This was imported along with posts from a previous blog titled "When Did I See You?"
The title expresses a fundamental view of mine. The proclamation that we serve God through serving others trumps doctrine and dogma. It reminds me that I don't serve others because it wins me points, but rather because they in their weakness and poverty have more blessing to offer me than I in my abundance have for them. So, social justice trumps political correctness and affiliation. Common bonds of human experience trump allegiances of all other kind. And in this space I hope to build some conversation about how these ideas translate into a "new" way of being in the world that has actually been around for about two thousand years or more.
Obviously by the slant of the above argument I am of the class of the "haves" rather than one of the "have nots." Even though I'm not wealthy by US standards, I am filthy rich by global standards. There are certain pretensions in even discussing people in terms of "I" as servant and "them" as needy. Such is the limitation of language and also the view of the world. Therein lies the rub and the point of all of this. We are but parts of a whole, each seeking to find a greater knowledge of self, and ultimately of God, through one another.
So I'll post sermons, random thoughts, and just whatever feels good. Feel free to comment or question whatever the Spirit moves you to. Hopefully we can build a community that is bigger than the church we serve and the truths we proclaim so that we can all get a better vision of who God is, who we are, and what that means for our lives together on this big blue marble.
Obviously by the slant of the above argument I am of the class of the "haves" rather than one of the "have nots." Even though I'm not wealthy by US standards, I am filthy rich by global standards. There are certain pretensions in even discussing people in terms of "I" as servant and "them" as needy. Such is the limitation of language and also the view of the world. Therein lies the rub and the point of all of this. We are but parts of a whole, each seeking to find a greater knowledge of self, and ultimately of God, through one another.
So I'll post sermons, random thoughts, and just whatever feels good. Feel free to comment or question whatever the Spirit moves you to. Hopefully we can build a community that is bigger than the church we serve and the truths we proclaim so that we can all get a better vision of who God is, who we are, and what that means for our lives together on this big blue marble.
Comments
So Venthia, I'm glad you agree with the attemped correction. Tell me though, would the argument be any less true without the second paragraph? I am someone who is racially and socially in the class of power in the most powerful (for now) nation in the world. And even though I am rich by comparison to the majority of the world, I am struggling to get by financially and to provide the basics for my family. I have student loans out the wazoo that keep my income to debt ratio too high to buy a home, so I rent. We do have two vehicles, but they were purchased used and both are for function rather than status. many of the creature comforts I have (this computer for example) have been donated to me. We live a fairly simple life, compared to most.
That being said, faith in Christ mandates that I understand my standing as a blessing given to me that I might bless others. My experience of the world is that in those times I attempt to divest myself of what little power I have so that I can serve others as though they were Christ, I end up receiving more from them than I could ever give.
So that leaves me with a question for you. As you obviously agree that defining people by what they do or do not have is ptoblamatic, how would you do it? It seems to me that the problem of some having power and others being powerless exists as a given. In fact, that is the reality that most needs challenging and restructuring. How else do we challenge the systems of power if we can not name them for who they are?