Story: Easier Access to Truth

by | September 13, 2011

Two scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 15:11-31.

Both reveal the nature of God’s love. Both describe the extraordinary, counter-intuitive lengths to which true love will go in pursuit of the beloved. Both very different in the way this message is delivered.

The first, the famous “love chapter,” has endured as one of the most known passages of the bible. Most weddings I’ve attended use it as part of the celebration, either read aloud by someone or at least printed in the program. There is poetry – meaning a ‘special intensity of feeling’ – in this group of verses. Part of this comes from the arresting imagery. A loveless, tongues-speaker pictured as a “clanging cymbal.” The power to literally “move mountains” through faith recognized as “nothing” when compared with the power to love.

Perhaps, part of the long-abiding nature of this passage is its sheer density. It is not a lengthy treatise on love. It is a chapter on love – and a short chapter at that. In most of the New Testament epistles, one is hard-pressed to find such a focussed and essential group of verses on a singular theme.

The second scripture passage, the parable of the “prodigal” or “lost” son has also endured. In fact, it may be the most “famous” of Jesus’ parables, inside and outside the Church. As with most of Jesus’ parables, it is simply told. He does not elaborate on the meaning (at least not in the biblical document as it stands). Jesus just tells the story.

And, this one is full of connection points with the human experience. Each one of us desires success. At some point, we each feel compelled to strike out on our own, becoming separate from the ones who brought us into the world, attempting to find our own fortune. We also each experience failure, which is often accompanied by that feeling of the need for forgiveness. But there is one thing this story illustrates that many of us have no experience with, whatsoever. That is, unconditional forgiveness from the one whom we’ve offended.

These twenty verses in Luke’s gospel are similar in length and theme to the Corinthian love poem. However, there is a fundamental difference between them that makes one a better communicator of godly love than the other. That difference? One passage is abstract. The other is concrete.

It turns out, that when it comes to communication, “concrete” is not the impenetrable barrier it is in the world of construction. On the contrary, it is like an open door. In the realm of communication, “concrete” refers to a noun that embodies a particular quality, instead of referring to the quality itself. The quality itself is considered “abstract.”

To put it another way, the quality or idea of “love,” by itself, is abstract. On the other hand, an actual example of one who loves – such as we find in the character of the prodigal’s father – is concrete. Through the concrete actions of the lover, we learn infinitely more about love than we do through love’s definition. We can discuss what love is using abstract terms, even poetic ones. Love is patient. Love is kind, etc. This is truth. It is powerful truth, if one can get at it. Not all of us have the patience (or, frankly, the intellect) to get at it.

The other approach – the one taken by Jesus time and time again – is to embody the abstract using story. In the story at hand, Jesus chose not to philosophize about love’s nature, but to illustrate it. Love is not merely discussed or described, it is embodied in character and plot. Love is not rationalized and quantified in any sort of scientific way, by Jesus. And yet, the hearer of the story Jesus tells comes away having deeply internalized the reality of love, even as it cannot be articulated in rational terms or measured with accepted standards.

What we’re arguing here is simple. Story is a better method for communicating truth. Story is better than philosophical argument. Story is better than an abstract treatise. Story is, we could argue, even better than the poetic approach. By “better,” I mean that story provides easier access to the wisdom of God as it successfully provides flesh and bone to ideas that are otherwise wispy ghosts, flitting in and out of our field of vision and range of grasp. Story has the power to still those ghosts before us, allowing us the chance to observe the idea in action.

Now, we should probably stop for a moment. I realize that it is very possible you consider the abstract point of this post a little hard to grasp. Allow me, if you will, to try explaining it another way:

Once upon a time, in a land, far, far away, there once was…

 

Image © iStockphoto

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Working at Worship, part 2

by | September 10, 2011

This post is part two of a two-part post by John Jensen. Read part one here.

Godly Work
I believe there are a few things that we can do to make our work Godly. First, like the bible says, we work as if our boss is not our boss (scripturally slave owner) but rather we subvert this relationship by working as if God is our boss. This means we would work hard, and diligently, but far from just being a pillar of the protestant work ethic, we would also work with moderation and justice. We would refuse to work to the extent where our person is exploited, or where the ideals of sabbath and rest are not realized. We live a different ethic, one of justice, and grace, and compassion.

