Gee, Its Getting Warm

According to some on Facebook, I am going to hell.  Well, they haven’t quite come out and stated that quite that way, but their intentions imply that I am well on my way to hell.  The cause of my demise?  The refusal to re-post or share posts.  You know the posts that I am talking about . . . those posts that state that if you love . . . or care . . . or support . . . or believe in any of the causes that they post you will either re-post or share.  If you do not re-post or share you are a myriad of nasty things that will earn you a trip to hell or at least get your toe firmly planted in the pools of fire.  At least that is the feeling I get . . . I’m going to hell in a hand basket.

Why?  Why am I doomed for hell?  Basically because I am not a person who re-posts or share a whole lot of what is posted onto my news feed.  Apparently this knocks me off the Facebook pedestal for committing an unforgivable sin.  For that I apologize.  I did not read the Facebook Member’s Handbook very closely . . . like everyone else I just click on the “accept” button and moved onto the Facebook experience.  I should have paid closer attention . . . it is getting a little warm and I see the flames on the horizon.

It is a rare day that I re-post or share what someone else has shared.  Especially rare when I am threatened or manipulated in order to re-post or share something.  I do not appreciate being threatened or manipulated to repost or share something just to be invited to the party.  That is what seems to happen in a lot of the invitations to re-post or share.  I do not think that bullying should be allowed, especially in my experience in what is billed as a “social network”.  When I am threatened or manipulated it doesn’t feel very sociable.

Let me clear up a few misconceptions.

I am not “too cool” to re-post or share a post.  My refusal to re-post or share a post has nothing to do with being cool.  The fact of the matter is . . . I have never been “cool” . . . ever.  I was always one of those wallflowers in the game of life . . . partly because I was not “cool” and mostly because I am an introvert.  Introverts don’t need to be cool as we have our own little party going on in our heads all of the time.  So, it is not because I am “too cool” that I choose not to re-post or share a post.

I am patriotic.  I do not appreciate my patriotism being questioned because I choose not to re-post or share a post.  I participate in each and every election.  I pay my taxes.  I pray for those who are serving our great nation.  I take off all the nationally declared holidays and observances.  I fly a flag outside of my house when it calls for the flag to be flown.  I say the Pledge of Allegiance and stand for the National Anthem.  I do not appreciate having my patriotism questioned and challenged because I choose not to re-post or share a particular post . . . even at the peril of landing in hell.  I am patriotic . . . red, white, and blue through and through.

I love Jesus.  Just because I choose not to re-post or share some religious post acclaiming Jesus as Lord and Savior does not mean that I do not love Jesus.  Jesus knows that I love him . . . God, too.  I message both all of the time . . . we have conversations all the time . . . we are on speaking terms.  Yet for some reason there seems to be those out there who think that if people don’t re-post or share their posts about Jesus and God . . . well, that you don’t love them . . . and, if you don’t love them you’re certainly on your way to hell . . . but, I imagine I will be in good company.

I am not uncaring . . . nor am I unloving.  I am not apathetic.  I am not callous.  I am not mean.  I am not racist.  I am not homophobic.  I am not anti-religion.  I am not a Republican or a Democrat.  I am not stupid . . . ignorant, maybe, but not stupid.  I like to think of myself as a fairly open individual who will listen and think before responding to anyone or anything whether it is on Facebook or not.  Thus it is that I do not appreciate being threatened and manipulate by those asking me to re-post or share their post.

As much as I hope that this simple explanation would put an end to the requests I get to re-post or share, I know that it will not be.  I know that people will continue to bombard my news feed with requests . . . with threats . . . with manipulation . . . or guilt . . . to re-post and share their posts.  Unfortunately . . . it ain’t gonna happen.  I like the people I have friended on Facebook and I do not think that it is too sociable to trash their news feeds with a whole bunch of hooey.  I like to think of the Golden Rule here . . . do unto others as you would want done to you . . . and, since I do not care for all of that hooey, I sure the heck am not going to pollute their pages with it.  Also, I think that people should think for themselves and since a lot of these requests for re-posts and sharing often involve misinformation . . . well, I sure am not going to re-post or share them.  Makes me look as stupid and ignorant as those posting them.  If I have an opinion I will express it for myself in my own words.  Yeah, I know this is Facebook blasphemy just putting me one step closer to the roaring flames of hell . . . oh, well!

