his own desires created a space of shallowness where he neglected the relationships that matter most.  Money could no longer hide the lack of love he had given and his family was overcome with drugs, adultery, and hate. 

The rich man thought that more money would fix things in being able to buy the best counseling and bigger toys to forget the pain that his family was experiencing.  But, he realized to his horror that more wealth left his family more devastated leaving him with an emptiness in the pit of his stomach.  One day the man became aware of how lonely he truly was and the emptiness of his existence where there was no love or peace in his heart.

It was a moment of truth, an epiphany, as the man realized that when he was poor his family had what mattered most; love for one another.  In an act of desperation he sold all he had and gave the money to the poor.  He downsized his house to a simple home and changed jobs to one that was not as demanding. 

This change caused such consternation among his friends for whom he could not longer throw big parties or give lavish gifts that they deserted him.  This left the man confused as he thought they would understand that love is more important and the peace that comes from helping the poor.  So when the opportunity came, this poor man accepted a promotion and began to rebuild his wealth and live the lie that money buys; misery can be hidden behind big meaningless toys. 

In the last two Harry Potter books we’re given the philosophy of the soul according to this fictional world.  In this intriguing piece of the epic story the dark wizard Voldemort has divided his soul to gain immortality.  Voldemort used a very dark and evil form of magic place the pieces of his soul in various objects that are called Horcruxes.  So long as his soul resides in these objects Voldemort achieves immortality, but at a price, the price of becoming less human though he gains immense power.  If all the objects with pieces of his oul would be destroyed then Voldemort would loose power and could be killed by a mortal wound. 

The writer of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, is raising intriguing questions about power, the soul, and evil.  These same questions were raised in by J.R.R. Tolkien in Lord of the Rings where Sauron put all of his will and thought into the one ring so that if it were destroyed it would be his undoing.  But, Sauron was already an immortal being, analogous to angels, or in his case, fallen angels.  What would be the benefit of making himself vulnerable by putting his life force into a ring? 

The concept of putting one’s life force or soul into an object that is then hidden is not foreign to ancient myths.  Arabian folktales have genies which are human or human like beings whose life force is attached to an inanimate object, like a bottle.  Russian mythology has Koschei who are people that have hidden their soul in a needle allowing them to have great power so long as the needle is not destroyed which would be their death. 

In all of these stories the soul is connected with immortality in being that aspect, that part or essence of the physical beings life that continues in it’s existence after death.  Therefore, to control the soul is to control life and death, to have power over the greatest forces of the universe and to achieve immortality; the dream of humanity to live forever.  In all of these stories the soul must be removed from the physical body and hidden in some other object in order for the being to have power and achieve their goals.  Removing the soul and placing it in a container is a great metaphor on how we attempt to place life in a container where it can be manipulated and controlled for one’s own selfish ends. 

Attempts to control the soul are not born out of a desire to do good.  Neither do such attempts have peaceful or loving ends in the myths or fantasy stories as the  humanness of the being is destroyed in their self-centered search for power which corrupts them.  This is the lesson in Lord of the Rings, power corrupts even those who would use this mighty ring to do good, such as Gandalf who is unwilling to touch the ring for this reason.   

Lord Voldemort’s magic to split his soul and create the horcruxes is considered some of the darkest and most evil magic in this fictional world.  To be willing to extract one’s soul for the sake of immortality is evil no matter how justified it may be to the practitioner.  It goes against what is good and just in a society; it’s the opposite of love.  Love in Harry Potter and in real life is about giving oneself for another, sacrificing ourselves to give life, being open to and accepting the other without any strings attached.  Harry’s mother demonstrated this kind of love and it’s what saved his life.  Her willingness to die in the face of Voldemort’s killing spree saved Harry and protected him throughout his childhood.  The willingness of Jesus Christ to die for humanity unleashes the power of love that transforms those who are willing to receive it just like Harry Potter must accept the calling of love to face evil and give himself to conquering it. 

The question remains as to whether or not it’s possible to put one’s soul in a container such as Harry Potter or the ancient myths suggest being a possibility.  Can the soul be removed from the physical body even at death?  Does the soul live on in immortality even after death claims the body?  Many evangelical Christians have the view that the soul leaves the body upon death to live eternally in Heaven.  This has helped to foster the notion that Heaven is a bunch of disembodied souls floating around on clouds; what I think to be a very boring picture of the afterlife. 

After Jesus Christ rose from the grave he ate with his disciples.  There are several accounts of him appearing, mysteriously, in their midst or on the sea shore, or along the road, and eating with them.  His body seems different in its mysterious capabilities of being able to appear and disappear but it’s also very much flesh and blood in being able to eat.  When Jesus leaves his disciples to ascend into Heaven it’s a physical body that rises into the sky. 

