Moltmann 1

 

Jurgen Moltmann

                I am switching from Coffin’s Credo to Jurgen Moltmann’s “In The End—The Beginning: the life of hope. As I had stated, he was one of my favorite theologians that I studied in seminary. He was a professor of systematic theology at the University of Tubingen, Germany. Between he and the Latin American liberation theologians, they shaped my theology and challenged me to be willing to challenge the ultra-orthodoxy of the church. This book is a series of lectures was written and translated in 2004. I wanted to share some of his insights about transitions and hope.

                I will start with a quote in the introduction. “Christ’s hope-less end became his true beginning. If we remember that, we shall not give ourselves up, but shall expect that in every end a new beginning lies hidden.  Yet, we shall only become capable of new beginnings if we are prepared to let go of the things that torment us, and things we lack. If we search for the new beginning, it will find us.” As I think about this, I cannot but help thinking about what I am doing that prevents me from letting go and opening to a new beginning. What are the torments, the old hurts, the present hurts, the guilt, and regrets, that tie me to my past and not to a life of hope? I recently preached on this passage from Isaiah. “Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isa 43:18-19).”

                One of my favorite hymns from the United Methodist Hymnal is the Hymn of Promise #707. The lyrics are as follows:

Stanza 1]
In the bulb there is a flower;
In the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise:
Butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
There’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.

[Stanza 2]
There’s a song in every silence,
Seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness,
Bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
What it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.

[Stanza 3]
In our end is our beginning;
In our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing;
In our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection;
At the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season,
Something God alone can see.

Copyright Brett Piper, 2014-2020

We have used this hymn in several services and even in funerals. Pairing this with what Moltmann said, indeed it is in what appears to be the end is the beginning.

                I leave with these thoughts. What is hindering you from opening to a life of hope? What are you holding on to that prevents you from what new beginnings God has in store for you? We are reminded that despite what appears to be the end, there is a new beginning and it does spring forth around us.

Shalom

 

Reflections 8/29/2020

 

                I am writing about some of the recent events that have happened in the last week. To say our nation is in turmoil is an understatement. It is not just the natural disasters, but also the propensity of our nation to violence which in my estimation can be evil. To top that off, those who could speak up about the violence focus on the wrong things. I want to clarify that I am not just referring to the police or military, but to all people. We glorify violence as a means to resolve differences. We have political campaign that do not seek to understand the injustices that many of our citizens face each day but focus on continuing to promote more violence and more restrictions of those who are marginalized in our society.

                Edmund Burke stated, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [sic} to do nothing.” I am concerned about how our nation is addressing the treatment of those who have little to no voice. This is not just an issue of right vs. left, republican vs. democrat, conservative vs. progressive, this is an issue of us, you and me. We can deplore violence and yet support BLM. We can support police officers and deplore that actions of a few. We can protest and deplore the wanton destruction of property (though I can certainly emphasize in the anger).  This is not an issue of 2^nd amendment right, as misunderstood as they are, and registration of guns. This is an issue of the future of our nation and of our children’s children.

                I continue to read some of the texts from seminary. One of my favorite theologians was Jurgen Moltmann. I am reading his book “In the End—The Beginning: the life of hope.” In the chapter title, Does the future belong to the Young?,  he talks about his youth. He grew up in Germany during the reign of Hitler. He described that all children and youth were forced into such groups as the Hitler Youth. He, too, was forced and indoctrinated into the Hitler Youth. What he came to understand was, “The nationalization of young people we experienced in the dictatorships of the twenties century dispossessed children in their childhood and destroyed their youth. The youth cult of modern dictators did not open up a future for the young, it destroyed that future. Because dictators permit no innovative future, they deny the whole of society its chance for renewal (pg. 25).” I started to think about what that would look like today and what I saw was the image of a 17-year-old with a rifle that had murdered two people.