Look out, hell . . . here I come!  But, I have to admit being this close to hell during the winter in Montana sure keeps one warm. 

Beholder

“People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.”

(Salma Hayek)

I am guilty . . . but, I am not the only one.  We are all guilty.  I don’t think most of us mean to be guilty, but we are . . . it just happens.  In the realization that it has happened, we know that we are guilty.  What is it that we are guilty of?  Well, we are guilty of being judgmental . . . guilty of being snobbish and non-inclusive . . . guilty of being prejudice knowingly and unknowingly . . . guilty of being incongruent between what we say we believe, what we say, and what we actually do.  We are guilty of being hypocritical.  I am guilty of it . . . most of us are guilty of it. 

Whenever the congregations of the church gather for study, worship, prayer, and fellowship there is going to be a good time.  The brothers and sisters are going to let it all hang out and get into the spirit of hospitality and fellowship.  The Spirit is going to dance with everyone.  People are going to feel good.  There are going to be “hallelujahs” . . . “praise the Lord” . . . and smiles everywhere are people experience a sort of koinonia—a sense of community.  Church gatherings are always a blast as the brothers and sister come together . . . and, this past weekend it was no different as the communion I am associated with came together for its annual meeting . . . there was a feeling of “common unity” or community . . . koinonia. 

Yet, as perfect as that picture was . . . the body of Christ celebrating, worshipping, praying, and fellowshipping with as one . . . cracks were appearing from the git go.  Cracks that as the weekend went on became more apparent . . . and the guilt came seeping in to my mind and my heart.  As much as we all wanted to embrace this time of wholeness and holiness, the truth of the matter is that the edges of the picture was fuzzier than most of us would have imagined.  In the shadows . . . what was that that was lurking in the shadows . . . or, more importantly, who was that lurking in the shadows?

From time to time I ask the congregation that I serve to take a moment and look around the sanctuary . . . to look around the sanctuary and see who is not there.  I challenge them to look at the table—the Lord’s Table—and see who is not there.  It is peculiar to me how the “church” or the “body of believers” can say one thing while something completely different is the reality.  I cannot think of a “church” or “body of believers” that does not believe and state that they believe that Jesus and God loves everyone . . . EVERYONE.  So, we need to be reminded from time to time to look around the table . . . to look around the sanctuary . . . to see who is not there.

For the most part I do not believe that this exclusion is purposeful . . . I just think that, for the most part, we are just not conscious of it.  It might be because we live in pretty homogeneous communities where everyone pretty much does look and act like everyone else.  It might be that we have old church structures that are inaccessible.  Who knows?  The facts are the facts and they show that our communities of faith are pretty segregated . . . by race, age, abilities, gender, income, education, and so on.  Yet, each and every one of these communities of faith state that they welcome all to join them . . . to become one of the family.  So, why are there empty seats at the table?

My guilt hit me as the wife and I were decompressing from the weekend festivities on our long drive home.  She shared a conversation she had with another person who had been in attendance at this “family” gathering . . . how she and her husband had left their daughter home because they did not feel that she was “welcomed”.  Their daughter struggles with mental illness . . . she can be loud, unruly, and at times seem inappropriate.  This woman said that there was no place for her daughter in the church . . . the church could not handle her behavior, didn’t know how to respond, how to be hospitable to someone who was “different” than the rest.  No youth retreats . . . no church camp . . . no church gathering.  The crack widen.

I mentioned how there had been a call for help to those who were gathered.  How I witnessed one offer her services to help . . . but was refused.  She more than anyone wanted to handle.  Now, she was not refused gruffly . . . but, denied anyway.  I witnessed how others were embraced in their offers, while others were gently put off.  The crack widened a little more.