Secondly, we do not take part in work that is used to exploit others. Once, when I was out of work for a long time, I was given a lead on a job that would have paid my rent. After bidding the job, I found out that what this business was going to be was a lingerie shop. Only, it was designed as a place where men could come and sit in a private room, and young women would come into these private rooms to “model” the lingerie. In other words, it was just a front for prostitution. In my mind, prostitution is a horrible business that uses and abuses everyone involved for the profit of a pimp. I would not take part in a business like that, I would not take their money, nor provide the ground work for this to happen. This is essentially an issue of worship.

And lastly, Godly work is work that we take pride in the creation of. The first words of our faith narrative tell us that God creates, and not long after that it tells us that we are made in this creator’s image. In some way, we are made as creators. What we do at work is reflect this image.  Whether it is creating a house as I do, or a dress as others do, or a website, or an opportunity for people to own a home, we should take pride in our creation. For you, this might mean creating a work environment of mutual respect.

Aware Work
Probably the most important of these three “works” is aware work. I struggle with this one all the time. I get caught up in the fast paced, get it done world I live in, and forget to be aware. And in this, Brother Lawrence is the most compelling example for us. Brother Lawrence tells us in the practice of the presence of God, “I find that I am as much in the presence of God while doing the dishes, as when taking the holy sacrament.” How can we cultivate this kind of spirituality? By practicing. This is a discipline, not something that will just happen. We must try more and more every day, to realize the truth of our faith… God is with us. God is among us, in us, and sustaining all things. We are truly never alone. As we work, we have a constant companion, and that is the loving Spirit of Christ.

I remember one day I was walking down the dirt street amidst a bustling jobsite. There were rugged manly men of all trades, hurrying back and forth. It was hot, and there was a lot to do. But, as I walked down the street with my tool belt jingling, all of a sudden I had this profound revelation, that God, my Father, was with me. And I was filled with this incredible love. I felt like I got hugged in the middle of my work. It was so overwhelming I began to weep. I hurried to a dark closet until I could compose myself. Don’t want the guys to see me like that, of course. One of the most incredible, personal, and worshipful moments of my entire life, and it happened in the middle of the hustle and sweat of a construction site.

But the truth is, God is always that near, and always loves that deeply, and it is our awareness of this, or our lack of awareness of this that keeps worship from being a daily outpouring of our spirit to God. Work is a place where God resides, and we must be aware of the Spirit’s empowering presence in the midst of all we do.

These are my truths. They are my journey, and struggle. As I type this I am quite ashamed that I do not live this out nearly as well as I want. But I hope that in sharing these thoughts you could perhaps be challenged in your journey as well.

I would also love for you to share your stories, your truths, and your ideas about how worship and work interact.

© John Jensen

Image © iStockphoto

John Jensen is just a normal, average, post-evangelical christianarchist who has been planting organic communities of faith with his wife Raquel and his daughters Ade and Cheyenne for twenty years. You can leer at his lunacy at johnthereverend.com. And, follow him on Twitter @rev3j.

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Working at Worship, part 1

by | September 9, 2011

This is part one of a two-part post written by John Jensen. Read part two here.

The word worship means to prostrate oneself. Laying face down on the ground on the construction site… well, that would be difficult. But what I have come to understand worship to be, is not always the physical act of prostrating oneself, but rather the bowing down to, or acknowledging of God’s rule. Many find the singing of songs, with lyrics about God’s Lordship to be helpful in this, but I generally don’t. For me, it is the day in, day out struggling, to give myself over to God’s leadership in my life. This becomes especially difficult in the situations where God’s kingdom rule is in direct opposition to the culture of today. For me, there aren’t many places in our lives where this is more apparent than in our places of employment.

So what does it mean to worship God in our work? There are three key aspects that comprise my answer to this question: Good work, Godly work, and Aware work.

Good Work
Right in the beginning of our creation narrative we slam into an interesting thought about our relationship with work. When Adam and Eve decide to follow their own path, they unbalance all of creation. And God tells Adam that the ground will not yield its fruit easily, that he will with much toil and sweat fight with the ground to bring about his sustenance. Our adversarial relationship with work is a result of our adversarial relationship with God, and God’s good creation. Our toil and hardship is part of what is often called the curse.

