Forgiveness: Remembering the Truth

I’m reading John Shea’s The Challenge of Jesus.   Actually, just the chapter on forgiveness, to prepare for this Sunday’s sermon.  I think creation/re-creation/resurrection (all the same thing) is the primary (only?)  job of God the Father.  That was last Sunday’s sermon.

Forgiveness/reconciliation is the job/goal of Jesus.  Jesus came to show us how to forgive.  In fact, we must forgive if we are going to have any part of Jesus.   I think forgiveness is the primary spiritual task.    This Sunday’s reading has the risen Christ breath the Spirit on the disciples and say, “If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven.  If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. ”  I think this is a descriptive statement.  We all have the power to retain or to forgive sins.   We have the ability to do both, but if we are to follow Jesus, we don’t have the choice – we must forgive.

John Shea has a habit of saying things that get to the heart of a doctrine, and once they sink in, they seem obviously true.

In this chapter, he says that forgiveness isn’t about mercy.  It is rather about remembering the truth about somebody, or the truth about oneself.  We are all beloved by, and created in the image of, God.  To forgive another is to remember who the person really is, beneath the hurtful things they might have done.

On page 129 He quotes an article by Richard Ray that appeared in Union Seminary Quarterly Review:

Forgiveness can be described in interpersonal terms as the reaffirmation of the essential worth of one who has become blind to, and insensitive of, his own sense of worth.  It includes the experience of being embraced for who one really is. Forgiveness is thus an experience of insight which comes with the aid of another whose vision has not been distorted to such a degree.  Thus, forgiveness is not so much an act of mercy as it is an act of of loyalty to truth.  Truth, not mercy, is the source from which one’s self-respect is renewed and confidence and hope restored.

Isn’t that absolutely beautiful.  Forgiveness is an experience of insight that comes from somebody who’s vision is not distorted.  When I look at myself, my vision is obscured by the veil created by the many stupid and wrong things I have done.  Forgiveness comes when somebody else’s vision of me is not obscured by that veil and I begin to see, through their eyes, who I really am.  And we are invited to be that source of clear-eyed vision when we look at others.

What a lovely calling we share.

REPENT!

Well, not really.

“Metanoia,” the word translated “repent” in the Christian scriptures really means, “change your mind.”   That has such a different connotation.  When I hear “repent,” I often think I’m being told to stop my sinful behavior.  While I could certainly benefit by decreasing my sinful behavior, that translation does not get to the beauty of what is being expressed. “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand”  really means, “Change the way you see the world.  The Kingdom of Heaven is here.”   I think it is Cynthia Bourgeault who understands “metanoia” to mean, “put on the larger mind” or “put on the mind of Christ.”  See the world as God sees the world.  This is a much richer understanding of metanoia than “stop your bad behavior!”

Richard Rohr offers a reflection on metanioa in his meditation for today.  He is reflecting on Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

This central message at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel tells us what we have to do to “turn our lives around.”  It would seem to imply that status quo thinking is hardly ever aiming in the right direction.  Both societies and individuals tend to be too self-protective and too self-aggrandizing; but many individuals are self-rejecting too.  “Business as usual” in any individual or any culture will normally not get you there.  It circles around smallness.

The Greek word metanoia, usually translated “repent,” quite literally means to “change your mind,” to turn around and operate differently.  Given that, it is rather amazing that Christian history has largely become a protection of the status quo—through its complicity with war, the upper classes in most of its history, and with people who do not like change at all.  You would have thought Jesus had said “stay the same” instead of “change”!

Of course, this change is only possible if we have experienced the next verse and “believed some good news.”  We will all be protectors of the status quo until we deeply accept that we are deeply accepted, which is one of the most difficult surrenders possible.  On that basis alone do we have the courage to build a new and larger future for ourselves and for the world.