                What made me reflect and saddened me, was that this youth has been so indoctrinated that he would throw away his future and his life for what? It also saddened me to see how certain commentators of a particular news agency seemed to condone his actions. I wonder is this youth at any time realized that what he had done was wrong. Was he capable of understanding to fight against what he had been taught? And it is not just youth, though they are more susceptible, but others who justify their actions based on their misconception of the truth of love. How does the images and sound bites affect our children? Does fear permeate our nation? What is the answer to these questions? Where is justice?

                I may not have the answers, but I hope that I am one of the good people who will stand against injustice and evil. I may not be able to protest injustice, but I can support. As I take time to reflect, I can be in prayer for those who are marginalized, for those in power to open their eyes and to seek justice.

                I am going to close with this, “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on High? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousand of rams, with ten thousands rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O mortal what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:6-8)? My prayer is that I and you do all we can to seek justice, to show and share kindness, and most of all walk humbly with God.

Shalom.

               

Credo 8-25

 

Credo 8-25-2020

                Today I wanted to share about living and about what we are called to do to enter the kin-dom of heaven. Coffin offers two insights about life. The first is “The trick of life is to die young as late as possible.” The other is to offer an insight as to what Jesus had to say.

If it’s immature to be childish, to remain childlike may be a function of maturity, for as Jesus said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will not enter therein.” Discussing this passage, biblical commentators like to dwell on the natural humility, the basic obedient and trusting quality of children; and I have no quarrel with such emphasis. All of us could profit from being a little more humble, trusting and obedient, although Christians have to recognize that obedience to God has more to do with being love abiding than law abiding. But, why, I wonder, don’t these same commentators talk about the natural idealism of children? It’s children who want to save the seals, the whales, and all the rest of us to boot. It’s kids who sell cookies for causes, bake bread for brotherhood [also sisterhood}, save pennies to fight pollution. It’s kids who have walkathons against the war [or is sues such as racism]. And of course, we encourage them. We believe in being generous. But it’s also true that we encourage them to outgrow it, as though generosity were a pair of short pants. Do you think Jesus would bless that view of growing up?[1]

                I sometimes wonder about telling our children and our youth to grow up. Yes, we must mature and learn, but can we do so without losing our sense of wonder and curiosity. I believe that we could all benefit from talking to a 2-year-old about their sense of the world. For it is through a toddler eyes that we can catch however briefly a vision of heaven. It is one of the reasons I believe that Jesus came to us as a baby. That at age 12, he was teaching the priests in the temple. Throughout his ministry, in his teachings, healings, and feedings, he maintained that wonder of God’s creation. Sometimes, I am concerned that we train children away from that wonder and creativeness. “Draw with in the lines, you have to do it this way, etc.” I know that there were times that I told my children, “You need to grow up and take responsibility.” Which may be true, but did it stifle them?

                I am also aware some of the greatest innovations occur with those who kept their curiosity. I think of Einstein, Tesler, Edison, Jobs, Gates, Buffet, etc. Who did not just do the things that others told them to do but were willing to color outside the lines. Think of the greatest artists, musicians, poets, and writers.  Even in churches, one can encounter the same type of concerns. I have heard from well-meaning Christians, “We have never done it that way. We only like hymns written in the late 1800’s or earlier. We want traditional services, etc.” This harkens back to the comments on tradition, which is important to help us, but it should not be our only definition. I imagine what the Pharisees might have said to Jesus as he defied their traditions. It is about abiding in love not law.

                That is a lot to mull over. Take time to be with children and to learn from them that it is ok to color outside the lines.

Shalom

---

[1] Brackets are my addition

Credo 8-24-2020

 

Credo 8-24-2020

                I am continuing my journey through some of the insights that I glean from William Coffin. Even though many of these comments come after, in some cases 50 years, I still find them to beneficial. Today I wanted to share two of them from the Chapter Life in General.” The pursuit of truth rightly implies that a gap exists between ourselves and truth. But what’s hidden and evasive? Is it we or truth? Maybe it is we who evade truth’s quest for us…. Relationships—not facts and reason—are the key to reality. By entering those relationships, knowledge of reality is unlocked (Parker Palmer).” Truth is often difficult to ascertain because it can become at times truth is what I make of it. So the real question about truth is that it is what I make of it. I find the statement by Parker Palmer to approximate a closer understanding of the truth that it is not my interpretation but what I find in relationship of others.

