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Truth, lies and videotape
Friday, January 2, 2015
Ninth Day of Christmas
1 John 2:22
Beloved: who is the liar?
John’s answer is the anti-Christ: whoever does not proclaim that Jesus is the Christ. He is writing to refute the claims of gnostics who will not accept the idea of God taking human form.
May I respond to his question in a different way? The liar is the one who suggests that fear of God is a reason to be a Christian. This takes many forms. Fear of hell, fear of retribution, fear of the unknown. Fear of any kind.
Later in his letter, John reminds us that “there is no fear in love.” But as Richard Rohr points out, once we introduce the idea of fear (not awe, but frightenedness) into our relationship with God, it’s hard to get rid of it. “Most people who start with fear stay with fear. They never make it to the higher motivations.”
Jesus told his disciples, “Be awake. Be alert. You do not know when the time will come.” Read the whole story in Mark 13. What “time” is Jesus talking about? Rohr thinks it is not the second coming. And it is not my own death. Those interpretations imply that God is using fear to motivate us. There is another way to see this passage:
What Jesus is talking about here is the forever coming of Christ, the always coming of Christ, the eternal coming of Christ…now…and now…and now … Christ is always coming; God is always present. It’s we who aren’t! We’re always somewhere else, at least I often am. Jesus tells us to be conscious, to be awake, to be alert, to be alive. It’s the key to all spirituality, because that is the one thing we aren’t. Be honest. Most of us live on cruise control. (this is from Rohr’s December 9 daily internet message)
What do you think? I had never been taught, or thought of, that interpretation of Mark 13:33-37. When I first read this, I felt happy. I felt loved. I felt inadequate, of course, as Rohr does too. I live on cruise control. I don’t like interruptions to my intricate personal plans. God is in charge, but I have to work very hard to remember that at all, let alone live like he is.
What I did not feel when I read this was fear. Or anger at myself or God. I felt warm and well-fed. And motivated to do more. For God’s sake, not for the sake of my own skin.
Lord, our lies are so subtle. We are held in the grip of what we’ve learned, and our teachers have learned, and their teachers have learned. Let us know in our gut how blessed we are, and how your presence holds us up and fills us with your spirit. Now … and now … and now. Keep us breathing. Ruah.
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1328
