Hmmmm SPOOKY

OOO - my son came home from a night shift last week and said that he had seen a ghost at work. Him and his fellow (security officers!!!!LOL) ran away squealing! V funny! Anyhow, I said - 'O you big weaners! What makes you think you can be all butch around real scary people and yet you are afraid of someone who can't actually hurt you at all - except by playing with your mind?' Anyway - have you ever seen one? And what do you think you'd do if you did???? It fascinates me this

So what do you think about enchantment???

Is it in the world? I wonder sometimes whether God allows us the entertainment industry to learn something about humanity? I wrote an assignment on this a couple of years ago - check out the link to the web page in the links bar to the right of this blog - See God in everything??? What about Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings? CS Lewis?

Justice....... or revenge?

I had an interesting conversation this morning with one of my sons. He's going to try and join the army when finishing college next month. reason?.... When I said is there not something else you can do that is less well...dangerous...? And he said, well at least it gives me a chance to try and do something about terrorists! Since we were only chatting about christianity being about justice this morning...... Is this a response for justic or just a chance for revenge? In the case of James, it is. I believe about justice, in that he sees the need for somthing to be done to stop people who engage in terrorism, not for the purpose of revenge, but because it is wrong, and innocent people get killed. So what would Jesus do? Well I'm certain he wouldn't stand for the behaviour of terrorists, and would have something to say about it, but what would his physical response be? He didn't fight back when some very aggressive people decided to kill him! But on the other hand, he did turn the tables in the temple! Toys out of pram there! So what I suppose would he have to say in this instance? Is it right to do nothing and let the world be over run by psychopathic separatists bent on destruction and murder, or should we, the rest of humanity stand up and be counted?

A simple prayer.

God
For a world in which evil and suffering seem to abound and Your love is forgotten in the rush for self fulfillment. May we all be instruments in changing the world away form the darkness and bringing it back to the light of Your love.

Amen.

Reble, reble.

I think it's very dangerous to view Jesus simply as a meek and mild lamb who went to the slaughter for our sins. Of course Jesus was these things but he was also a reble rouser, a political activist and someone who stired things up a bit.
His actions in the temple when he emptied it of the money changers and thoes who sold sacrifices were not thoes of a meek and mild man. He was angry, he over threw tables, he flogged people!!! He chased the sinners out of the house of God! Jesus was political! Christianity is about being polotical because if seeking the truth and justice for all God's people is not about being political I don't know what is.
It's so easy to sit on the fence and alow issues of faith to pass us by because we feel "unqualified" to speak out about the gross abuses being perpertrated the Church. In many countries the church is a political institution. Take the UK for example, many of our laws and guidlines have precendent in scripture.
As Christians, I believe it is our duty to get angry and act when we see injustice, to lobby parliment to over throw or repeal laws that are unjust, to ask for the rights of thoes who can not ask for them themselves, to be a force for change not only in our own countries but in our world.
Too long has the church controlled world through dogma, ignoring the central tenenats of Christ's teaching. Too long have Christians as a whole rested on their laurals and refused to change what they know to be fundimentaly corrupt in their own churches, never mind about in the world. How is this serving God's greater plan?
My Jesus is an angry Jesus. My Jesus stands up for the weak, for the poor, for the opressed, for the abused. My Jesus is strong and political and won't take no for an answer!! My Jesus STILL changes the world.
Now is the time that we as Christians must stand up and be counted for Global justice and human rights and to stop using our religion as an excuse to be supirior to others.
God humbled himself to come to earth so that we might bring the world to His perfect love, to bring the world back to the devine plan of love and justice for all and we can't do that if we tell one another it is either Christanity or polotics. The two are inextricably link and rightly so. Now is the time to tell the world about God's saving grace.
Now is the time to shout, make a noise and be heard!!

Alas, alas for you...

