Ron Cole : unplugged, unorthodox, sacrilegious

Lost...explosive parables, and the fall out

 

 

 I was reading the "lost " parables last evening ( Luke 15 ); the lost coin, the lost sheep and the prodigal son. And slowly in my mind I could feel things shifting, I tried to reach for something, a handle, anything...but it was too late. Here I was upside down, all perception had changed, I had to reorient myself. Now I was " lost " ... initially I saw from the point of view of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.  Now, it's this awkward view from being in the midst of the ninety-nine sheep that God doesn't seem to rejoice over, the nine coins that the woman just seems to take for granted, and the older son who humanly speaking seems somewhat justified for being overlooked.

 

In his home town of Nazareth, Jesus gives an inaugural sermon (Lk4:16-28) that gained him applause at first...until the people understood what in the heck he was saying! Then they tried to throw him over the nearest cliff.

 

Jesus began by quoting the familiar prophecy from Isaiah, about God's mission being aimed at poor people, the oppressed, the blind and the broken. Everybody said, " Right on! preach it brother." But Jesus made the "mistake" of turning the message around. He couldn't have jammed his foot any further into his mouth had he got up to address a white middle-class suburban congregation and said, " God doesn't care about this church,"

 

The " punch " of these lost parables comes when we turn them around, upside down. The parables are kind of like Trojan-horses. Jesus wasn't about to take the same approach that he took before the hometown folks. He wanted to make the same point to these cozy and comfy, " white middle class, suburban " church folk ", and to the " pastors " who came asking why he spent so much time with the out casts.

 

Jesus wanted to show them, " they " were the real " outcasts ", the prodigals that stayed at home. So Jesus lit a stick of dynamite, covered it with a parable, and tossed it into their midst. By the time the " good " people got the parable unwrapped, Jesus and his disciples were a few miles down the road. Perhaps they were still able to here the explosion. 

 

Maybe Sunday morning, between one of the worship songs...pause, and reflect. Maybe you'll here an explosion, and ask yourself. " whose more lost, the poor and homeless in the inner city, the addicts, the mentally ill...the marginalized community of divine nobodies...or is it the ??????

We should get a bus, and bring them to church...

  

Last Sunday while on the streets with Victoria's innercity community and CARTS  someone made the comment to me, " We should get a bus and bring them to our church." Our CARTS community, I call it that because that is what it is...volunteers, and our inner city friends; homeless, poor, addicted, mental health issues, working poor...or a mix of everything. Some we see on a regular basis. Some for 5-7 years. Some we connect with during the week on the street. Some at the Rainbow Kitchen. We have built up a relationship over time. We've seen each other in the good times and the bad times. We've seen each other on sunny days, and we've seen each other in the bitter cold and snow. We've gone out with abundance, and we've gone out when the cupboard has been bare. The point is we've gone out because it has been more about love and friendship than anything else. When we've run out of that we'll put the CARTS away.

" We should get a bus, and bring them to our church." Really! My biggest question would be why? Would it be anything more than hanging a trophy prize on your wall like some hunter would. Nothing more than " Poverty Pimping " to make the church look good. Would it be just to bring them in for some cutting edge worship music, and a three point sermon where they could get some sound bytes to plug into there lives, push play and make their lives better. Would that be why we would get the bus.

Ok, church...I'll get the bus if...

1. Your willing to can the music...can the sermon. They've been preached at enough.
2. Your willing to serve an extravagant meal. But don't sit off on the sidelines, or watch from the kitchen door. Sit down and listen to their stories...you might find God is already there.
3. Your willing not look at this a " short term " mission, something you'll do once a month. Think " relationship ", long haul...relationships take time, effort, commitment. They've had enough people dump and run, come once or twice and never again.
4. Your willing to provide shelter for some on a permanent basis.
5. Your willing to provide food, clothe and quench their thirst ( Matthew 25 ) on a regular basis.
6. Your willing to find help for their addiction, mental health and health issues. Mentor, build deep friendship...live life together in real community in real time, not just Sunday, or once a month.
7. Your willing to see your church financial statement go into the red for awhile.
8. Your willing to see things get a little messy for awhile.
9. Your willing to be taken advantage of...be willing to understand servant-hood, and sacrifice in a whole new reality.
10. Most of all, if your willing to understand grace and love in dimensions never before seen.
11. Your willing to discover Jesus in a whole new way.
12. Your willing to be their advocates, to be thier voice in places where they have no voice at all.
13. Your willing speak, and act against injustice...speak against the power of the day, religious or political.

Ok, church...do you still want to get the bus?

God's Economy...the redemptive imagination of the Kingdom

The tactics of Jesus have the power to liberate our imaginations and inspire creative subversions of the status quo. They carve out a space where we can ask questions we never knew we could ask:

What if it's possible to live as citizens of

God's abundant kingdom no matter

what government we live under?