Voldemort’s magic is all the more evil because it’s focus is on power that denies our humanness.  To be human is to be an interwoven reality of physical and spiritual that isn’t meant to be separated.  It’s to celebrate our humanity in eating together and have hope for life after death that includes the transformation of this life into something good that lives forever without being disembodied.  Voldemort disembodies himself in order to gain power but the power is empty because it must destroy what is good about being human, our flesh and blood existence that requires food to live.  It’s empty because it removes that part of humanity that gives it life, the soul, the heart, that part that loves and fills the body with love and hope in order to have power to dominate. 

How many of us attempt to do the same thing Voldemort has done?  We might be practicing evil magic to separate ourselves from our soul’s in order to gain immortality.  But, we destroy our souls with our self-centered greed and search for power in order to fulfill our selfish desires.  It’s too bad more of us haven’t discovered the love that Harry’s mom had, a love that is greater than any power Voldemort will ever posses.  

Do the things we desire and seek after control us?  Are our passions the gateway to slavery leading us into an endless seeking after what can never satisfy?  How do we live a life filled with a love that isn’t distorted by our desires to possess and control?

There was once a monk who prayed very hard and practiced many spiritual disciplines with a very devout piety.  His heart desired more than anything to see Jesus and so he prayed fervently day and night that Jesus would bless him with a vision of his presence.  The monk fasted, meditated, and read the Bible to be considered worthy for a visitation from Jesus.  One day a demon clothed in the light of an angel appeared to him and said that tomorrow evening he must climb Mount Athos and when he gets to the top his desire will be granted in having a visit from Jesus.  The monk was ecstatic and spent the whole night and next day in prayer and fasting till it was time for him to climb the mountain.

It was a strenuous climb as he slowly ascended the peak taking in the spectacular views of the peninsula and the rich nature that surrounded him.  His heart was delighted and became more and more eager the closer he got to the top as to what awaited him.  It was evening and getting dark upon the monk’s reaching the summit.  Once there he gazed upon Jesus Christ sitting upon his heavenly throne surrounded by angels and the saints; some of whom he recognized.  Then Jesus told one of the saints to go and fetch the monk and bring him to the throne because he wants to bless him.  At this point the sun was nearly set as the saint approached the monk but as the saint was within arm’s reach the monk saw with horror the horns protruding from his head.  He cried out to the Lord ‘have mercy on me” and instantly everything was gone and the monk was alone in the snow and ice on top of Mount Athos dangerously near the edge of a steep drop to the deadly rocks that lay below. 

Desire seeks only to please the self through possession, control, dominating the other in order to have what does not belong to us.  Desire is not love because love relates without condition while desire seeks to take for personal gain. 

The monk who desired to see Jesus did not do so out of love but personal gain.  If he saw Jesus then he would count for something, have an experience that would make him something, he would be someone because of this vision.  But, all of these things are selfish in that he desired to see Jesus not because of a love that was free to relate to Jesus as another, as God, as a human as someone who loved without personal gain.   

How do we overcome our desire?  How are we freed from the horrid monsters that we become through our selfish exploitation of one another, nature and the world around us?  How do we transform our constant desire to possess the other and take from the other for our own selfish gain? 

REFLECTION 

Lent can sometimes seem like an overbearing season of somber reflection and darkness that is as dreary as the February wind and gloomy skies.  In our times, people like to be happy at any expense and will go to great lengths to hide the pain or suffering that they experience.  Drugs, clothing, cars, houses, just about anything these days is marketed as a product that will make us happy and help us to forget or get rid of the things we don’t want to remember like the broken relationships, suffering, oppression, and evil in the world.  The reality is that without confronting our demons, without facing the darkness in our own lives, it’s impossible to have peace and be happy.  The gloom of Lent (and I don’t think Lent is really gloomy as much as it is reflecting on the reality of our lives) must come before the hope, joy, love and glory of Easter.

  STORY

There once was a young man who had everything he could desire.  His family became lucrative with their business and amassed a large fortune that was at his disposal.  Like many people in his situation life came too easy which carried a deadly price tag; he wasn’t in touch with who he really was and quickly found that any problem he ever encountered could be bought off and gotten rid of with the vast financial resources he inherited. 