But ours is a narrative of liberation. From start to finish, the scriptures are stories of liberation from oppression. And this liberation has its ultimate climax in the person and work of Jesus the Christ. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, begins the work that liberates us from the curse of sin and death. Including the beginning of our adversarial relationship with work. And Christ teaches us about the now, and not yet, rule of God, in which we begin to live in the liberation of all things here and now, as our proper expectation and hope of the future, complete redemption of God.

In simpler terms… we live as if we are in heaven now, practicing our faith in heaven’s ultimate victory.

So what does this have to do with worship? And work?

In my mind, quite a bit. I am sure you have heard many cliches that express our relationship with work. If you enjoyed it, it wouldn’t be called work. Or, Do something you enjoy and you will never work a day in your life. etc. Well, this is not living in worship. Worship says that God is God of all of our lives. And that we submit ourselves to God’s rule in all of our lives, including work. If our God is expressed in fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ, then we are to walk in the liberation from the curse, not under it. Which means worship should mean “good work.”

Now at the risk of alienating people, I would suggest that trading large chunks of your life, energy, talent and creativity, for money and security only, is not good work. It is, in a sense, wage slavery, and is living under the adversarial relationship with work. This is the curse. What I am suggesting is that we choose work that feeds ours souls, even if it means we are less secure and less financially prosperous. I know, this is much easier said than done.

Our work should be done as worship, which means walking in the redemption of Jesus, not under the burden of sin. Our work should come from our heart, we should have a love for what we do, and it should express who we are. Even if it means quitting our “normal” jobs. During my life I have lived this out by following my heart into a number of trades, most of them around building things. The satisfaction of creating something where there was nothing, of using my hands, of feeling physically tired or even exhausted at the end of the day, is “good work” for me. It is where worship meets work.

Read part two tomorrow, in which John continues with Godly work and Aware work.

© John Jensen

Image © iStockphoto

John Jensen is just a normal, average, post-evangelical christianarchist who has been planting organic communities of faith with his wife Raquel and his daughters Ade and Cheyenne for twenty years. You can leer at his lunacy at johnthereverend.com. And, follow him on Twitter @rev3j.

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Work as Liturgy, Liturgy as Work

by | September 8, 2011

For days now, I’ve been reflecting on this idea of “Work as Worship.” I have to admit to feeling incredibly humbled at the prospect of having anything worthwhile to say on the matter when there are wise and poetic voices to inspire us on this topic: Brother Lawrence, Kathleen Norris, the Desert Fathers & Mothers, John O’Donohue. After reading their works, it was easier to find the presence of GOD in the tasks that would otherwise feel mundane or unglamorous.

This is such an interesting topic to me. In my pastoral experience, I’ve met so many earnest people who seek careers in ministry because of the seeming nobility of the work, the purposefulness, the “rightness.” It seems to them, at that horizon of their life, that this kind of work is somehow better or more exhilarating than an office job or the barista job at Starbucks or finishing that teacher licensure. (HA! Oh, sorry…) Any Divine call on your life for the sake of the gospel must be into vocational ministry, right? Hmmm…

The concept of “Work as Idol” is not new to us. We could sit for hours together, no doubt, and talk about the pursuit of glory in American capitalism, etc. etc. etc. It’s easier to justify to ourselves, though, when we start talking about ministry or the work we do as spiritual directors, pastors, worship curators. But I always wonder: how many of us find our Christian identity in the work we do – the title we possess, the validity of having a check from an institution – than we do from the actual process of our work? I meet just as many people inside the Church who have made their job their idol (and identity or hiding place, the list goes on) as I have met people outside the Church who seem to have sold their souls to The Man.

At the end of the day, work gets a bad rap. It was part of the curse, after all. We forget that man had work before (the tending of the garden) he just didn’t hate it, or resent it. I wonder if actually the metaphor exists to tell us that he just hadn’t yet created a hierarchy of “good work” and “bad work.” The power scheme shifted from the egalitarian, interdependence of the Garden to the hierarchy of humankind’s power and identity-making titles. In the Eden place, maybe humankind’s purposes and identity guided her decisions and actions instead of the other way around.

This same dynamic of work-as-identity happens in the worship gathering. I find that my list of volunteers who want to sing or preach or make art tends to be much, much longer than my list of people willing to set up stations, inventory altar supplies, help in the nursery, run sound or push the button on the media presentations. Ah yes, the mundane and the unglamorous.

Perhaps the problem lies in our definition of work. And maybe even in our definition of worship.