Buddhist and Christian Meditation -B. Alan Wallace at Trinity

On Friday, March 13, 2009 B. Alan Wallace spoke at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento.  Dr. Wallace is the author of many books including Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism and Christianity.   I divided the video into 20 minute segments.   I apologize for the poor quality.   I’ve also uploaded the videos into my Vimeo account and created a “Buddhism” album.  If the links below don’t work, try going HERE.
DrWallaceTrinity1.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity2.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity3.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity4.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity5.wmv

Fasting for Lent

I wrote this last Thursday but didn’t get it posted.

It’s now the first week of Lent and I’ve begun to settle into my practices. It usually takes me a few days to really figure out what I’m going to focus on for the season. One of the things I am doing this Lent is fasting every Wednesday. It is a new practice for me. I’ve never had much interest. I’ve tried little fasts, abstaining from desserts, or skipping a meal, but not regularly skipping eating for an entire day. But I decided to not eat on Ash Wednesday and was intrigued by the results, so I’m doing it every Wednesday. One of the things of which I’m becoming aware is how unconscious my eating habits are. When I’m hungry, I reflexively eat. I don’t pay much attention to the act of eating or what I’m eating. I’m not mindful in my eating. I just eat. But by skipping food once a day, I somehow hit the reset button on my desire for food. Today, the day after fasting, I’m more conscious about how I relate to food. I’m more aware, and more appreciative, of the food I get to eat. Not in an “I’m starved” kind of way—more of a “this is lovely” kind of way. I suspect changing other patterns of behavior can help us be more mindful in other areas of our lives. How are your disciplines going? If you haven’t settled into something, it’s not too late to start.

Remember You are Dust

Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

I love those words spoken as an ashen cross is marked on each worshipper’s forehead.  I love hearing those words.  I feel like I should be repulsed by them.  But I’m not.  Perhaps because they are true.   I am so easily distracted by things that wither and fade: my financial security, my health, my stuff, etc.  But all that is dust.  So much of what I think comprises “me” is just dust.  It will all pass away. 

What remains after the dust-me is gone is love.  The reason I love hearing these words is they remind me to focus on that which really remains.  Love.  God.  Love. Other people. Love. God’s Creation. Love. 

There is a life that exists within and beyond all that is.  I just have a hard time seeing it because of all of the shiny dust.

Preaching this Sunday – The Annunciation

I’m preaching this Sunday, the 4th Sunday in Advent.  The gospel reading is the story that is called The Annunciation, when Gabriel tells Mary about her impending motherhood.  Here’s the text (Luke 1:26-38) and some thoughts:

^{Luke 1:26}In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

If she is “perplexed” at this, just wait . . .

³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

It is interesting that she does not assume Joseph will be the father and the child will come about in the normal way.  The angel says, “You will conceive.”  Mary could have easily assumed the angel meant that this would all take place after she is married.  But she knew this was something special.

³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.”

I imagine the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy helped Mary.  If Elizabeth, in her old age, can conceive a son, then perhaps this really is possible.  Also I’m sure Elizabeth was an important companion on this scary spiritual journey.  This makes me wonder about the surprising ways in which we are invited to birth God in the world, and the importance of having Elizabeths in our lives — and being Elizabeth for others.

³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

There was a time when my western mind was very curious about what really happened.  How could Mary have really been a virgin and have a son.  Now I don’t really care too much about the gynecology of the story.  I’m more interested in the spirituality of the story.  God is in the business of bringing life into situations that we think are barren.  Virginity is a state of being unattached — open and available to the movement of the spirit.  We are each called to birth Christ into the world.  (Meister Eckhart said something like, “What good is it if Mary gave birth to the Christ child 1400 years ago if I fail to do so in this time and in this place.”)  Miracles abound and they shatter our expectations of how the world is supposed to work.  We are not alone in experiencing the miraculous movement of God’s spirit.  Saying yes, or “let it be” will change our lives, break our hearts, and move us closer to the Kingdom of God’s love.