                So, I am left with what is the truth. When Jesus came before Pontius Pilate before he was condemned, he said “What is truth? (John 18:38).” Pilate was in the presence of truth but could no see it as it did not conform to what he believed about truth. For him and for many of us, truth is defined by power, economics, and the people that we tend to hang with. Palmer has some insight but ultimately truth, at least for me, lies with Jesus. It is not based on the sound bits of social media, headlines, and opinionated others rhetoric, but on the gospel of God and Christ.  And maybe Coffin is right that it is me that evades truth’s quest. For if we seek the truth, that means are I am going to be moved by the truth as it seeks me out. The ultimate truth is Christ and to respond to that means that I need to begin to live my life more Christ-like. And that dear readers is often easier said than done.

                So, as we live out the commands of Jesus, we can approximate the truth. Those commands come back to loving God with all we have and to love our neighbor. Surround oneself with relationships that seek that same. Find those who care about the truth of Christ and be together. Study scripture and other writings that build one another up as well as the community in which we live. Pray for discernment of God’s Will not just ours. Who knows what that truth might bring?

Shalom

Credo 8-22

 

Credo 8-22-2020

                I plan to continue with some insights from William Coffin. I, also, plan to not write anything tomorrow as a sabbath. I will be moving on in the book on his comments about life in general and about the church. First this quote from the chapter on Social Justice and Economic Rights. Coffin was always concerned about the marginalized, particularly the poor. There are several statements about being the richest nation in the world with the number of homeless and those who live in poverty. But this quote stood out not just about economic disparity but sometimes for the church and for each of us. “Believers know that while our values are embodied in tradition, out hopes are always located in change (pg. 59).”

                The talk of tradition brought to mind the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. Sometimes, I think we can overvalue tradition and at the same time one does not want to throw it out. Tradition does inform us as to who we are whether church, nation, and even family. Who I am comes in part from family of origin as does everyone’s.   Truth is seen through the lens of the Quadrilateral. In my Wesleyan study bible, this what was written as a Wesleyan Core Term. “Tradition is what is passed down through generation of believers for the instruction of doctrine and life, belief and practice. For Wesley tradition is on the criteria (the others being Scripture, reason, and experience) by which we judge our interpretation of the truth of the gospel. When Wesley speaks of tradition he means, above all, the ‘early church,’ the pre-Constantinian church, and he particularly esteems the Greek theologians. Though his thought on tradition has some likeness to restorationist views of pietists and Anabaptists, he came to understand that even the ‘primitive’ church was not free from false doctrine and unfaithful practices and thus had to be subordinated to the norm of Scripture. Tradition, in Wesley’s eyes, is be no means simply a history of Christian though. It is also a record of holy lives. The lives of saints instruct our faith and give us courage and stamina to remain in faith. Tradition is alive and pertinent as to our struggle to be faithful disciples of Christ (1406).”

                As important tradition is, it is equally important that tradition be examined. There was a book Generation to Generation by Ed Friedman. The premise is based on family systems theory and that we are shaped by the previous generations of our lives. This also applies to all institutions whether church, government, cultures, etc. To grow, we must become aware of the forces that have shaped us. We do not have to live unexamined lives that are trapped in previous traditions but through hope can reach out to a better tomorrow. Our challenge is how to do the work of examination and not just repeat what we have learned. This is the great insight of Wesley. What can we learn from the Scriptures, what is our experience, and what do we reason, informs us and helps to determine what traditions are worth keeping and teaching and what are ready to do the nasty word change.

Shalom

Credo 8-21b

 

Credo 8-21-2020 b

Somehow, I wrote the last update in the future. This is what one gets when retired, a time-space loop. Hopefully, I have found my place in this time and space. Today I wanted to share another insight from William Coffin. “Truth is always in danger of being sacrificed on the altar of taste and social stability (pg. 35).” It took some time to reflect on what he said and how that might apply to my life. I did not have to reflect long as I was reading that the number of Covid cases has gone up especially in the opening of classes. The church that I served in Brown County had their first community spread of Covid.