Alas, alas for you,

Lawyers and pharisees

Hypocrites that you be

Searching for souls and fools to forsake them

You travel the land you scour the sea

After you've got your converts you make them

Twice as fit for hell!As you are yourselves

Alas, alas, for youLawyers and pharisees

Hypocrites that you are

Sure that the kingdom of Heaven awaits you

You will not venture half so far

Other men that might enter the gates you

Keep from passing through!

Drag them down with you!

You snakes, you viper's brood

You cannot escape being Devil's food!

I send you prophets, and I send you preachers

Sages in rages and ages of teachers

Nothing can mar your mood

Alas, alas for youLawyers and pharisees

Hypocrites to a man

Sons of the dogs who murdered the prophets

Finishing off what your fathers began

You don't have time to scorn or to scoff

It's getting very late!

Vengeance doesn't wait!

You snakes, you viper's brood

You cannot escape being Devil's food!

I send you prophets, and I send you preachers

Sages in rages and ages of teachers

Nothing can mar your mood

Blind guides, blind fools

The blood you've spilt

On you will fall!

This nation, this generation

Shall bear the guilt of it all!

Alas, alas alas for you!Blind fools!!

These words we placed in the mouth of Jesus by Stephen Schwartz in his excelent musical "Godspell". How they ring true.

Although adressed to the "Lawyers and pharisees" of Jesus' time, I believe that these words aplie to the church today more than ever, especialy to thoes who let their own pride and self-interest stand in the way of God's devine plan.

As discussed in earlier posts, it's man's pride and arrogance that have hurt the church the most. The damage that "Churchy-anity" has done to God and the survival of God's message in an increasingly secular and disilusioned world is immense. The more peopple strive for control, using religion as an excuse, the more they'll loose it.

Our Pastor made an interesting point this morning during his sermon. He was talking about the "Da Vinci Code" and how, when he reveals the nature of his job, people are all ways at pains to tare Christianity down. Unfortunately that is the legacy of conventional and right-wing "Churchy-anity" and that is who, I believe these lyrics particularly applie to.

However it is easy to get swept up in the negative aspects of the church with out focusing on the positives. The joy it has brought into my life is emense and now I wouldn't be with out it. I must admit I get almost as judgemental about certain section of the church as they get about my church (MCC).

I geuss what I'm trying to say is that we can't change anyone else, just ourselves but, hopefully, by keeping an attitude of faith we can be able to open other people's heart to the truth: that God's love is for everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, colour, creed or nation. Jesus came so that we might have a more personal relationship with God. I'm no biblical scholar but even I recognise the syblomism of the taring of the curtain in the holy of holies. We need no one on earth to intervene with God on our behalf because Jesus has already done so, and by having done so has made us worthy to come to God directly and be our own sacrifice of praise. What better wway is there?

Angels

Plenty of them around of course. Earth angels, incarnate angels, arch angels and all kinds of other ones! What are your experiences of angels?

And So What About The Other Mary Thing?

Having breached the subject of the exiled Bride of Christ, what about his poor mother? You know how many people have said to me over the years, O thats too much Mary business for me.... or others who have gotten irate because some preacher or another has mentioned Mary too many times. Or someone else who refused to remain in a church because someone brought in their figurine of the mother of God?.... Pathetic, but true..... Ok I guess the Catholic church has got it all out of proportion and worships Mary and stuff, which yes, I can agree that is not quite how its meant ot be. But there seems to be this anti-Mary quest in some churches which slightly annoys me. Her only crime it seems, was to be the Mother of God! Now I ask you..... what greater task in life could any young woman be given? And how brave was she to accept it. And Yes, she deserves some recognition for it.

I think somewhere along the line, there is confusion between the sacred feminine following in parts of Europe in the early christian church and the cult of Mary. It seems blatantly obvious to me that the church has morphed the whole Mary thing into being about the mother of Jesus, when actually it was originally about his wife! Yet another cover up?...... Maybe the church needs a slap of two I think...

