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March 31, 2008
Our wounds, His body- By Ted Karpf
The following is the text preached by my friend Canon Ted Karpf yesterday at Holy Trinity Geneva. Like re-watching Children of Men, it was a shot of the arm of thinking about how life, faith, and hope come together.
I hope you enjoy it as I did...
"Our wounds, His body
Fear, disorder and distrust of their senses filled them. They had seen him executed as a criminal. Now word had come by one of the women, and their shattered new leader, Peter that somehow, he had was no longer in the tomb. Somehow, he had been raised.
They didn't comprehend what this strange news could mean. The dead don't walk. Locked away in their Upper Room for fear of more killings at the hands of a crazed mob; ashamed of returning to their hometowns in Galilee in disgrace; they waited in that room for something to happen. And it did!
He appears among them showing them his hands and side. His wounds. He breathes on them, some calling it the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of Life and Truth. He pronounces a word of peace on them: Shalom. For the most part, it quells their fear and releases their joy. By showing them his wounds, he reminds them of the reality of his death. By his wounds they are halted in any retreat from reality into an ecstatic fancy, and rescued from reverting back into complacence from which they had come. This encounter with the wounded risen Lord does not end in passivity.
As we have seen, Easter brings together the images of our woundedness; our longing for peace; for home and safety; and, for glory. When Jesus appears, showing them the wounds in his hands and his side, he greets them with words that speak to the depth of their souls: Peace be with you! What they would have to learn and what we will come to know is that there is no peace without wounds; there is no peace without responsibility; there is no peace without accepting risk; there is no peace without the challenging, irritating urgency of the Spirit. No peace without judgment and forgiveness!
In this one appearance, Jesus empowers this rag-tag band of followers to heal the wounds of others by forgiveness and faithfulness. This is an outrageous claim and unabashed reality, if you think about it. For the risk here is that not only will they be responsible for healing one another but, by this action they will participate in creating a new order of reality, extending care and compassion to the rest of the world. They would now have to be about living life as God intended it to be lived—redeemed and wounded—as a sign from God that the wounds of Christ are the means of forgiveness.
This showing of the wounds raises the discomfort of awe, wonder and even disbelief within us. And it should. Yet as any one of us knows from the experience of been forgiven or of forgiving another, it is filled with that same awe and wonder. By freeing others of the burden of their guilt and shame, and by being freed from it ourselves, we enter into the unfathomable mystery of the Reign of God in our lives and especially over our hearts.
It is not a matter of forgive and forget; rather it is a matter of forgive and remember: who you are-a child of God-and whose you are-God's own; and, who forgives and brings you peace.
This kind of recognition sets our lives free in radical ways. To extend forgiveness to another is to release new possibilities for life in another--it is to fulfill the promise of God to love us where we are. To withhold forgiveness and acceptance is to effectively consign another to the hell of guilt, shame and separation.
As we are coming to know, Easter is the radical explosion of the NEW into our lives. The Love of God is indiscriminate, out of control, and relentless. This means that you and I are freed to being whoever God calls us to be, but above all, free to be inclusive. We need no longer fear our differences. We may be fully alive, aware and awake to the subtle nuances of creation; we may see the creation whole instead of fragmented. But as you might guess this is not always Good News.
Many of us may not believe that real forgiveness or acceptance of another is desirable, possible, or even valuable. Some of us have chosen forgetfulness; others dullness of spirit; and still others are wrapped in fear. For if the creation is NEW and the re-ordering of life, a reality; then life lived under the shadow of unbelief is a life of despair: a life of forgetfulness of what God has done and skepticism of what God can do.
Thomas is one of these. He withdraws from the possibility that the Lord is among them. He withdraws from the peculiar pain of the challenge to live life to the full. He hesitates if living life to the full means putting his hands into life's wounds. And so do we, at least the first time. Thomas raises the eternal questions which haunt us, such as: What in me today most needs to be touched? What do I fear most: life or death/crucifixion or resurrection? What in me needs to be raised from the dead? What part of me, long since rejected and forgotten, needs to be touched and restored to life?
So how do we live out this kind of Resurrection Life: this Easter Faith in a Good Friday world?
