Being Present

Advent
Time for waiting and a time for being present. I took this picture yesterday at the Chuy's Parade. My youngest was on the GSD&M float with her buddy io and SuperPal Universe (a band - for those of you over the age of 18). She was so excited. So joyful. So present. I'm going to try to be just like my 7 year old during this Advent season.

Joyful, excited, present.

HOPE

"Hope arises out of the hard truth of how things are. Christians will always live carrying in one hand the promises of how it will be and in the other hand the hard reality of how it is. To deny either is to hold only half the truth of the gospel."
Craig Barnes

Every time I think about the reality of our President-Elect I get teary eyed. Whatever your political affiliation, its exciting/moving/mind-boggling that we Americans have lived up to the promise of America. That black children today will grow with the knowledge that they really can be President of the United States.

I'm studying Eschatology in school today. Eschatology generally means the study of end times. The essay I'm reading by Martha L Moore-Keish states well how I'm feeling about my faith and America today. "The eschatological character of the Christian faith means that we have hope in the power of God over all that would hurt or destroy. We have confidence in God's ultimate purposes and goals for the restoration of creation... Eschatology is not about idle speculation about who will be "left behind" at the rapture; it is about our hope in God. Furthermore, Christian eschatology affirms not only that we have hope that God will triumph over evil in some future time, but also that we participate already in that future."

I like that. We are participating in our future. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," said the prophet. His dream has in large part come true for America.


We are participating in our future. Amen.

My Christian History Class Rocks

Cathy Stone and I started seminary on September 2nd. It’s exhilarating to be back in the world of academia! It’s also nice to have my buddy Cathy with me for this journey.

It is completely different from my undergraduate experience. Seriously, the difference between 17 and 37 isn’t just 20 years. I am currently euphoric that my first paper in 15 years (for my worship class) received a B+. I was worried.
But what I’m really, super-duper loving, is my Christian History Class. I am without reservation turning into a serious history nerd. I’ve always heard about saints, but never really paid attention to them. I'm Methodist for heavens sake. I knew that Martin Luther King Jr. was named after Martin Luther, some Lutheran dude from way back, but I had no idea… the passion, the drama, the torture. Christian history is reshaping my understanding of all of our beliefs.

So here are a few tidbits from my class. I have to share them with someone. My 11 year old doesn’t want to hear about them anymore. Imagine that.

• Gnostics had some funky ideas. Creation is evil. Your body is bad. Not hard to see why this faction didn’t last.
• The Nicene Creed was written in 325 A.D. Emperor Constantine called a council to decide whether Jesus was God. They decided he was.
• In the 12th century there were wonderful communities of women called Beguines in France. Their neighbors loved them, the church did not. They wanted to worship God and live in community. Many were burned at the stake for that crazy idea.
• The Peasants Revolt (1524-1525) was spurred by Luther’s letter Appeal to the German Nobility (read it). 6000 peasants were killed and Luther was horrified. The serfs had the notion that serfdom was contrary to Christian freedom. The German elite thought otherwise.
• Menno Simons saved the Anabaptist movement from its revolutionary elements. He was spurred to leadership after his brother and many others were slaughtered at Munster for some admittedly bizarre beliefs. His followers are now the pacifist Mennonites.
• As far as I can tell, no Christian groups tolerated any other Christian groups. Really. I mean they tortured and killed other Christians (not to mention non-Christians) if they had any doctrinal differences. It’s really depressing.

So here is to being a Christian in the 21st century. We argue about all kinds of things, but generally speaking, in this country (I know there are exceptions), we don’t kill each other over them. Can I get an AMEN!