Glory

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.-- Romans 3:23

I'm not a huge fan of John Shelby Spong, but I think he was onto something when he wrote that "sin is ontological, not moral." (This Hebrew Lord, p.65). I say he was onto something because he brought out a dimension of sin that we normally don't think about. Of course, his statement isn't completely correct. Sin is both ontological and moral. I don't like either/or proposals.

Sin is ontological in the sense that we live each day reaching for a target that we can't possibly reach. It is a description of our being, which is fallen and imperfect. Sin is moral in the sense that the ontological aspect manifests itself in our behaviors. The target we try to reach is the glory of God, and we'll do anything to get there. There's a real sense of alienation that we have when it comes to our thinking about God. He seems so distant, and that perceived distance is reflected in our behavior.

But... what if God has transformed the ontology altogether? And if so, how did He accomplish that? First, realize that Romans 3:23 isn't the end of Paul's statements on the matter. There's verse 24-- and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

In other words, God sent His glory to us so that our reaching would be brought to an end. But we keep reaching, don't we? Isn't it because we still perceive some alienation?

Look, there is no distance between us and God. Christ has bridged that gap. The suffering of Christ has ended, the tomb which held his body is empty, and the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. God broke free from the cloister! The Lord has left the building and has poured out his Spirit on all flesh!! Our being, our ontology, is not defined by who we are but by who God is. And in the face of Christ we see God.

Bunions Gone; Feet Ready to Scare People at Halloween

As you know from a previous post, I had surgery on both feet to remove bunions. The surgery went very well, as expected, and the recovery isn't all that bad either. I was expecting to be in immense pain and agony, but the pain has been minor. I keep on top of it by taking an Aleve in the morning. I originally used Vicodin for pain relief but it made me loopy, and there's a risk of becoming dependent. I stopped taking it and moved to Aleve on the recommendation from a friend.

I'm now sporting layers of bandages and huge post-operative shoes. They look like something Frankenstein's monster would wear!! But that isn't what makes my feet look scary. It's the incisions!! They look absolutely ghastly. On top of that my toes are bruised and there is some swelling. Doc said it's from the steroids he injected into the feet before suturing.

Now, here's something I didn't know before: bunions are genetic. I thought they came from wearing lousy shoes, which is what most of the "experts" say. So there's a chance that the bunions could return based solely on genetic predisposition. It also means that I can wear high heels again!!

Kidding. KIDDING!!

No Wedding Clothes

Jesus' parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1-14) has a curious character who isn't wearing wedding garments and is bound hand and foot, thrown out, and designated to the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Apparently the feast has a dress code.

I've been one to buck the system when it came to dress codes, and to some extent I still am. I'm not much into uniforms. Today, students can get expelled from school for wearing gang-related garb or offensive t-shirts.

Could you imagine being thrown out of an event because of something you were not wearing? If someone told me I have to wear a certain piece of clothing, I would wear it begrudgingly, especially if I didn't think the piece of clothing was very fashionable.

Obviously, wedding garments were significant in 1st century Palestine. So, it seems to me that the man in the parable, sans garment, had no intention of celebrating the wedding. He might have been an interloper, riff raff, or just a plain old party pooper. He's obviously someone who didn't belong.

I'm going to assume that this parable is directed at the Pharisees, who wore flowing garments, huge phylactaries on their foreheads, and tassels reaching to the ground-- all just to get attention. They sat at places of honor at banquets and were placed on pedastals for their obvious superiority. But they aren't dressed for a wedding.

It's been said that church is where people come together to compare clothing. But what if the reality is that we're all wearing the same thing? What if we've been endowed with a wedding garment? What if it doesn't matter what we are wearing out of our own closets, but what really matters is what we've been given by God?

There's this sentiment in proper society that people should wear their Sunday best when they "go to church" (I hate that phrase)-- suit and tie, polished shoes, flowing dresses, jewelry-- to honor the King of kings. Honestly, I think we should wear our Sunday worst-- sweats, tennis shoes, ripped t-shirts-- to get rid of all pretense. It seems to me that the partygoers at the banquet in the parable were people who couldn't afford to be all spiffed up, the outsiders. They probably wore rags.

But they had the wedding garment, probably provided by the king. The interloper most likely refused to wear the garment, thinking that his own garments would do. They didn't.

How often have we offered to God our nice clothes as our ticket to get in? If you want to think of these nice clothes as our own merits and good works, that would be a great image to hold in your mind. Our supposed superiority over others doesn't work at this banquet. Even these are as filthy rags.

The only clothing that matters is Christ and what he has done for us. He has dressed us for the great Banquet of living in the Kingdom of our God. Jesus became a dreg to society to bring in the dregs (that's us!) as he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Oooooo, I Love Bunions

I have bunions on my feet-- a huge honking one on my right foot and two little ones on my left. And, yes, they are painful.

I'm having surgery on the 16th to be de-bunionified. It's an outpatient procedure and I'll be home that afternoon. I'm not really concerned because the surgeon made it sound like a trip to Nassau. He convinced me thoroughly, so I'm looking forward to the array of chemicals that will be pumped into my veins. If I really enjoy them I might demand a prescription.

Better living through chemistry! Whatever.

Late

So, the other day I ate a meal that was fit for a king.
"Here King, here King!"
(Thanks to the late Henny Youngman for that one.)

Why do we call dead people "late", as in "the late Henny Youngman"? What are they late for? A staff meeting?

"Where's Henny?"
"He's late."
"What, is he caught in traffic?"
"No. He's dead."

What about if you really are late for a staff meeting? Can you use the word "dead" in your excuse.

"Sorry I'm dead, but the traffic was awful!"

Cemeteries are full of late people. So don't be late or you'll be dead.

My Kid is Smarter Than Me

My youngest son, Cameron, read a Carl Sandburg poem about a man who sees another man, and this other man does everything that he does-- smiles, frowns, laughs, walks, etc. My wife asked Cameron if he knew how the man could see another man doing the same thing he's doing.

Cameron said, "He's looking in a mirror." When asked how he knew that, Cameron answered, "I dunno."

A mirror-- brilliant! That's exactly the right answer! But that's not the answer I was thinking.

I thought the guy was schizo and needed to see a doctor right away!! I really felt bad for him.

I will consult Cameron on poetry from now on.

Bite

One day I was eating a piece of chocolate cake when my friend asked if he could have a bite.

So I bit him.

It was quite disturbing to the other people sitting in church.