Nothing gets the ire up on a reformation minded Christian like when one brings up Mary.  You know… Mary the virgin mother of Jesus.  While praying to Mary as an intermediary is something I cannot accept, I think there is a tremendous gift given to us from those in our past who celebrated Mary as the Mother of our Lord.

‘Tis the season and the big day is fast approaching but between now and the recovery from the madness of the holiday, many of us will gather with friends and family, and partake of a variety of seasonal activities.   For some,  decorating the tree or the hanging of the stockings is a special family time.  For others, it’s the Christmas music which fills our airwaves, churches and invades the tunes we whistle as we walk from the car to shopping centre for a last minute item.  For many of us, our thoughts go to our childhood and the many special moments with folks we love who can’t be with us.  The thoughts of those special times may bring a smile to our lips and a tear to the eye.
 

In the last few years, one of the things I have admittedly pilloried Western Christianity over, is its devolution into a self-help gospel; a spiritual Prozac that only masks symptoms, never curing the true problem.

Men and women willingly sacrifice their hearts on the altar of compromise each day, just to taste the sweet nectar of triumph.  We are obsessed with it as a culture.  And the more I think on it, the more I realize how it has damaged my life, and skewed my relationship with God.

I’m beginning to wonder if religious minded folks don’t use the judgment of good and evil in the same way an addict uses drugs.

Where do leaders, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists etc. fit into a non-institutional Kingdom?

There is a collision that occurs within a kingdom heart, often unseen beneath the surface; it occurs in the spaces between empty knowledge and honest experience, fusing the two into something useful.  Life is born in this expanse.  I believe Paul once referred to it as a “renewing of the mind”.

A paragraph on the two faces of Spiritual discipline

Time Magazine, January 17, 2008 issue, ran an article on the growing cultural appetite for what they call Apocalypse themed books and media.    The article defines apocalypse as end of the world, 'destruction of all things' types of material.  These range from recent Best Sellers List The Road (McCarthy) and the World Without Us  (Weissman) to popular television shows like 'Jericho', 'Battle Star Galactica' and to box office offerings like 'I am Legend' starring Wil Smith and 'Cloverfield' starring well... nobody!

Living on a fixed income her life was modest, bordering destitute.  But she survived with occasional help from her grown son.  Then she started giving away large portions of her monthly pittance.  Things grew worse.  Her son pleaded with her to stop the generosity, but she continued strong in her faith.

My son and I were talking the other day.   We were pontificating about many of the questions that have perplexed mankind throughout the centuries.   Our discussion culminated with my son asking... “Dad,  how come Peter Parker was afraid of heights before he became Spiderman and now as Spiderman, he isn't?   He's climbing and swinging around and over huge buildings.”

When we reduce the cross to a clarion of salvation, we lose the redemptive narrative of the kingdom in a cloud of good-intentioned selfishness.

I’ve written several stories and several more articles, I’ve pondered different concepts and aspects of this issue, and I’ve read some of what others have written on the subject.  But when it gets down to the bottom line, I think the reality of freedom is far more simple than I initially suspected, and eventually denied.

Sin can seem like a whirlpool sometimes; prowling about like a lion asserting its dominance, waiting to bear it’s nasty fangs and reveal it’s awful cyclonic glory; circling round and round, pulling you further and further down.

No one has done more to complicate and muddle the gospel than religious men; theological men; academic men.  Jesus scolds the Pharisees for blocking the entrance to the kingdom (Matt 23) and I have no doubt we faithfully carry on that tradition today.  But it shouldn’t be this way.  Our skepticism of simplicity doesn’t render simplicity impotent or incomplete.

I had poured out my life for the sake of the kingdom, or so I told myself, but remained as sick as could be.  Here I was, a lover of God, finding out I loved myself far more.  The worst part of it was that this—yes this revelation! was exactly what I’d asked for in years past.

I had opportunity to meet with a friend who is on a similar journey as we are. He had some serious questions about institutional forms of church and felt that for the sake of deeper intimacy with Jesus, he needed to leave the four walls of the church and live simply with friends and those Jesus connected him with. He left the institutional church over a year ago now and he seems stuck and still angry. He seems like he is more interested in tearing the machine down and holding onto his anger than he is with life in Jesus. It seemed to me as we spoke he was sick in a sense and that he had lost sight of the whole point.

“Who do they say I am?” The question surely rang strange in the hearts of His friends. “What an odd question. What does He mean?” They were all too familiar with Jesus' stories and twists on old familiar ones. With perhaps some bewilderment they answered “Some say you are a great teacher, some say a prophet like Jeremiah or Elijah maybe John the baptist”. Then, like the second of a 'one – two punch' He asks – “What about you guys? Who do you say that I am?”

