Faith Journey

Prayer written by Brian McLaren in A New Kind of Christianity:  Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith.  I am reading this on a Kindle so the best I can do is provide a chapter where the text is found.  

Lord, we acknowledge that we have made a mess of what Jesus started. We affirm that we are wrong and Jesus is right. We choose not to defend what we have done and what we have become, We understand that many good Christians will not want to participate in our quest, and we welcome their charitable critique. We acknowledge that we have created many Christianities up to this point, and they call for reassessment and, in many cases, repentance. We choose to seek a better path into the future than the one we have been on. We desire to be born again as disciples of Jesus Christ. Now grant us wisdom and guide us in our quest, and create something new and beautiful in and among us for the good of all creation and to your glory, Living God.

This is not as radical as it sounds.  Brian quotes the prayer of John Robinson, the leader of a group of Pilgrims  in Holland that are about to embark on a journey to a New World.  He is not traveling with them and though he plans to join them later (he dies before making the voyage) sends them out with this message:

I charge you before God and his blessed angels that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow Christ.  If God reveals anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as you were to receive any truth from my ministry, for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy word.

The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw.  Whatever part of His will our God has revealed to Calvin, they (Lutherans) will rather die than embrace it; and the Calvinists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God, who yet saw not all things.  This is a misery much to be lamented.  For though they were precious shining lights in their time, yet God has not revealed his whole will to them,  And were they now living, they would be as ready and willing to embrace light, as they had received.

Brian McLaren chooses 10 questions - I will state them here and then elaborate on them in future posts as I read about them.

1.  The narrative question:  What is the overarching story line of the Bible?  Is there a discernible plotline of the biblical library, and if so, what is it?  What are the deep problems the original Christian story was trying to solve?  What's the big picture?  Where did we come from, where are we going, and where are we now, according to the Bible and its stories and story?

2.  The Authority question:  How should the Bible be understood?  What is the Bible and what is it for?  If the Bible is God's revelation, why can't Christians finally agree on what it says?  Why does it seem to be in conflict with science so often?  Why has it been so easy for so many people to use the Bible to justify such terrible atrocities?

Silver Bay - Day 1

It is a beautiful day here at Lake George!  I am sitting inside playing on my laptop but my time is my own and I can do what seems right for me.  This will be short because I really do want to get down to the boathouse and enjoy the view and the breeze :-)  D and I are here the annual Lutheran Conference - mostly an excuse fo a family reunion in a gorgeous setting where no one has to cook or clean up and there are many things to do.  D is down at Slim Point swimming and snorkeling in the clear lake water.  I could go up to the craft house and cane a rocking chair for the porch or weave among other options.

I decided to attend two Lutheran Conference classes this week and both started out well.  One is on longevity and health which fits with my new goal to make my own health and D's a priority.  I have so much weight to lose and all my numbers are bad (except blood pressure).  Neither of us have a family physician so there is much to do when this vacation is over!

The other class looking at defining moments in the Bible.  The instructor is fun and knowegable.  It is nice to hear the Bible taught again.  Today was Adam and Eve - he considers it humankind's defining moment because they chose to hide after they did wrong.  Interesting perspective.  It is also refreshing because even though they did wrong, God searched them out and then clothed them even though there was punishment also applied.  I correct my granddaughter with the hope that she will do better next time partly because life is more fun when we are happy and not fighting.  I cannot know the mind of God but wonder if the idea of "Fall" might be overstated.  On the other hand, their clothing was animal skins and this is the first recorded death on earth and this could be construed to be animal sacrifice.

Well - the longevity class advized more exercise and using a rocking chair was included - so I think I'll go exercise!