It brought to mind how people were concerned about shutting down public gatherings to try to limit the spread of Covid. How people felt that it infringed on their rights to be forced to wear masks in public places and even some who claimed that the bible supported their thinking. I have seen some churches despite public safety have crowded worship services with almost no one wearing masks or any protective gear. I saw pictures of the Sturgis rally where thousands gathered with no social distancing or masks. I cannot help but think that there were a number of people in both crowds who were infected and passed that on to others they were near with no regard on how that would affect others. As political figures debated how to be safe in reopening places of gathering, I know that the decision would be and has been difficult.

The question I have is, are we sacrificing the truth on the altar of social stability? Covid is real and is contagious. It can cause long term complications and death of all age groups. The truth is that this virus is here to stay, even if the numbers of infection decrease. The truth is that there are measures that seem to limit exposure such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. I know that whenever I go out (which is rare), I always wear a mask. For those who feel that in infringes their freedoms, what about me and my family. Do we not also have rights to be safe and not be exposed? Do churches and congregations have the right to be safe and not be exposed and to not expose their loved ones? When does the social good outweigh the individual? These are difficult questions of which we all struggle. For those who feel that God will protect them, remember when the devil tempted Christ to leap from the top of the wall of the Temple. Jesus replied, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Luke 4:12).

In the footnotes of my Wesleyan Study Bible, here is what it says. “Wesley recognized that the most dangerous temptations are often subtle appeals to spiritual pride cloaked in poor interpretation of Scripture like the one used by the devil here. Jesus overcomes temptation by drawing on Scripture, the primary means of grace in Wesleyan theology (1245).”

My prayers are for those who disregard common sense, who do not listen to those who understand better, and that they or their loved ones remain disease free. I pray that people are willing to hear what we know and don’t know about issues without dismissing them out of hand. I pray that, as Wesley stated in the 3 General Rules, the first is to do no harm. This can apply to Covid, racial tensions, human sexuality, to any number of social concerns before us. Let us go back to what Coffin had said, hitch ourselves to the post of love.

Shalom.

 

Credo 8-21-2020

 

Credo 8-21

                I am sorry that I have become sidetracked on my entries. Between eye exams and caring for our granddaughter, I have been busy and distracted. So here is another Coffin excerpt from his book. “Love measures our stature: the more we love, the bigger we are. There is no smaller package in all the world than that of a man all wrapped up in himself (pg. 24)”.

                In this time of political upheaval, I look at those who seemed more concerned about others than about themselves. There are politicians that do care and show that care in their discourse and their actions. This also can apply to pastors and churches. As I read the gospels, Jesus came to us so that we could become his messengers of love to all the world. Read the great commission in Matthew or his final discourse to the disciples in John. By the love you show, they will know me. The good news, the gospel, is love. If we are to live our lives faithfully, convey hope to a hopeless world, let us live with love not the rhetoric of hate and separation. Choose not the name calling and judgmental acts of people and institutions, but instead choose love.

                Tomorrow, I will be moving onto the chapter of social justice and civil liberties. Until than love without judgment, hope for no other reason than Jesus, and have faith that moves mountains if not people.

Shalom

Credo 8/17/2020

 

Credo 8/17/2020

                I want to continue to share some insights from William Coffin. Here is a quote from the chapter on Faith, Hope, Love. “It is bad religion to deify doctrines and creeds While indispensable to religious life, doctrines and creeds are only so as signposts. Love alone is the hitching post. Doctrines, let’s not forget, supported slavery and apartheid; some still support keeping women in their places, and gays and lesbians in limbo. Moreover, doctrines can divide while compassion can only unite. In other words, religious folk, all our lives, have both to recover tradition and to recover from it!” (pg 9).