Like many social elites this young man easily surrounded himself with a circle of friends who were more friendly with his money than they were with his heart.  They partied most nights away with drugs and sex and became oblivious to reality, that part of life that exists when we’re stripped bare of excesses and are forced to face who we really are.  It’s at this point of self-centered living that the danger of bestruction becomes all too real with the irony that the cushion of comfort acts like a narcotic to blind us to the impending danger around the corner. 

To face the vices of our lives and rip open our hearts and say this is me; all the filth and evil, all the good and peace mixed together, is the only way to face the demon’s of chaos that come unaware to undermine our existence.  But, the wild parties and fake friends told this young man that life would last forever, eternal bliss was his so why bother with the nagging thoughts he had deep in the pit of his heart.  Ignore that numb feeling in your gut and take a hit on the this stuff to fill your veins with what really counts.

In the end you can’t run from your misery and the young man found the bottom of the bottle was death.  But, even here at the end of his rope, with the noose around his neck, there was a light that shone, a presence that called to him from out of the depths of despair and invited the young man to see what was truly real in his world of death and despair.  To change takes more courage than to give in to the voices that seek our death.  But, to change goes against human nature and the young man had to wrestle with himself deep in the heart of his soul to get to what was real, to where there was still love, to find hope because all these things were buried underneath layers of false and inauthentic attempts to hide himself for the sake of a quick fix and mometary happiness.

Once the young man faced who he was while looking at the bottom of that bottle his friends left and his money dried up.  But, that light, that hope, that love, that called to him reached out and forgave him.  There was a new drink in his hand that gave life and this drink never led him to the bottom of a bottle but instead to a love that was never ending.  Life isn’t always filled with everything desired but it becomes filled with peace that is surpassing once we face our demons.   

A light is shining within a dark world.  It can’t be put out no matter the powers that war against it.  Till the end it shines brightly healing the wounded of the world’s horror.  In the dark evil rules and blood flows while the light reflects the darkness of our hearts enabling those who choose to be healed of their wounded souls.Rivers of sludge run through the streets gathering the waste of human deeds.  The powers that rule, the institutions that govern, the machines that run societies economic motion turn a blind eye and death ear to the plight of the human soul and nature’s demise.  Greed for power and more of what isn’t theirs motivates the hearts of rich and poor to rape, kill and destroy till they’ve conquered all leaving nothing holy in the world of turmoil. Into the ocean flow the rivers of humanity’s spoil flowing where they will over mountain, field, and forest.  All is interconnected, none acts alone, the waste of our lives effects everyone.  Willingly due we excrete the poison of our hearts into the flowing water transforming life by our greed into a slave of futility creating a dead zone in the midst of the life of the ocean.  Sin is not pleasant or something that brings us comfort but in a strange way facing it’s reality can help to heal the wounded world we live in.  The destruction of relationship whether between people, communities, God, or nature is the action of sin; the willful exercise of power for self-centered greed.  Sin’s power is in the willful action of the human heart in synergy with the power’s of evil that reside in institutions or agents of darkness making it personal and it’s social. Into the dead zone infecting the ocean like a virus effects the body comes the light clothed in flesh to heal and make things right.  The true light doesn’t escape or avoid the evil of the world.  Goodness isn’t about keeping oneself pure and avoiding the dark places of the world.  Goodness compels the heart to get involved by stepping into the mess of the world to be hope and healing for this place of madness. The light clothed in flesh doesn’t go to places of power and raise up armies to impose a different legal or political system.  He who is light has no power.  The one who has come has left power behind for the sake of love and justice which power corrupts no matter how great the desire or motivation.  Until the heart is stripped of all selfish desire and wholly united with God can it make room for transformation that brings healing and life. It’s into the middle of the dead zone that Jesus Christ makes his residence without being attached to the land in the form of a dwelling or bringing vast armies to establish his kingdom.  Instead it’s from a position of weakness and invitation that Jesus lets the light of healing shine to face the darkness with a love open to any who chose to receive it. The goodness of light is found in it’s ability to dispel the darkness so humanity and nature can see the possibility of a relationship with God.  Through God’s love there is healing of the emptiness and death of sin so that people can unite together with one another and overcome the poverty, injustice, evil, and greed of the world. From within the zone of death Jesus calls followers to come and be his friends.  Though their hearts are part of the polluted ocean, part of the problem, they are the ones who are chosen to receive the truth and friendship of Christ and be healed and part of the solution. 

It’s not the well to do or those who have it together that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, chooses to bring peace on earth.  Instead, Jesus calls the messed up and broken who live in the dead zone of life’s ocean to be vessels of hope to bring into existence a world that is in unity with God and has peace. 

REFLECTIONS ON THE BOOK OF MATTHEW CHAPTER 4: verses 12-22