An eschatology of Grace

Well, we did not get an eschatology of renewed hope to bring back America, and this will no doubt reinvigorate those who have an eschatology of doom and gloom. Here comes the judge will be the mantra of many.

Not me. I am totally convinced in the eschatology of Grace. I am a minister of a new covenant, a grace covenant, and I am humbly learning that grace wins, because it is empowered by love and hope way deeper than political hope.

It understands the weakness of the flesh and refuses to rely upon it. It embraces God's desire to spread compassion and kindness and freedom from fear. It does seek to lift up those who are struggling and to heal those who are hurting.

The political divide in our country is real, and will continue to be a hot topic, and the economy will still be crucial to our future, but grace calls me to be inclusive, no longer red or blue, but red, white, and blue. Grace calls me to keep my eyes on the other countries of the world and seek their good in ministry and mercy and mission.
Grace calls me to "be the change I desire to be in the world".

Grace calls me to hope that national health care actually works??? Because the slim mandate will keep us moving in that direction. And of all the services this aging dude needs, life extension is a big one.

Grace calls me to be hoping that our president moderates some of his extreme left views, and to pray for him and the leaders of our republic....and to enjoy life.

I have friends in both places

No, this post is not about Hell and Heaven, its about the belief that Christians should or should not be involved in politics.

Over on the anabaptist side their are those who dissavow voting as an act of worldly power and trust in this worlds failing structures and insist the best thing we can do is stay above the fray and labor for the Kingdom in love, peace and compassion.

Far more of my friends see the voting booth as the way we do battle for justice, truth, and biblical values and we are duty bound to find the candidates and parties that most closely reflect those values and do all we can to save America from itself.

I like to think of myself as a compassionate conservative, for what thats worth. I am also kind of hopeful that the land of my birth can be a place for individual freedom and opportunity to enjoy some prosperity. I have seen poverty up close and it's not something to covet for its sanctifying effects, and I also have the compassion to hope that others can break free from poverty, war, and strife to get free. And I am not quite sure who can pull those things off. Maybe only those invested in the peaceable kingdom who can let there light shine a bit wherever they are.

My fear is that whomever wins, our nation will continue to divide and attack and poison our freedoms with divisive party spirit. There is room for both sides in this nation.

Post Millenial meanderings

As long as the ancient scriptures have been pondered we have wondered about how this current age ends. The most popular views contain grim pictures of apostasy and war and a final battle. I grew up in a tradition that offered other views and was quite suspect of this popular end times view.

Some of my fellow students followed a view called post millenialism, and they had lots of scriptural reasons for defending it. This view calls for the gradual and steady influence of good and God creating a wonderful future for us as we slowly learn that God has made us one and that the world really works when we work together.

Its not completely Utopian, we still have renegades, but people become for civilized with education and progress and the gospel influence, and life on earth is good.

We forget that much of Jesus teaching was to create abundant life here. And on this day before we see the course of our near future I cast a longing look at that view and wander why we are always to be full of hope, there must be power in hope.

Heartbroken

This is the Pratt Family, my mom's youngest sister and Tom and all the kids at a wedding I was privileged to officiate several years ago. Gregg and Marcias oldest daughter Liz died this morning of acute liver failure and brain swelling. She was beautiful and smart and loved people and the Lord. She is dressed in purple. I was so impressed to meet her and am so sad for the family.

See you in another life, brutha!

I have been watching Lost reruns a bit during my recuperation from this lung infection.
This line is repeated several times between Jack and the Australian friend Desmond. It is in many ways the theme of the series. Is the island a purgatory, a place where people are purged of weakness through trial and the necessity of putting the needs of others above out own? Does love win?

Life is a test in many ways, and next week half the voting population with be elated and half deflated but everyone of us will keep on keeping on the next day and the next, unless of course Dec. 21st is the end of the world.

For Sunday communion service I have been reading the creed and writings of ancient scholar Athanasius and of a contempary reflection on the writings by Baxter Kruger called "The Undoing of Adam". I believe something far greater took place in the covenant of life between God and His son than most, that the death of Christ was not just placing a gold ring out their on this merry go round life for the fortunate few to grab, but it was the radical statement of a Prodigal Father who will not rest to all his children are reconciled to Him. Its a fit and glorious ending to the love story between our Trinitarian God and his Lost children of Adam. "See you in another life, brutha"

The Party Spirit

A conservative mind wants social justice and economic freedom, a liberal mind wants social freedom and economic justice, and I did not say that but it just about sums up the differences between both groups.

Can we really say one is dead right and the other dead wrong. Are not there situations where each would be important?

The belittling of each view is demeaning to both, and I am tired of all those who try to make our differences so great as to create enemies among us.

There's a thought war going on in my world of Christian thought as well, you just can't seem to get away from the party spirit anywhere.

Reminds me of the old Beach Boys tune, there's a place where I can go to tell my problems too, in my room, in my room. Someday's I just need to tune out the squabbles and just live.

Not waiting for the end of the world

My author friend Julie Ferwerda has a fine post on hospice care and dying and she introduces an old Jewish saying. Tikkun Olam. which means Heal the World. It shares the same theme as another book I read recently that says, at the bottom line, in reversing the effects of Adams curse through the second Adam, "we are our brothers keeper".

So, for me, that means I must develop my own plan for going forward next week, and not get sucked into the worldview of whomever is weeping or rejoicing after the election campaign of 2012.

I have a far higher calling and much deeper purpose, one that thrives in good times and bad, one that can walk right into the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil. I am a member of the Kingdom of God, and it embraces the world in all its brokeness and brings a message and an action the Jews called Tikkun Olam, I am here to heal the world and to be healed in the process.