    I often wonder why spiritual disciplines so easily descend into a feeling of futility; as though I were only going through the motions.  Almost every religion, including Christianity, tout spiritual discipline as an extraordinarily auspicious thing.  If it is not present in your life, you’re probably not spiritually healthy; yet still I struggle with a feeling of relentless toil.

    Freedom is a funny thing isn’t it?  Men treat it as a holy grail yet often find the chalice empty when their lips finally touch it.  Like everything else in life it has many facets.  Upon attaining a trivial level of freedom, you realize that there are much deeper wells of bondage that need filled in.

      I suppose the question begs to be asked: what is freedom?

Part 2 in this series examines the flow of life.  Is life made up by specific events or goals?  Is it only in those events that Jesus is experienced or is there more to life with Him?  Is life the striving from one destination to another, the climbing of the 'corporate ladder' or is it possible that it is the flow of a journey made up with present moments in which Jesus can be found?  This paradigm shift is important for abundant life!

Part One in a series to help us understand how Jesus connects in our real life.  It is not about obeying a set of rules rather a life giving relationship outside the relgious box we often relegate Him to.  Part one looks at these boxes and a realizing it's time to let Jesus loose!

By Wayne Jacobsen - lifestream.org

When 20 years of countless prayers didn't fix it, I had to conclude either that God was ignoring me, or that I was asking for the wrong thing. Anxiety used to be my constant companion, and quite honestly he was no fun to hang with. He used to punch me in the pit of the stomach when I least expected it and his ravings kept me awake at night.

    Over the last few years I’ve been on a wonderful journey through the woods of religion toward the bosom of grace.  Now I know many people talk of grace, but upon inspecting their lives, and mine, I came to realize that few of us live it.  We talk about grace yet live under the burden of obligation and legalism.  It is not my intention to examine that specifically here, but perhaps in the future.

 Written by Cheryl McGrath, www.greatsouthland.org used with permission.

"I hope you will be patient with me as I keep on talking like a fool. Please bear with me. I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. For I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ. But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed." ( 2 Corinthians 11:1-4 NLT)

As I continue to struggle with this thing called Church, I once again find myself in a Kingdom paradox. The reality that I am but one, a unique individual with a complex personality, likes, dislikes, gifts and talents among a sea of other individuals who maybe somewhat similar but no one else is exactly like me.

I enjoyed puzzles as a kid and part of me today still likes to chill out and fiddle around with the odd shaped cardboard pieces knowing that as piece joins to piece it will reveal a beautiful or interesting picture. Many a Christmas day our entire family would gather around a table with a bazillion piece puzzle, enjoy the fire in the fire place, the many Christmas snacks and drinks and each other.

And you Peter. Who do you say that I am? Master, you are the Christ, the promised son of David, the King; you are the Messiah that we have awaited since the Prophets have foretold your coming! Wow Peter! Well done! God has revealed this to you! And you are right!

***

 What do you mean Jesus!!! Cried Peter. They will kill you!?! Oh no! What will we do!?! Lord, while I have breath they will not take you! We will fight for you, we will hide you until this all blows over! They won’t kill you! "Oh Peter" Jesus said. Get behind me Satan! You just don’t get it. Don’t you know this is my cup to drink? Do you not know this is the will of my Father. Do you not know this is ‘good’?

Ever spend years climbing a mountain only to find as you get closer to the top... it is the wrong mountain? Have you ever tried to build something only to discover that which you laboured for was good but in so many ways so short of what it could and should be? How about when you have parts left over?

 Stones - 1 Peter 2 talks about living stones. Peter refers to Jesus as a living stone or corner stone that the "builders" rejected. "Living" is a big thing - consider Jesus is refered to as the living hope, living word, living water, living bread and living way. All these discriptions of Jesus are worth page after page but for right now we see that Jesus is descibed as life - consider all these things are pictures of natural needs for life.

 Jesus says “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force”. (Matt 11:12 NKJV).

There has been a variety of teaching around this verse in Matthews Gospel. I have been taught this verse as prescriptive – meaning, that we need to be “aggressive” to get Jesus into our schools and governments, etc.. Be "violent"?  Not so sure.

We as Christians (faith, trusting relying upon, abandoned to Jesus) are told the Kingdom of God is inside us (Lk 17:21). The beatitudes say in two places specifically Matt 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In light of this, in Christ, there is nothing to be violent for, we already have it! We already have the Kingdom! So what can this strange statement of Jesus’ mean?

Well, I continue in this interesting walk with my Jesus. He continues to shake everything in me - most of which I really don't understand. The shaking is an interesting thing because it brings things to the surface of my life that I need to deal with. You know... the not so nice things that you would rather not deal with. Take'em to the backyard, dig a deep hole and burry 'em. Out of sight out of mind! Not quite!