From The Well

Reflections on a Spiritual Journey

Reflections

Evolution

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
Henry Ford

Evolution is a normal part of life.  Throughout the course of human history we have watched our species evolve and adapt to new situations.  In the United States, we have watched our country evolve from a post colonial existence to a self sufficient nation that plays a major role in the world.  There are so many large and small ways we evolve.  God’s relationship with humanity evolved from a series of failed covenants to the final covenant found in the person of Jesus Christ.  Henry Ford understood the importance of moving from static existence to dynamic existence.  When we are static we fall into the trap of seeing the world the exact same and work to try and protect what we know.  When we stand in a dynamic world we embrace change as a normal part of our existence.  Instead of fighting it we embrace it as a tool to make our life richer.  When we live a dynamic faith we are looking for opportunities to deepen our connection with the creator.  We meet new people, embrace new conversations, push ourselves out of our comfort zones to a deeper place, and accept change as a part of our existence.  If we live in the myth of doing the same things then we can expect to get what we always got!

Bound

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

During my time as a Boy Scout I learned many different ways to survive in situations where I may have limited supplies, particularly survival gear.  One of the first lessons I learned was how to create rope. The trick to creating rope is finding material that can be bound together with a tension strength high enough for what you want to accomplish.  You can use vine, types of grass, and other types of flexible wood to create rope in a survival situation. What makes certain material better is its ability to be bound with something else. Humanity, as Archbishop Tutu reminds us, is bound together.  We are called by God to use our connections to serve one another and to further the kingdom. God never intended for humanity to be isolated from itself, but, rather, to be united and from that unity do the hard work of the kingdom. Our tension strength to love and serve is indescribable when we hold each other. As you travel through your day and your week notice your fellow humans and remember the bonds that unite all of us together with each other and with Jesus.  

Freedom

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set free those who are oppressed,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
Luke 4:18-19

Last week we celebrated the birth of the United States of America with our annual 4th of July celebration.  We signify this day with firework displays and parades.  We also remember the words of the The Declaration of Independence which proclaims boldly “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This statement speaks to the heart of who we are as Americans.  It has been a guiding principle that we have adhered to and strayed away from.  However, this freedom only makes sense when we truly embrace the freedom we find in God, our creator.  The very freedom Jesus quotes when reading the scroll from Isaiah.  We cannot forget that we are truly free in God and that freedom demands a response.  A response filled with joy, love, forgiveness, and hope.  We are to freely sow seeds of justice in the face of injustice, peace in the face of violence, love in the face of hatred, and hope in the face of oppression.  This is our parade and the light of Christ is our firework not just one day a year or week, but every day of our lives! Let us rejoice in the freedom we find in God and join our creator in the work of sanctification.     

Labels

But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Galations 3:25-29

It seems that we live in a world of labels.  We are always trying to differentiate ourselves from one another for various reasons.  Sometimes this differentiation is important because it calls attention to an inequality while other times it is used to create homogeneous groups of exclusion.  Paul reminds us that in Christ Jesus we are neither Jew nor Greek, but we are simply children.  Not adults who know what is best all the time, but children who seek to learn more and more about God.  One of the greatest gifts we receive is found in the label “child of God”.  Being labelled a child of God gives us power to see beyond the other labels of our world and straight to the common thread in the fabric of humanity which is as God who loves us.  Perhaps we can look out on the world seeing one another as children on a journey versus all the other labels that seek to destroy our relationship with each other and God. 

Growth

13 Until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:13-16

Growth is something we all experience as part of life.  Every time we take Lennox, my 13 month old, to the doctor we study his growth chart with the pediatrician.  I am thankful for both of our pediatricians and their deep understanding of these charts.  Sometimes we answer questions about his eating, sleeping, and play to help explain changes on his graph.  We often leave with instructions on how to nurture his growth into the future.  As Christians we too are growing, but our growth is not dependent on how much we sleep, eat, or play.  Our growth begins with our intentional connection to a God who loves and cares for us.  We grow when we push ourselves into prayer, study, and fellowship, particularly fellowship with people who are different than ourselves.  Paul reminds us that we have a responsibility to grow in our faith and toward one another because we are all knit together in one body.  Growth is not something that should scare us, but, rather, a reality that should excite us as we seek to live into the Gospel message in our lives.  

Passivity

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

“If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Passivity and neutrality are the biggest obstacles to engaging real pressing issues from a faith perspective.  Archbishop Tutu knew this very well from his time in South Africa working toward equality for those whom a system failed to see as equals. We are presented with opportunities to act and to advocate for those on the margins and against systems that create a world of inequality.  The Gospel demands that we take inventory of our choices and our indecisions.  Perhaps this Lent we can imagine the times where we ignored the mouse being stepped on by the elephant or places where we remained neutral.  Why? What prevents us from responding, advocating, or speaking up?