Repentance and Sin

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 

In preparing for this past Sunday’s sermon, I came across this great definition of sin from John Shea:

Sin is “any thought, deed, or disposition that breaks the flow of life between God and the self, as well as between the self, other people and the earth.” (Eating with the Bridegroom: The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers, p. 27)

I love this.  It isn’t a new thought for me, it is just expressed clearly.  Sin is not the collection of our misdeeds that anger God, sin is any way of thinking or being that interrupts the flow of life.  This does not anger God as much as it break’s God’s heart.

If we couple this with a better understanding of the word translated “repentance” then we can come to a completely different understanding of John the Baptists message.

The greek word translated as repent is metanoia.  Metanoia comes from two greek roots: meta, which means to change, and noein which means to think, which is related to nous which means the mind.  So the word translated repent really does not have the penitential connotations that we see in repentance.  It more accurately means to change one’s mind, or to change one’s worldview.  Meta can also mean more comprehensive or transcending as in metaphysics.  So metanoia can also mean to put on a higher, or more transcend mind.  Perhaps to put on the mind of God or the mind of Christ.

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of a new way of thinking so people could be freed from their association with sin.  People could be freed from that which interrupted the life that was flowing from God.  I know this isn’t nearly as poetic as the way Mark worded it. 

Another insight I got from Shea was that the path that is being cleared in the wilderness is not so we can get to God, but rather so God can get to us.  “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”   It puts the image of a spiritual journey on its head.  I need to clear away the deadwood and obstacles in my spiritual life, not so I can get to God, but so God can get to me.  This new way of thinking (metanoia?) gives us the image of God who is relentlessly trying to get to us in order to love us and fill us with life. 

I’ll have the audio of my sermon posted by tomorrow.  But that’s pretty much it.  Of course I had to take much longer to say it in a sermon.

Welcome to Advent

Today marks the first day of Advent.  It is also the first day of the Church year.  Advent is somewhat like Lent-light.   Whereas Lent is over 6 weeks long, Advent is less than 4.  Advent is a time of more focused devotion and a time for acts of charity.  The purpose is to prepare us spiritually for Christmas.  Without such preparation, we can end up looking at the meaning of Christmas rather than experiencing the new-birth of Christ in our own hearts.   

I am particularly eager for Advent this year.  These past weeks I have been slacking off from my spiritual practice.  It is a pattern of mine.  I’ve never been good at sustained spiritual discipline.  I think it is an ADD trait of mine.   I get all excited about a spiritual practice, enter into it wholeheartedly, and then get distracted by something else.  Advent calls my attention back to the Holy and invites me into focused practice for about four weeks.  I can do that.

So this Advent, I’m starting with the devotions that have been prepared by members of Trinity Cathedral. They can be found on the Trinity Cathedral CrossTalk Blog.    The first week of Advent is all fire & brimstone.  Don’t let this intimidate you.  The purpose of this week is to say that there is something wrong with the world in which we are living.    God is not pleased with the cruel way we often treat one another (just watch the news.)   A big theme of Christmas is God being with us in the midst of our pain – light shining in the darkness.  To help us get this, we need to see the darkness around us.  Don’t be put off by the vivid, poetic language the authors of the Bible use to express this.

Meditating with Mercedes – Audio

Here’s the audio from Mercede’s meditation. I apologize for the annoying noise toward the end of the recording.  It doesn’t last long.

For those who weren’t there, here’s a description of what we did.  My friend Mercedes Bahleda is a  Tibetan Buddhist teacher who was raised as a Roman Catholic.   Although she is a devout Buddhist with a very intentional practice, she has not abandoned her love of Jesus and has recently been studying the Christian mystics.

While meditation practices have always been present in Christianity, they have played a much more significant role in Buddhism.   Over many centuries Tibetan Buddhists have developed and refined their meditation techniques, focusing primarialy on spoken meditation — what I had heard referred to as “guided meditation.”  This is different from the silent meditation emphasized in Zen Buddhism and Christian Centering prayer.

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Lama Marut Photos

At Zuda Yoga with Lama Marut and Anne Marie Kramer