What if it's possible to work against the

principalities and powers of this age

without being captive to them ourselves?

What if it's possible to live God's good life

here and now, no matter what economic

situation we find ourselves in?

What if another world is possible?

What if it's already here?

To interupt the logic of scarcity by trusting Jesus in our homes, churches, and communities is to proclaim the only true economy --- the Kingdom that has broken into this world and will one day utterly consume it in a new heaven and earth. ( God's Economy: Redefining the Health and Wealth Gospel by Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove; pg 75 )

beyond tunnel vision to the Kingdom...

Have you ever had the sense of tunnel vision where you become totally oblivious to everything around you? It's seeing a tree, but missing the grandeur, the beauty and diversity of the forest. It's like reading the gospels as saving souls, and missing the incredible profound mystery and redemptive imagination of the Kingdom.

 In the opening words of John's gospel he tells us Jesus pitched his tent into the messiness of humanity. Unwed teenage parents, homeless, marginalized by their community. It doesn't get much messier unless you mention the stench of animal dung, and the filth of a stable. But that is where the profound embryonic birth of the Kingdom starts. Later, Jesus would proclaim that very truth, " the Kingdom is near."

Later the religious establishment and ordinary folks would ask Jesus when and where the Kingdom was coming. Someone would ask, " Is it over there?" Or someone else, " Look up there is that it?" " No, is it over here?", Another would ask. " Is it coming on this day ", someone yelled.

And Jesus said, " it is not here, there, or up...look it is among you."

The profound mysterious reality of the Kingdom is among us...it is here right now.

Jesus had the redemptive imagination of the God of all creation. He had the uncanny ability to see the world upside down, seeing the Kingdom. Remember when he prayed those words, " Father, may you Kingdom come, on earth as in heaven."

He calls us to re-imagine the world seeing the Kingdom. But not only to imagine, to fantasize such a place. But to build the Kingdom of God now. This is where we need to move beyond our tunnel vision of seeing the gospel as " saving " mere souls...to the reality of redeeming " All " creation. This the profound reality and truth that Jesus spoke in his radical outrageous scandalous parables, and lived out in his table fellowship, his miracles and everyday living. He lived life as if he was living in the Kingdom now.

So what does this redeeming, and building of the Kingdom look like? Well, the wild Old Testament prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse in the words from God...

Is this not the kind of faithful living I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? ( homelessness, poverty, racism, addiction ) Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide the poor wanderer with shelter...when you see him naked to clothe him, and not turn away from your won flesh and blood ( your brothers and sisters, we are all children of God ). Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear. If you do away with the yolk of oppression, with the finger pointing ( The judging who's in and who's out ) and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your light will ne like the noonday...you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. ( Isaiah 58:6-12 paraphrased )

The Kingdom will be near...it will be here among us. Father may your Kingdom come, on earth as in heaven.

of, and with the poor...to critique and mistrust

From Richard Rohr...

We can no longer be satisfied by simply being the Church for the poor from our position of establishment.  We must realize that sometimes that very generosity, that very attempt to be good to other people, has kept us in a position of power and superiority.  Somehow we must be of and with the poor, and then be ready for some mistrust and even criticism.

Dom Helder Camara (1909-1999), the holy Archbishop of Recife, Brazil, said it so truthfully, “As long as I fed the poor, they called me a saint.  When I asked, ‘Why are there so many poor people?’ they called me a communist.”

A' la carte...or Kingdom stories from Al and CARTS

 Jesus looked up then, and seeing the vast multitude that surrounded him and realizing they had traveled a great distance and were tired and hungry, he said to Philip, " Where are we to buy bread, so that all these people will be fed?" Jesus did this to prove, to test...to help Philip discover that mustard seed of faith that births the Kingdom into being.

Philip answered Jesus, " Forty dollars worth of bread is not even enough that everyone will receive more than a handful of crumbs. A few of the other disciples said there was some kid in the crowd with five barley loves and two small fish, hardly even appetizers for a crowd this size.

Jesus said, " make the people sit." The ground was covered 5000, it looked a multicolored carpet, humanity spread out before Jesus. Jesus took the loaves, praying gave thanks, gave it to the disciples and the disciples gave to the crowd. Jesus did the same with the fish. They had as much as they wanted.

When they had all had enough, Jesus asked the disciples to gather up all the broken pieces of fish and bread that were left over, so that nothing was lost or wasted. They returned astonished with twelve baskets of leftovers from 5 loaves, and two fish. ( from the opening of John 6. paraphrased )

   It's fascinating, as I'm writing and processing this at the same time, that Friday night at CARTS is a profound mysterious worship service...it is church with out the building. Someone just this week, I think Alan Hirsch tweeting back and forth said that the churches greatest sin was pouring concrete. He may be right, history and empty buildings will tell the real truth.