Bless her, Mary deserves some respect. She gave birth to her child in a stable/ or otherwise minging place, suffered the ridicule of all for being an un-married mother, watched him grow up knowing it was but for a short time, and then watched him murdered by the very people who were supposed to be religius leaders of the time and she was supposed to look up to. I think she deserves more that respect! A medal!!!!

So perhaps all those fundamentalist bigots out there should get over themselves and start looking at just who these people really were and try to get in touch with that instead of making up so many rules and practices that the simple things are overlooked. Like love.... a simple thing, but only love could be enough to get anyone through what Mary went through.

So back to that question.......

So what do you think? Was she or wasn't she married to Jesus? Does it matter? Did she have a child? How does it affect our salvation? Does anyone care? Have we lost the message in our own human desire for control? Is there so much analysis and invention that that real truth lies hidden in history for ever? Of course it could be simply that none of it really matters, because a relationship with God is not dependant on anyone other than ourselves and God. That was the whole message of Jesus Christ. The entire reason for the temple curtain tearing in half. etc etc.,... so why is the whole world getting over airated about this poor woman who may or may not have been in love with Jesus of Nazareth. Actually, it makes perfect sense to me. As a Jew and a Rabbi, people would have expected him to be married, they probably wouldnt have listened to a single word he said otherwise. And in any case, as I understand it, my salvation depends on Christ being both fully human and fully divine. Well how could he have experienced and embraced his humanity fully, if he did not have intimate relationships with other human beings. It is at the root of who we are. Ground zero for humanity. the human experience is incomplete without sex! So therefore by my reckoning, if he didn't do 'IT', then my salvation is at stake! Which of course leads me to another controversial point... to have explored his humanity and sexuality fully....would probably mean that Jesus would have been intimate with someone of his own gender as well. Possibly John (the disciple Jesus loved)....Ouch... now where in the equasion of creation does God specifcate about gender and sexuality? No where. Only to do with reproduction. Which of course requires one of each... So whose issue is it? Not God's and certainly not Jesus's because he never mentions it once in any of the gospels. No where in the words of Jesus does he talk about sexuality, either his or anyone elses. He mentions love often enough. Interesting I note, historically and as portrayed in Mel Gibson's film the three people closest to Jesus and who followed him to his death, faithfully and unswervingly, were his mother - of course; bless her broken heart; and Mary Magdalene and John. Hmm? Oh and who did he choose to be the witness of his resurrection? Mary Magdalene. Hmm? Intrieguing. I wonder just how much the 'church' has actually twisted the truth and formed it to manipulate people for hundreds of years. No where in any document can I find a truth that tells me that Christ's divinity depends on his celibacy! I find I can only hold to what I know in my heart to be true. That regardless of hundred's of people's analysis, decisions and theologies, Jesus the true incarnation of God, the Saviour and Redeemer of us all walked this earth, and changed people's lives for ever. He lived a human life, and experienced all of his humanity, for our benefit. I can only draw the conclusion for myself, that Yes i believe, Mary Magdalene, or 'Miriam' in Hebrew which means "bitterness", "rebelliousness", "wished for child" and "drop of the sea" Was more than likely the bride of Christ. As the aspect of Sophia did in the old times...so Miriam, would have brought balance to a male dominated world. But she like so many other women was hidden by men who feared her power, and lied about and hounded from her home land. And if she indeed carried the child of Christ, who knows what is the truth now, except that Jesus loved her, and that is good enough for me... Of course i wonder what the 'church' would have said had a relationship with John been the focus for attention! Hmm????

Welcome

Hello, and thanks for visiting my blog. Please do add a comment. Its such a good way to get everyone discussing those subjects that we dont discuss! You know, all the controversial ones, that your mother doesnt know you have an opinion on? Or the ones you dont discuss with certain people incase it influences their opinion of you, or affects your job or career prospects, or your relationship or whatever. Well this blog is for you! We can discuss anything, with complete assurance that it will not affect any of us outside of this blog! Lets play in the dark places, in the dodgy subjects, in the Oooeer corner.....