Jess Trotter, the late Dean of the Virginia Seminary, was in his earlier years professor of Apologetics—defense of the faith. Late one spring, when the world had come alive after a long and dreary winter, his son committed suicide. Trotter numbed, bewildered, and stricken with grief in the face of such a tragedy was, in every way, hopeless. As any parent would be. He went through the self-recriminations, self-flagellation and self-doubt of what he might have done to cause the death of his son or prevent it.
It was also earlier in this same year that Trotter had been requested by the senior class of new clergy to give the commencement address in May; you know, the kind of speech that sends the eager forward into a brave new world. He didn't deliver the address as planned, but did attend the senior farewell dinner and this is what he said:
I thank you for your understanding. I thank you for your presence. Your prayers have made a difference. Where I've been and where I am, I can tell you but a little. I've been to the bottom and found it firm.
Sisters and Brothers in Christ, many of us here have also been to the bottom and we've found it firm; some of us may be heading to the bottom and hope its firm; and, still others have never been to the bottom, but trust its firm.
It really doesn't matter where you are in that particular aspect of the journey today. What does matter is that you are in the midst of the community....this community. Our Lord only asks that you look at the wounds of the family of God around you to see the face of your humanity and Remember. For the transformation wrought at Easter is that the Body of Christ—you and me—is Christ's body.
Just as the Risen Lord sees into Thomas' heart thus enabling Thomas to see the Lord, we are called upon to look into the hearts of each other and see the Christ. The response is always the same: My Lord and My God! For what compels Thomas to belief is what grips us: the signs of God in human suffering.
Hear the Gospel again: Peace be unto you! And he showed them his hands and his side. It is as if God in Christ is saying to us, Hesitate no longer! Receive the Covenant of Reconciliation. Receive the wounding of my peace! Receive the Resurrection! Receive yourself, ALIVE NOW. For Easter is Now! Alleluia, Alleluia! Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia! AMEN.+"
Preached on 30 March 2008
Holy Trinity
Geneva Switzerland
Posted by joshuacase at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
The Annunciation, already?
It seems odd that we are in Easter season and already we are thinking about Advent and Christmas; however, today is the celebration of the Annunciation, the celebration of the day when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her she would bear the Christ. The narrative reads as such:
26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God."38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
The Annunciation has been celebrated and written about in all kinds of literature and tradition. Here is John Donne's poem by the same name (ht: James Hill):
"Salvation to all that will is nigh;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo ! faithful Virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He'll wear,
Taken from thence, flesh,
which death's force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son, and Brother;
Whom thou conceivest, conceived;
yea, thou art now
Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother,
Thou hast light in dark, and shutt'st in little room
Immensity, cloister'd in thy dear womb. "
Ironically, this year, the day of John Donne and the Annunciation fall on the same day of the calendar of the Episcopal lectionary. Also, in Eastern Orthodoxy, Mary is referred to as Theotokos (Θεοτόκος="God bearer"). The traditional Eastern Orthodox Troparion (hymn for the day) of the Annunciation is(ht:Wiki):
"Today is the beginning of our salvation,
And the revelation of the eternal mystery!
The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin
As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace.
Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos: :Rejoice, O Full of Grace, :The Lord is with You!"
And did you know that the Annunciation is also in the Quran?
So may you today begin the process of reflecting on the birth of vision and hope, grace and peace, and yes, even the pains of child birth that is to come. Or, as my friend Canon Ted Karpf reminded us yesterday at Holy Trinity Church, may you re-discover "what it means to live an Easter faith in a Good Friday world."
be filled...
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2008
Children of Men...again!
(Trailer)
Last night I watched the movie Children of Men again. Every time I watch it, something new comes to me about the film and about the way the movie speaks so graphically with wisdom about the folly and tragedy of our age.
One of the things which I discovered on the DVD after this watch however, was a short film done by director Alfonso Cuarón entitled "The Possibility of Hope". It was hidden with the extras. In it he has numerous philosophers, scientists and futurists giving commentary on the film. One of the most notable voices, at least to me, was Slavoj Zizek. Throughout the years, my friend Peter Rollins and others over at the church and postmodern culture have engaged with Zizek's teaching and thoughts. So for me, it was a fun find.
Below is part one. There are two more parts online: Part Two, Part Three.