                When my family moved to Lincoln, I was only 15. My previous religious education was in a variety of Sunday school classes of different denominations. Neither of my parents attended church services unless I was to be involved. That changed. In Lincoln, our family became involved in a church together in a Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. As I was going through membership classes-similar to confirmation in the UMC-, it was taught that there are no doctrines before God and no dogma before Christ. I may have that wrong, but the idea was that doctrines and dogma can be useful but not at the expense of love of God and love of neighbor. One reason that I became an UMC, was Westley assertion that the greatest things we can strive for is love, God and neighbor. I think of the scriptures of Jesus talking about the good Samaritan, the woman at the well, the faithful women disciples, and even those sinners he ate with. I would hope that in all we do as a people and as a church hitches our reins on the post of love.

Daily Credo 8/16/2020

 

Credo 8/16/2020

                I am writing this to post on Facebook, my blog at reveldon.blogspot.com, and twitter. As I read that which is posted, it is easy to become discouraged, disheartened, and depressed often leading to anger at the way we treat one another, the lack of love we have for God and others if not ourselves. I fear that we have lost the heart of the gospel of Jesus. We, and I include myself, have become a nation of selfishness and more concerned about what benefits only myself. I see this in all levels of government that have lost the ideals of Abraham Lincoln of being for the people and of the people. Maybe this pandemic has made these concerns more apparent. The racial divide, the abject poverty, the lack of consideration of the lives of others with this virus, seems to become almost like a cancer if one would depend on social media. I cannot count the number of times I have deleted reposts from people that have never taken the time to find out the truth of the issues. And because for some it is so inconvenient to do the simple things such as wearing masks, hundreds of thousands of people die.

                As I am writing, I recognize that I am as those that I condemn. I, too, can be as judgmental as others. I, who have born as a white male into a life of privilege, can act without awareness towards others in ways that donot exemplify Christ. I just ask for forgiveness for those times. I pray that my eyes be opened to see that BLM because of the suffering and history of the way people were treated. To love those that I find unlovable. To love those who only preach hatred, greed, and who are so dogmatic that they lose sight of the gospel. To love those who are different than I and to respect their differences without demonizing them. To pray for those who put their lives on the line to protect us on the streets, in our homes, and in our hospitals as well as care centers.

                Just when my discouragement reaches the peak, I decided to read or reread some of the books that I kept from seminary or bought during annual conferences. The very first one I decided to read was “Credo” by William Sloan Coffin.  Rev. Coffin was ordained in the Presbyterian Church and later in the United Church of Christ. He was a chaplain at Yale University where the influence of H. Richard Niebur’s social philosophy led him to become a leader in the Civil Rights movement and the peace movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was an ardent supporter of gay rights. He died in 2006. The book contains segments of his sermons, his published and unpublished writings. The chapters are titled Faith. Hope, Love; Social Justice and Civil Liberties; Social Justice and Economic Rights; Patriotism; War and Peace; Nature; Life in General; The Church; and The End of Life. I would encourage those who are interested to purchase the book if available. I would like to share some of the quotes daily. I hope to do so without infringing on copyright but as an alternative to what we hear predominately in social media.

                The first couple come from the chapter of Faith, Hope, Love that is based on Cor. 13:13.

Make love your aim, not biblical inerrancy, nor purity nor obedience to holiness codes.  Make  love your aim, for

‘Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels’—musicians, poets, preachers, you are being addressed;

‘and though I … understand all mysteries, and knowledge’—professors, your turn,

‘and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor’—radicals take note;

‘and though I give my body to be burned’—the very stuff of heroism;

‘and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing’ (I Cor. 1-3).

I doubt if in any other scriptures of the world thee is a more radical statement of ethics. If we fail in love, we fail in all things else.”

As I close this, one may call a rant, I want to add this from Coffin. “Of God’s love we can say two things: it poured out universally for everyone from the Poe to the loneliest wino on the planet; and secondly, God’s love doesn’t seed value, it creates value. It is not because we have value that we are loved, but because we are loved that we have value. Our value is a gift, not an achievement.” I hope that this may help in this time.

Shalom