Hide and Seek

How to Hide Jesus by Steve Turner

By Hamo on Poetry

There are people after Jesus.
They have seen the signs.
Quick, let’s hide Him.
Let’s think; carpenter,
fishermen’s friend,
disturber of religious comfort.
Let’s award Him a degree in theology,
a purple cassock
and a position of respect.
They’ll never think of looking here.
Let’s think;
His dialect may betray Him,
His tongue is of the masses.
Let’s teach Him Latin
and seventeenth century English,
they’ll never think of listening in.
Let’s think;
humble,
Man of Sorrows,
nowhere to lay His head.
We’ll build a house for Him,
somewhere away from the poor.
We’ll fill it with brass and silence.
It’s sure to throw them off.

There are people after Jesus.
Quick, let’s hide Him.

nice...disturbing piece.
i like how the poet shines light on how the historical jesus (a first century, bi-vocational 'prophet' living under a death warrant) has been obscured by the Church proper. i agree that over time he's been dressed up and made eloquent through our repeated translations of copiously copied texts...and in some cases, he's been obscured.
was thinking though...
i read a snip-it out of a book today...another treatise on how a truly committed xian community should be marked by visible justice. and in many ways, i'm thankful for this author joining the growing ranks of evangelicals who are 'recovering' the 'hidden' jesus, the jesus certainly marked by passionate anti-religiousity and, simultaneously, traditional Hebrew expressions of justice. our particular faith strain had hidden this jesus long enough.
but i must also confess...and i don't know if we've talked about this bro...that i'm getting tired of this point being the main thrust/thesis of every 'progressive', xian book i pick up. it's not that i live a life of incredible justice, or that the Church has tilted its hear to ear the prophetic edge of these writers across the continent. no...what i'm wondering is if, by focusing on this 'lost' jesus, we're hiding him in other ways.
i wonder sometimes what our society would be like if all xian communities read jesus' justice teaching literally and radically. would xian protests again corporate greed and homelessness and immigrant exploitation then become normative? would more people 'see'/meet jesus (aka 'get saved') just because we became radical in a way we haven't been?
am thinking that while the world needs that jesus and that Church in some ways...the popular xian publishing that hinges on this concept reminds me that we don't believe that the world needs justice alone. i believe that jesus is primarily concealed when we do not share/reflect his answering of both temporal AND eternal questions. making jesus 'cool' and 'relevant' to our society's issues [by handing out day-old bread or protesting global warming] may fill our buildings and increase our public persona, but it doesn't guarantee that we've stopped hiding jesus.
thoughts?
sw

i am end up reflecting on how trend driven we are...it is as though we wait for the next brand stamp to determine who or how we should be as the 'church'.
We wait and watch...looking for the next success story, so that we can model ourselves after that, copy that, do that, be like that...and in the process we paint a picture of a Jesus who is blury and hard to understand.

Why? because He is very often seen only through the lens of success.

I am not against cool, hip, suave, or slick...i just long for something more...for me...for everyone.

It is as though we have in some way returned to the days where the priest stood as the representative of God to the people...only now we have a personal relationship with Jesus but we wait for someone to interpret the church and the church's activities for us.

The essence of the Gospel is love. for Him. and for him/her. Both require a very personal reality of Jesus that is alive and transforming.

the doing comes out of the being...it has to. and i for one am tired of strategies and ideas that do not, at the end of the day, awaken, strengthen and draw deeper my love for Him and for him/her.

does this make any sense?
j

the roar of the crowd

last night, my dad and i were at the canucks game (courtesy of good friends in high places...chuckle). about halfway through the second period, it was announced that Barack Obama was the president elect of the US. and everyone cheered. a crowd of 18,000+ drunk canadians roared in approval. loudly.

i was surprised. honestly.

are the canucks that bad that Obama could inspire such a cheer...on a night that they won 4-0? :)

what else was was happening last night? what did it say about our culture...that a foreign election could inspire canadian sportsfans?

and what does it say about me when i didn't cheer?

not sure what to think.

sw

I have wondered that...what else is going on. Canada is a unique place in terms of social reality. Our Mosaic demands openness and liberality. And yet we have little tolerance for that which smacks of narrowmindedness or fundamentalism.

We have a very unique way of processing life north of the 49th parallel. It's one where we live out egalitarian ideals, the equality of people with respect to social, political or economic rights and privileges. We believe that anyone who sticks their head to far about the crowd should be decapitated...thus our mistrust of leaders, corporations, and large organizations. Its why we love potential leaders and have little use for them when they become THE leader.

I read recently B.W. Powe's take on the Canadian/US relationship. His take was that Canada is like Athens, cerebral and contemplative, during the time of Sparta(a vibrant military society).