I have also blogged about Children of Men here and here.
To quote Zizek from part three, "The magic is to turn a desperate situation into a new beginning."
have hope?
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2008
Seriously Good Conversations
Here are a few SGCs from this week. There have been some good ones out there!
Recycle or go to Hell warns Vatican.
TED Blog's 'The biology of religion'.
Jason Clark's 'Wrestling with the ‘Identity Politics’ of Church life'.
Mars Hill's 'The Benefit of (the) Doubt: Revisioning the Role of Doubt for a Genuine Spirituality'.
Peter Rollins' 'God's Army'.
Enjoy the reads....
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 03:06 PM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2008
Hell of a Test Question
Per Nicholas Fiedler...
"My friend Rob Costa sent me this. It is supposedly true, which means it didn’t really happen, but here it is.
“The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington
chemistry mid-term exam. The answer by one student was so “profound”
that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which
is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.
**Bonus Question:
Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s Law,
(gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or
some variant, but fell short in producing a demonstration argument.
One student however wrote the following:
“First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time.
So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate
they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul
gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for
how many souls are entering Hell, lets look at the different religions
that exist in the world today.
Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their
religion, you will go to Hell.
Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not
belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to
Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of
souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s
Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to
stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls
are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls
enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase
until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in
Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes
over.
Considering then the postulate presented to me by Teresa K. during my
Freshman year: that “it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with
you” and taking into account the fact that over two years later, I still
have not succeeded in having relations with her; then, #2 cannot be
true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.”
The student received the only “A” given."
Hell? Really?
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 10:53 PM | Comments (1)
March 26, 2008
Barack Obama: Towards a More Perfect Union
There is no secret. I am a Barack Obama fan. Here is one of the best speeches he has given yet. Maybe second best to the Yes, We Can! speech.
enjoy...
joshua case for obama
Posted by joshuacase at 07:07 AM | Comments (2)
March 25, 2008
Theme Songs from Pilgrimage
Laura and I were perplexed, and at times, amazed by the songs that we would think about through the day. Yet, over the course of the time, there were a few songs that kept coming up. Songs which we would find ourselves singing over and over at the same time.
In a weird way, a song which kept on coming to me everyday, generally at the beginning when we would set off with our friends and fellow peregrino/as, was the theme song from The Wizard of Oz (the one that starts about minute: 1:20). Talk about a story of pilgrimage. Now don't get me wrong, for those of you who know me well, there is more to this song, and story, than meets the ear.
The Indigo Girl's song entitled, "Closer to Fine"
Ben Harper's "Better Way"
O Brother Where Art Thou's "Down to the River to Pray". (Again wait till minute 1:20)
U2's (yes there had to be one of those) "Walk On"
And finally, the number one most repeated song in via...Ben Harper and the Blind Boys from Alabama in "Shall Not Walk Alone".
Now you have heard some of the songs, soon to come...some of the images...
keep walking today...
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 12:04 PM | Comments (8)
Return from/to Pilgrimage
Laura and I have arrived safely back to Geneva from our pilgrimage to Santiago. Photos, stories, and the like are forthcoming.
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 10:07 AM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2008
A Pilgrimage Ahead
"Keep yourself a stranger and pilgrim upon this earth, to whom the affairs of this world are of no concern. Keep your heart free and lifted up to God, for here you have no abiding city".
Thomas a Kempis
This week, Laura and I depart for Spain where we are planning to walk the Camino de Santiago. Now, we will not be walking the whole thing, but we will be walking from Ponferrada to Compostela. It will be for us, a pilgrimage.
People have been walking the Camino for years, no wait, centuries. It seems to be a very well marked path, yet not so marked that you do not get to experience the journey. I have several friends who have done it and the stories with which they return are truly divine. Laura and I are very much looking forward to the time away together, and are especially excited about this opportunity to literally pilgrimage together.