The word liturgy literally means “the work of the people.” The work. So we’ve made that to mean certain things, a certain prioritized list. Interestingly, the word came from a people who knew this to extend to the temple sweepers, to the bread makers for the feasts, to those who polished the silver in the temple, those who guarded the doors, those who cleaned up the floors after the sacrifices. They extended it to the collective voices in prayer, the active listening as Holy texts were read, to the work of gathering your sacrifice.

How inspiring. To draw a lesson from our ancients: it’s the intentionality in our work that makes it worship, not the task itself. It’s the presentness, the centeredness, and actually – this is what grates on our American sensibilities – the taming of our own ego in the process.

In whatever vocation you have been given, what would it look like for you to be present? Intentional? What would it look like for that ‘sense of presence’ to flow from your idea that GOD is at work in our work? Oh – and how can you participate and work in worship this week?

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Holy Meals and Mangled Metal

by | September 6, 2011

This post was written by Kevin Rains.

My worlds collided and united on February 5th, 2011.

I have owned an auto body shop in Cincinnati for the past 8 years and during most of that time I was also the pastor of a network of house churches and an intentional community. No matter how much I’ve learned or even taught that “all work is sacred” and “we’re all ministers” the world of the body shop and the world of ministry have remained apart. I had no embodied experience to bring them together. Until that day in February.

As part of my doctoral studies I’ve been working on a curriculum for spiritual formation for our communities called FORMED. One of the monthly modules of the FORMED curriculum is on work. This module coincided with the body shop buying another building (that used to be a transmission shop) for expansion so we decided to host the FORMED gathering in this new space… this chaotic, greasy, dirty, space.

We went about the business of planning for the 40 or so people who were coming. Setting up chairs, hanging cloth from the rafters to soften the space, converting an old office space into a child care room and just generally getting all the old transmission parts moved out of our way. But right in the middle of all this was a frame rack that we had recently purchased for the expansion. A frame rack is typically the largest tool in a body shop. It took up almost 300 square feet of floor space and weighs in at several tons. And it was right in the middle of the space we were creating for this gathering. It was completely in the way.

And then someone had the idea. “What if we made this our table? What if this became the gathering place for our meal?” One of the presenters that day was a local urban farmer and he had already volunteered to design a meal of locally grown food as part of the gathering. So the frame rack that was “in the way” now became the centerpiece of our gathering. With some beautiful fabric, string lights all around and candles adorning both sides it became the locus of a shared meal, hospitality, gathering, prayer, learning, nourishment and worship. In short it went from a grimy tool that untwists and straightens metal to the Lord’s table, a place of communion and community. And for me it became an icon of the intersection of my work and my worship.

I once heard Tim Keller say that all work is bringing order out of chaos and that is one of the primary ways we reflect the image of God who did just that at creation. (see Genesis 1:1-2) In the body shop I’m daily reminded of the chaos that still surrounds us as cars are towed in with leaking fluids, bent metal, broken plastic and shattered glass. And it’s amazing to watch the transformations that occur! Frames are straightened, new panels are welded on, plastic is repaired, glass is replaced, and cars are painted and buffed to look better than they did before the accident.

This is true of your job as well. From dentists who fill damaged teeth, to plumbers who get leaky pipes in order, to educators who transform the chaos of teenage minds into ordered learning of biology, to administrative assistants who take the chaos of their boss’s email inbox and calendar and wrangle it into something manageable and meaningful. And you do it too wherever you work!

Here are a few ideas to help you curate worship in the workplace:

1. Have your small group members bring an icon of their work to your meeting and let each one explain how that represents what they do and how they bring order from chaos. Pray a blessing over each person as they hold the symbol of their work. This could also be adapted to a larger gathering as well.

2. How might you include blue collar tools and talent in your next experiential worship gathering beyond just setting things up or building something for it?

3. How might sharing a meal with your co-workers foster community and worship?

© Kevin Rains
Images © Amanda McLaughlin

Kevin Rains is the owner of Center City Collision, an auto body shop in Cincinnati. He is also finishing up a doctorate in leadership and spiritual formation at George Fox University. His dissertation is centered on developing a curriculum for spiritual formation that is both communal and missional. This developing project is called FORMED. He also blogs regularly at The Kedge. He lives with his wife, three children, two dogs and seven friends in the Brownhouse.

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