Anyways, at CARTS we do have our liturgy, which means, " the work of the people ". Everyone one is engaged in the reality of " Kingdom " worship, it is mysteriously vertical and horizontal...it is the love of God and neighbor.

Before we leave the parking lot behind the Capital 6 theater, we have a circle time...the volunteers, and our friends in the inner city and we join hands. It's not some join hands, we all join hands. There is a real sense of community. Feeling the cold, the roughness, the warmth, the squeeze of a hand; the smile, the sadness, the pain, the tear in a eye on a face...it's human, and we are all connected here in this place, and also to something much bigger.

My dear friend Al usually shares a short musing on the Kingdom, and a prayer before we make our rounds to " Our Place, Centennial Square, Street Link, the Salvation Army and the maze of streets in between. Last evening, Al shared the above story of Jesus feeding the multitude...it has always been one of my favorite.

First of let me say, I'm not a nay-sayer to miracles...I have witnessed them. Jesus could have fed 5000 people with what looked like a snack. If the mere sound of his voice can give rise to all creation, all that exists, then he can feed thousands with nothing much more than a happy meal. But, maybe weaved into the mysterious texture of this story is another miracle.

What would you call it, if you got 5000 people, the majority strangers, maybe from different cultures, different religious backgrounds. Maybe some were friends, maybe some were enemies. It was like a mix of poor, middle class and the rich. Lets call it a snap shot of humanity...in real time.

What would you call it...if you got 5000 people to share to the point where none was in need of more, and there was an abundance left over? What would you call that?

This is the freakin' reality of the Kingdom. When we live in the context of the Kingdom, miracles aren't so much miracles as they are the norm. It's mind blowing yes, because it turns our little worlds upside down. In the midst of Jesus, we all, humanity realizes it's poverty...and I'm not talking just food. We realize how impoverished we are with out the other. We need each other. And we need Jesus.

What must I do to gain eternal life, abundant life...the fullness of the Kingdom of God ; Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength...and to love the other. Live this and the Kingdom becomes a reality.

Just a Jesus asked Philip, " where are we to buy bread, for all these people to be fed." We can be overwhelmed by the multitudes, but we can grasp that mustard seed of faith...and Love, Love and Love. Love the other as much as we love God...and out of that share. Sharing not out of our left overs, but out of everything we have. Sharing to the point where humanity, creation is no longer in need. To the point where all are full, and there is an abundant left over. Then we can truly say, the Kingdom has come.

Jesus washed the feet of those he loved...could you wash plates

Poverty is on the increase. Working poor is becoming an ever increasing reality in the Victoria landscape. Single moms that might be able to afford a roof over their kids heads, can't afford food. BC has the lowest minimum working wage in all of Canada. Social programs are surgically amputated by the Provincial government, and it's victims are left to fend for themselves.

A place that has become an open table, of grace, hospitality and love is the Rainbow Kitchen over in Vic West, the corner of Henry and Catherine Streets; in St. Saviors a 118 year old Anglican Church. The volunteers come from a diversity of faith backgrounds; Anglicans, Lutherans, Salvation Army, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, mystics, seekers. Besides the smell of great food, and the homeless will tell you the RK serves the best lunches anywhere...there is a fragrance of love the permeates everyone and everything.

Most days there is a shortage of volunteers, especially where I work on Mondays in the " dish pit." I think almost everyone can remember a first job working in the dish pit of some restaurant. There's no glamor, and no glory...just cleaning up everyone else's mess. You can do the math and pretty much figure it out, the number of pots and pans, dinner plates, dessert plates, glasses, and coffee cups for feeding 120-150.

Anyways, we are short in the dish pit especially between 1:00pm and 2:30pm...we're desperate. How desperate...I'll tell you. The last few weeks there has been a retired priest, not much older than myself. She wears an apron, I don't know why. She says grace, we all used to take turns, but now we have a professional. So I guess much like the rubber stamp of the Canadian Standards Approval these prayers pass, are sanctified good. Anyways we were short and desperate, so I gently tapped her on the shoulder and said, " Jesus washed the feet of those he loved, and served...would you mind washing a few dishes."

You can contact the Rainbow Kitchen @ 250-384-8773 and ask for Walter, or you can send me an e-mail at  ( labmanster at gmail dot com ). Like I say if you can help out for an hour and half on any day, they would love to have you.

Haiti...how you can help

As the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Haiti has the highest rates of mortality for mothers, infants, and children under 5. Sixty percent of the population lacks access to basic health-care services. Most Haitians survive on less than $2 a day and depend on remittances from relatives in other countries to meet their basic needs -- remittances that have plummeted with remittances that have plummeted with the global recession. Even in the capital of Port-au-Prince, impoverished communities have few resources to cope with the acute impacts of this disaster.