Another of the aspects of the pilgrimage which we are excited about is getting to journey day-by-day on behalf of the people who have helped us get to this place in our lives; for those who are not walking the path at this time. There are a few things we have picked up on which we have to do when we arrive to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela for Mass on Sunday that we are very much excited about. Praying for these people and others is just the beginning. In fact, we find it very exciting to think that we will get to spend Easter Sunday at the Cathedral . As you can wiki-read, the crypt, below the main altar, shows the substructure of the 9th century church. This was the final destination of the pilgrims. The crypt houses the relics of Saint James and two of his disciples : Saint Theodorus and Saint Athanasius. The silver reliquary (by José Losada, 1886) was put in the crypt at the end of the 19th century, after authentification of the relics by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.
So..this serves as my heads up. After Tuesday, I will most expect to be away, unless a refugio along the way provides a space to update you. However, please keep Laura and I in your thoughts and prayers as we journey. We are excited for lost of reasons, but mostly, as Tony Jones said in his book The Sacred Way, its because "pilgrimage isn't aimless wandering. Pilgrimage has a purpose and a goal. Pilgrimage has a destination."
Jones goes on to point out, "Book V of the Codex Calixtinus, the medieval guide for pilgrims to Santiago, gives this advice to those who meet pilgrims along the way- advice we can all heed: Pilgrims whether poor or rich, who return from or proceed to Santiago, must be received charitably and respectfully by all. For he who welcomes them and provides them diligently with lodging will have as his guest not merely the Blessed James, but the Lord himself, who in his gospels said: "He who welcomes you, welcomes me." Many are those who in the past brought upon themselves the wrath of God because they refused to receive the pilgrims of Saint James, or the indigent."
be kind to all the pilgrims you meet, for they are on their way...
joshua
ps.
Here is an article about a very famous German comedian who recently did the Camino. His book of reflections on the journey have been a top the bestseller list for quite some time now.
Posted by joshuacase at 10:49 PM | Comments (1)
March 08, 2008
Seriously Good Conversations
Sorry to have been away this week. I was in Athens Greece for a basketball tournament. We did alright, but not top three;)
The Passion of the Iraqi Christ (by Shane Claiborne)
Per Caritatem's 'Part 1: Hobbes' Philosophy and Politically Motivated Biblical Exegesis'
Dueck's 'Love and Knowledge'
Katharine's 'Christianity, Gender Roles, and Wife Swapping' at jasonclark.ws
Greg Boyd's 'A Discussion with Chuck Colson and Shane Claiborne'. I have to admit, I think it waould have been an even catchier post if it had been titled, 'A Discussion with Chuck Norris (i mean Colson)...' Just think it would have made a better title;)
Finally, for this week, I thought I would gift you a link I picked up from Jason Clark's site on 'The Hermeneutics Quiz'. As you can see from below, I scored 86, which makes me a progressive. How about you? How do you read and understand the Bible? Take the quiz here.
enjoy...
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 11:26 PM | Comments (1)
March 04, 2008
Tuesday is for prayers...
On Sunday at Holy Trinity we had a rich period of prayer. These were the ones that were offered publicly. I thought I would share them with you. They were rich!
From “Women’s Uncommon Prayers”
Ever-present God, Mother, Father,
You call us on a journey to a place we do not know.
We are not where we started.
We have not reached our destination.
We are not sure where we are or who we are.
This is not a comfortable place.
Be among us, we pray.
Calm our fears, save us from discouragement,
And help us to stay on course.
Open our hearts to your guidance so that our journey to this
Unknown place continues as a journey of trust.
Mother, Father, we come to you.
The Revd. Canon Kristi Philip
Gracious God, Mother, Father, who knit our inmost parts before we were born, and who shelters us with a strong and gentle hand, in our gratitude receive the prayers we offer of thanksgiving for the unity we share through our death and resurrection in Jesus Christ, that we who have been entrusted with the gift of new life, may bring life to the world and renewed hope to your church.
Mother, Father, we come to you.
For the courage to hold fast o the high ideals of our calling, bringing the lamp of charity to those who live in despair and desperation, and through their cries receive the saving grace that enlightens our ministry.
For a renewed sense of the Body of Christ, the Church, that together with our Bishop and all other ministers, we may rededicate ourselves in the unity of the Triune God.
Mother, Father, we come to you.
For the forgiveness of our sins, that the wounds that we inflict on one another in the name of righteousness may be healed by the Divine Life that overcomes human frailty.
Mother, Father, we come to you.