The youth . . . the good ol’ future of the church . . . they were missing for the most part too.  True, youth can be noisy, loud, rowdy, inappropriate, whiny, and more of a hassle than a help . . . but, aren’t we all?  Oh, we saw glimpses of them here and there, but they were never really fully welcomed into the fellowship as full members of the group.  For some reason they just sort of showed up for a few things here and there . . . didn’t really participate in the conversation . . . in the fellowship.  The crack . . . grew a little more.

People of color . . . well, we were pretty lily white . . . and, we were pretty old . . . as the ones who gathered from around the state.  Sunday morning, well the host congregation muddied up the waters . . . but, outside of the national speakers, there was very little color in our gathering . . . very few youth . . . it continued to widen this crack that started out so fine that the naked eye could not see it.

People of disabilities . . . again, few and far between.  There were a few in wheelchairs . . . and, a few others.  For the most part, we were a pretty healthy group.

I do not want anyone who reads this to think that this was not a wonderful event . . . a wonderful celebration . . . a worthy mark in the spiritual journey.  It was.  There speakers inspired . . . the music was beautiful . . . the hospitality was gracious . . . the fellowship fun . . . it was a great event.  Probably one of the best that our gathering has thrown in a long, long time . . . but despite the wondrous joy of it all, there were cracks in our gathering, shadows on the edge, and people missing from the table.  And, for the most part, it was unintentional . . . sins of omission.  I do not think that anyone purposefully set out to exclude anyone . . . but, it happened.  So, mixed in the joy I felt was guilt.

I like the quote above by Salma Hayek who reminds us that we are the “beholders” . . . we are the ones who hold the key to the gate.  If beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder . . . the beholder is the one who controls the gate for who gets in and out . . . then what does it say about us as beholders when we look around and realize how empty the table really is?  I doubt if many of us really take the time to examine our “likes” and “dislikes” as we go about our daily lives . . . to listen to our words and compare then to what we do.  Are they congruent . . . or do we walk a different talk than we talk?  As I said, we are all guilty of it.

The Spirit works in mysterious ways in each of our lives.  Sometimes (if not a whole bunch of the time) we miss the Spirit’s prodding in our lives.  It was a beautiful drive through the mountains and landscape of Montana as we returned from the church gathering.  Yet, the Spirit was there working . . . poking . . . challenging . . . and, ripping open those cracks letting the sun shine through.  Guilt should not be embraced, but should be explored . . . explored for its root causes . . . to open up what it is exactly about ourselves that we did not like.  In the conversation of the journey, I came to realize that I still have a long way to go . . . I came to realize that the church has a long ways to go.  There are still those in the shadows . . . those on the edge . . . those missing from the table.  Sometimes I and others stumble into the kingdom, but more often than not we trip right over the opportunities without ever realizing it.  Yep, that is the Spirit at work.

The theme of our church gathering was based on the story of the Good Samaritan and Jesus’ challenge to “go and do” . . . to “go and do” as the Samaritan did in the story.  It was a rousing challenge and charge . . . one that I think many embraced . . . and, it scratched my heart and soul as it prodded me to reflect and pray . . . where do I “go and do”?  Where do I start?  I start with the Beholder . . . I start with myself.  If there were those who were absent from the table then it is up to me to invite them, assist them, and to stand by them so that the other Beholders can begin to see them.  It is my voice that must be the voice for those in the shadows . . . those who are forgotten.  It is I who needs to start living koinonia . . . living in the common unity of being God’s creations and children . . . if I am to be honest is getting up to “go and do”.  It is amazing what a little guilt can do to one’s spirit.

It was a wonderful weekend.  It was filled with honest joy and worship.  It had great fellowship.  As one who beholds—as a Beholder—the journey begins with me as I begin to clear my vision to embrace the eyes of the One who Beholds me . . . the One who sees beauty in me . . . loves me . . . and accepts me for who I am.  May all the Beholders find this same vision and beauty.