Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)
(Photo courtesy of Rev. Charles Smith)
To the biblical mind menuha is the same as happiness and stillness, as peace and harmony. The word with which Job described the state after life he was longing for is derived from the same root as menuha. It is the state in which there is no strife and no fighting, no fear and no distrust. The essence of good life is menuha. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters' (the water of menuhot). In later times menuha became a synonym for the life in the world to come, for eternal life (Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath)
I've been watching the World Series with some interest this year. Of course, I'm thrilled that the Royals are in it (again!) this year and one game away from winning it all in front of the home crowd. It has been so exciting for me personally and something our whole family has been able to enjoy together.
I'm also curious.
I haven't seen, in the the four games played so far, anyone leaving in the middle of the game. It's puzzling to me, for someone who has been going to church my whole life and read a little bit about church history, that there haven't been any boycotts among those in attendance of all the supporters of Amendment 14F. And surely, there's a closet postmillenialist that can be singled out for the error of their ways. Furthermore, there must be a conservative pro-lifer sitting by a progressive supporter of the ordination of women that should be separated for the sake of purity. And I'll have to ask Charles, who was actually at the game, if there was anyone vocally opposed to the color of the bathrooms and the quality of the announcements.
I haven't seen, in the the four games played so far, anyone leaving in the middle of the game. It's puzzling to me, for someone who has been going to church my whole life and read a little bit about church history, that there haven't been any boycotts among those in attendance of all the supporters of Amendment 14F. And surely, there's a closet postmillenialist that can be singled out for the error of their ways. Furthermore, there must be a conservative pro-lifer sitting by a progressive supporter of the ordination of women that should be separated for the sake of purity. And I'll have to ask Charles, who was actually at the game, if there was anyone vocally opposed to the color of the bathrooms and the quality of the announcements.
But I haven't seen it. I haven't read about the Royal fan base dividing into those that prefer American League Rules and those that would prefer National League Rules.
Maybe it isn't a fair comparison. After all, I know that the people that attend these World Series games have paid good money to attend and churches have free admission, However, even those who haven't purchased a ticket to watch in person seem united in their support of the team. There is "no strife and no fighting, no fear and no distrust." There is menuhot. There is peace within Royal nation.
Maybe it isn't a fair comparison. After all, I know that the people that attend these World Series games have paid good money to attend and churches have free admission, However, even those who haven't purchased a ticket to watch in person seem united in their support of the team. There is "no strife and no fighting, no fear and no distrust." There is menuhot. There is peace within Royal nation.
Not so in the church.
In churches that I have attended and in churches that I have read about, there is often fighting and fear and distrust. As Christians, in our effort to stand for what is right and in our zeal to act on deeply held priniciples, we willingly separate ourselves from friends and family members. Sometimes, there is nothing but strife and fighting and fear and distrust. There is no menuhot. There is no peace. And we do it in the name of God.
What's the difference?
It seems to me, at a baseball game, the issues that divide us simply don't matter because the thing that unites us is so much bigger than any of the issues that might divide us. On the other hand, at church, we believe that being faithful to the issues that divide us is being faithful to One that died to unite us.
I'm not saying that we should compromise our principles on marriage, on eschatology, on ordination, or on bathroom color. But maybe we should stop. Maybe we should stop trying so hard to be right and maybe we should stop being so willing to divide on principle. Maybe we should stop and return to the "waters of menuhot" and remember that we have been called to "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3) Indeed, for this God has died.
Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.
I'm not saying that we should compromise our principles on marriage, on eschatology, on ordination, or on bathroom color. But maybe we should stop. Maybe we should stop trying so hard to be right and maybe we should stop being so willing to divide on principle. Maybe we should stop and return to the "waters of menuhot" and remember that we have been called to "be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3) Indeed, for this God has died.
Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.
No comments:
Post a Comment