With an estimated 3 million people affected by the quake, Haiti is in urgent need of immediate and ongoing assistance. The U.S. government is sending medical and disaster response teams, along with critically needed supplies. Catholic Relief Services has pledged $5 million for immediate relief efforts. World Vision, Oxfam, Lutheran World Relief, and many of our other partner organizations are preparing to meet the needs of all those displaced and wounded.

To support the work of these organizations and learn more about their programs, please visit:( here )

2010, Faith, Hope...and challenge

Well we've just ticked across the threshold of a new year, and a new decade in which I think of hope. Not just sentimental hope, but hope which requires faith...and which challenges me. It challenges me to live better, to live life that makes a difference. To realize that how I live has an impact, even if I can convince myself that I can't see it. That humanity and creation are woven into such an intimate fabric, that even the smallest tear effects us all. That we, all humanity, are brothers and sisters and need to live as a family. I need to live differently. I need to move from being a Christian, to being a radical disciple of Jesus. I need to move from believing the gospel, to living it fully no matter how difficult it might seem. That the more I live the gospel, the more the Kingdom comes into the world around me.

2010, Hope, Faith and challenge...to live life better.

Think of no one as " them"

Don't confuse your comfort with safety

Talk to strangers

Imagine other cultures through their art, poetry and novels

Read the sacred texts of other world religions

Have an inter-faith conversation

Get involved in inter-faith missional projects

Listen to music you don't understand

Dance to it

Think local and global...Act in both worlds

Notice the workings of power and privilege in your culture

Question consumption

Know where your lettuce and coffee are grown: wake up and smell the exploitation

Look for fair trade

Help build economies from the bottom up

Acquire few needs

Learn a second ( or a third ) language

Visit people, places and cultures...not tourist attractions

Watch films with subtitles

Learn people's history

Re-define progress

Know physical and political geography

Look at the moon and stars and imagine someone else, somewhere else, looking at it too

Read the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Understand the global economy in terms of people, land and water

Know where your bank banks

Never believe you have a right to someone else's resourses

Refuse to wear corporate logos: defy corporate domination

Question military/corporate connections

don't confuse money with wealth, or time with money

Have a pen/e-mail pal

Honor indigenous cultures

Judge governance by how well it meets all peoples needs

Be skeptical about what you read

Eat adventurous

Choose curiosity over certainty

Know where your water comes from and where it goes

Pledge allegiance to the earth: question nationalism

Assume that many others share your dreams

Know that no one is silent though many are not heard: Work to change this

subverting Christ(mass) consumerism...

This image is from a news story from a couple of years ago of a local rural artist that wanted to say something graphically about the consumerism and over consumption of Christmas. So, he placed this piece of subversive art in his front yard. Over the head of the cross is written something to the effect, " King of the Empire; Sumptum Fac Donec Consumptus Sis." Which means " shop till you drop."

Some neighbors were outraged, local municipal politicians came to visit...and a local Anglican minister came to visit. But, the art stayed up.

My question to you is, is this subversive art ? Does it speak into the prevailing culture of rampant consumerism, and at the same time provide a revelation of an alternative. Or is it just tasteless and gruesome?

I couldn't find Canadian shopping stats for over the November/ December period, but this from USA Today, for expected American spending over those 2 months...

 

"U.S. consumers are expected to spend $437.6 billion in the November and December period, a 1% drop from $442 billion last year." This is one country, I suspect if we were to add all the rich nations spending to the tab...it would be mind boggling.

 

As for Santa, I guess it's not really fair to nail him to the cross, he is only the messenger...so to speak. But, I don't think we can avoid the cross in the face of Christmas, it truly is a revelation of an alternative way...of profound sacrifice. It seems at Christmas we don't sacrifice much.

This image is from a news story from a couple of years ago of a local rural artist that wanted to say something graphically about the consumerism and over consumption of Christmas. So, he placed this piece of subversive art in his front yard. Over the head of the cross is written something to the effect, " King of the Empire; Sumptum Fac Donec Consumptus Sis." Which means " shop till you drop."

Some neighbors were outraged, local municipal politicians came to visit...and a local Anglican minister came to visit. But, the art stayed up.

My question to you is, is this subversive art ? Does it speak into the prevailing culture of rampant consumerism, and at the same time provide a revelation of an alternative. Or is it just tasteless and gruesome?

I couldn't find Canadian shopping stats for over the November/ December period, but this from USA Today, for expected American spending over those 2 months...

 

"U.S. consumers are expected to spend $437.6 billion in the November and December period, a 1% drop from $442 billion last year." This is one country, I suspect if we were to add all the rich nations spending to the tab...it would be mind boggling.

 

As for Santa, I guess it's not really fair to nail him to the cross, he is only the messenger...so to speak. But, I don't think we can avoid the cross in the face of Christmas, it truly is a revelation of an alternative way...of profound sacrifice. It seems at Christmas we don't sacrifice much.