Reflecting

I have to tell you, this has been a weird day! I guess I could step back and say it is a weird day in the midst of a weird couple of weeks. On top of a house on the market, a rapidly approaching move and new beginning, and finally getting to the completion of years of work for ordination, today is also Joy and my 15th Anniversary. I was asked earlier this week what we were doing to celebrate (more specifically, what I was doing to celebrate her) and little did I know I’d be spending it replacing the seal on a toilet – fun right?

Before I could begin the repairs and my toilet seal adventure, I sat with the kids as they waited for the bus. With Scooby Doo adventures in the background, I started browsing some of the updates from Oklahoma’s horrific tornados. I clicked on some of the commentary associated with the disaster and clean up. To be honest, the toilet was more appealing. I found myself reading some comments that just really put a sour taste in my mouth.

One very highly regarded theologian (A) posted something about God’s judgement in light of the storms. Another (B) felt the need to respond, which only raised the ire of theologian A’s fan base and boom it was theological warfare. Each side began a full barrage of proving the other wrong – grenades and explosions galore.

Now, in no way do I agree with theologian A’s perspective of a God who brings about disasters in order to bring judgement upon the sins of a culture, but to be honest, I was just as frustrated at theologian B as I was at A. I read as they “proved” their argument with Scripture and Reason. I read Old Testament passages, posted by camp A, that warned of this type of judgement and then read explanations from camp B that explained and dismissed such behavior from a Loving God. I read camp B describe a God who weeps over such travesties, and camp A’s response that this makes God soft and weak.

The whole thing made me sick! It made me sad for the cause of Christ and it made my heart hurt to think of how all this was in NO WAY helping the very people of Oklahoma who were in such pain! The two camps were trying so hard to be “right” and to have a solution for the problem of suffering and devastation that they both forgot that serving and loving was Jesus response to anyone who tried to pigeon hole God’s responsibility in the “bad things/events” of life.

Several years ago, I heard Louis Giglio, founder of the Passion movement, tell a story that I believe God brought to my memory today. He was traveling across the country very late at night. He was flying somewhere over the flat plains of our fine country when he noticed, outside his window, just how bright it was even in the middle of the night. As he looked out he noticed just ahead of his plane was the shadow of what appeared to be another plane flying alongside. Both planes were moving almost together, and Louis noticed that at times they were dangerously close. He mentioned this to the flight attendant and she smiled at him. She told him that because the moon was so full and so bright that the shadow he was seeing was actually their plane.

After laughing at himself, Louis began to ponder on this idea of reflecting. The Moon is a giant dust covered rock. It gives off no light on its own. What we see in the night sky is the reflection of the sun’s light off of the moon’s surface. Louis went on to share that when Jesus told the disciples that they, and eventually we, would be His witnesses, that in truth we’d be His reflection in the world around us.

As I thought about that, I was brought back to Camp A and Camp B and their respective theologians. No matter who was right, which never seems to be Jesus’ point anyway, both were reflecting something very un-Christlike. Rather than searching for unity and one-ness, they were fighting over who was right, and in doing so they flushed Righteousness right down the toilet.

I fail at being a good reflection of Jesus – I fail a lot. But I hope that I’m more aware of it when I do. I hope that when I fail, I repent of that failure and I pursue righteousness instead of proving myself to be right. I hope that when I find myself arguing to prove my reading is the right reading of a God who far exceeds my understanding and expectations that I’ll be drawn to the moon again. I hope that when I see it, I’ll pause to ask about the reflection I’m casting. I hope that I’ll be a part of a righteousness that exceeds the pharisees and instead finds a way to bend down and wash some feet.

If you’re looking for a way to be a part of the solution and clean up of Oklahoma, I recommend the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which sends 100% of the money donated to disaster recovery. Check out www.umcor.org and click on Donate.

Grace and Peace –

Jim