Prayers written for the House of Bishops Conference in San Diego, California, Sept. 1999
For peace for those who have died:
We commend to you, Lord, Mother, Father,
Our souls and bodies,
Our minds and our thoughts
Our prayers and our hopes,
Our health and our work,
Our life and our death,
Our families and friends
Our neighbours and all people,
This day and always
Mother, Father, we come to you.
Amen.
Joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 10:41 PM | Comments (2)
March 03, 2008
Thanks Josh Brown!
I am not really sure how i missed it, but i did. Josh Brown posted one of the most real and authentic blog posts I've read in a long time. And I am not sure how in the heck I missed it. Here is part of it, but click here for the rest.
"I can’t sleep these days. I lay in bed for at least an hour every night. Sometimes 2 or more hours. This is after I’ve turned off the lights, shut down the computer, and closed my book. I lay there. Heavy. Overwhelmed. And thinking. I can’t quit thinking about my over-consumption. I talk about how much I can’t stand materialism and commercialism . . . but I buy right in. And I’ve come to the sad realization that all my talk about sustainability and what little acts that I do are nothing more than token attempts at appeasing my guilt and to make me feel better because I’m “not as bad as that person”.
I’m giving up beer for a while. I’m fasting from beer because I am a saint. Who else gives up beer? Nobody but me. But even if I only have a couple of beers a week, that’s over $500 a year. More than what 40% of the people in the world make as income. I’m giving up beer. I am a saint. In it’s place, I’m sitting in a coffee shop with espresso machines whirring away and sipping on a $4.00 strawberry/banana smoothie. I am a hypocrite. I am the antagonist.
When I can’t sleep because I’m tossing and turning and crying thinking about all the poor people in the world, I turn on my $300 iPod and allow music and Wendell Berry essays to lull me to sleep. I am a saint. I am a hypocrite. I am running from my guilty thoughts.
I share 5% of my income to global small businesses via Kiva. 80% of the people I support through Red Cowboy are women. And all of them are in the third world. I’ve made 39 loans while the average user only has 2.4. I am a saint. Oh wait . . . I have a $2300 computer that’s 2 years old and I need a new one. A $1000 camera. And countless other little pieces of metal with little wires and little circuits. I am a hypocrite. I am full of shit."
thanks man..and I mean that sincerely!!
joshua
ps.
don't miss the part where Josh says, "Don’t mess with me! I give money to the poor. I pay extra to get our electricity from “green energy”. Come! Come follow me. Downward mobility is the way to go. But wait . . . I am not going downward. I’m accessorizing my middle mobility. This is not change I am doing. This is not life that I’m creating. I’m perpetuating a myth. I’m soothing my guilt. I am the great politicizer."
Posted by joshuacase at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2008
Seriously Good Conversations
Here are a couple of really good ones. And though they are not as many as usual, believe me, there is plenty of reading and thinking in these!!
From Jason Clark's hosted 'hell week': Evangelical Universalism- Oxymoron? by Gregory MacDonald; Kevin's The compatibility of universalism and orthodox Christian faith..?; and Justin's “whether a doctrine (of universalism) is ‘evangelical’ or not is entirely secondary to whether it is biblical or not…”.
From iamjoshbrown.com make sure to check out his ongoing series entitled 'Challenging the Critiques of Emergent'.
Inhabitatio dei's 'The Ethics of Complicity'.
Pete Rollins' 'Forgiveness, Part 2'.
Adam Walker Cleveland's 'Responses to Pluralism'.
As per a good listen this week, in case you missed it, make sure to check out my interview with Jason Clark on Deep Church. It is part one of two. So if you like this one..wait till you hear the next one!!
Book recommendation of the week: James Fowler's Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. Over the course of the last six months or so I have found myself returning to this book quite a few times after conversations with people. The book is very accessible and enables the reader to truly consider the way faith shapes life, and the way life stages shape faith. If you struggle with why communication or dialogue about faith seems so difficult with some people and so easy with others, maybe there is something in this book for you. Of course, for some of you, the idea that we can explore the stages of faith in the context of human development makes your skin crawl and, well, you will probably not even think about picking it up. If that is you, its ok. But you must know, the book talks about you as well;)
Happy reading, and have a great week...
joshua
Posted by joshuacase at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)