Could it be that we respond to the recent events in the US because we see a leader who most reflects who we are and who we are becoming? Could we be responding to our love of the underdog? Could we be responding to our fear of what we have been almost forced into accepting simply because of relationship?

Or could we simply be living out what we do best: critical analysis, critique and enjoyment of proceedings that require very little of our active involvement or commitment.

I sat in meetings recently...and felt the underbelly of the entire room rumbling...even seething at times...yet very few voiced anything. It seems we are great at being vocal about things that have little personal cost or risk. How does that play out in our country? In our relationships?

I have been asked lots, who would you have voted for. I avoided the question like crazy...what does that say about me?

not sure if any of this makes sense...am thinking i would rather be watching a flames game.

jonathan

the question of faith

I am coming to some realizations, dare I say conclusions, about this life of 'faith':

My faith is not a short cut that allows or provides me an escape from the reality of pain. It is my way through it.

My faith is not a underground bunker that keeps me from the dangers of a world locked in darkness. Its the lightning rod of love that asks me, no compells me, to venture to the very gates of hell knowing that He is there waiting for me.

My faith is not my personal hit man who gets rid of any and all opposition or competition. Its my faith that has them over for coffee and throws them a 5 course meal.

My faith is not the Jordan-esque finish with an acrobatic shot from the free throw line to win the championship. It is the average layup that sends me into overtime so I have another shot at it.

My faith is not a guarantee that I will not fail, fall, screw up, or sin. Its my faith that fills my heart with the knowledge that He is enough for me and all that I need.

My faith is not a system of belief to answer my longing for the divine. It is just Jesus.

My faith is not the solution or the answer to the questions that plague me...or should I say haunt me...

My faith forces me to find them.
jonathan

hey...
you said:
'My faith is not a system of belief to answer my longing for the divine. It is just Jesus'. and it got me thinking.

there seem to be two schools of thought operating within N. American Xianity at the moment. in one, we see an obvious emphasis placed on evaulation and reevaluation of both historical and biblical orthodoxy...with emphasis placed on attempts to be 'authentic' and 'true' to 'just Jesus' AND to interpreting/presenting Him to our culture. in the other, we see an obvious emphasis placed on evaluation and reevaluation of both historical and biblical orthodoxy...with the result being a reaffirmation of 'the system of belief' and a desire to remain 'true' to the fundamental assertions made by reformed theologians.

i want my faith to be 'just jesus'...but i CANNOT get away from both historical traditions about who jesus was or my own 'shoeboxes' that i've been given to carry him in. and while somedays i'm frustrated by those who balk at asking questions about interpretation/theology/application because of their belief/fear that we may end up compromising...i'm also struck on other days by a sense that my questioning will lead to an undermining of belief in my life and the lives of others.

maybe it's just my studies that get me thinking like this. i wonder sometimes if all believers listened to what i listen to, would belief still remain? the reality is that many of us believe/trust in the system of Xianity MORE than the revelation of jesus. and that system has significant 'flaws' and inconsistencies. my studies are a series of questions launched at that system; some days the questioning spawns greater faith [because questioning is healthy]...and on others, i'm left wondering if i haven't crossed some line.

do we not ask questions because we're afraid of the answers? are some questions off-limits? how much of our 'system of belief' is actually a well-charted course toward the essence of who jesus calls us to be?

which leads me to say...
My faith is at times a sturdy ship...powered by unseen winds and aimed at new discovery. And at other times it is a shattered piece of timber i barely cling to...a life 'preserver'...tossed and drowned in a rain-drenched sea.

some thoughts. sw

THE conversation

Scott and I are constantly in a conversation. Giggling. Glaring. Dozing. Dreaming or sipping...wrestling with a thought, an idea or the possibility of one.
In the middle of one of these conversations Scott suggested we go global. You know, publish our brilliance...just kidding. He did suggest that we invite others into our conversation.

About what specifically, you ask?

Well...Everything. In his words, "an expression of the journey we (our community) are on...and an expression of the journey we (you and i) are on. and i think we could blog both the theological...historical...cultural...marital...and the sportsical."

So...welcome to the conversation. Join in. And feel free to add, subtract, agree and/or disagree. But please, make sure you do it with a cup of strong coffee in hand(we will allow for substitutes...as long as they have nothing to do with Tim Hortons - for our american friends this is a euphemism for really poor coffee. Our euphemism. Cuz there is actually a company that makes scads of money shamelessly selling this liquid lie).

One more thing. Please don't feel the need to sound smart, coherent, chic or 'hip'. Just journey with us...towards more of Jesus. If something that is said truly sounds like the product of a little too much sumpin sumpin rolled in some tobaccy paper...well, call it like you see it. Chuckle.

Pursuing Him...or in the words of our friend Kim: Go God!
jonathan