02-18

GOD IS BIGGER THAN GENDER

Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 49:14-16a;​​ Matthew 23:37  ​​​​ 

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 2/18/24 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ​​ 

 

 

ONE THING THAT​​ WE​​ NEED TO REMEMBER

AS WE CONSIDER JESUS’​​ USE OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES

IS THAT, UNLIKE​​ US, WHO ARE VERY MUCH A PART

OF A​​ VISUAL​​ CULTURE, WITH OUR BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS

AND​​ SCREENS​​ OF ALL SORTS,

 

JESUS​​ WAS IMMERSED IN AN​​ ORAL​​ CULTURE,

A CULTURE THAT RELIED ON ACCURATE​​ REMEMBERING,

AND ENCOURAGED THE PRACTICE OF​​ MEMORIZATION.

 

I STILL REMEMBER HOW​​ STARTLED​​ I WAS

TO LEARN THAT​​ MANY FOLLOWERS OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMED

HAVE TAKEN IT UPON THEMSELVES TO MEMORIZE

THE​​ ENTIRETY​​ OF THEIR HOLY BOOK, THE QURAN.

 

SINCE THEN I HAVE LEARNED THAT MANY WHO FOLLOW​​ 

THE ISLAMIC TRADITION LIVE IN CULTURES

THAT ARE STILL LARGELY ORAL IN NATURE,​​ 

AND WHERE PRODIGIOUS FEATS OF MEMORY

ARE HIGHLY REGARDED.

 

IN A SIMILAR WAY,

THE CULTURE IN WHICH JESUS LIVED WAS AN ORAL CULTURE,

AND IN OUR HISTORICAL RECORDS

WE HAVE​​ INSTANCES OF JEWISH PERSONS

WHO MEMORIZED THE ENTIRETY​​ 

OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES, OR OLD TESTAMENT.

 

WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER OF NOT JESUS HIMSELF

WAS ONE OF THESE PEOPLE;

 

WE CAN ASSUME, HOWEVER, THAT NOT ONLY WAS JESUS​​ LITERATE,

LIKE MOST OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE OF THE TIME,

BUT THAT HE WAS, AT THE MINIMUM, HIGHLY CONVERSANT

WITH THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES AS A WHOLE.

 

THIS MEANS THAT HE WOULD HAVE HAD

THE ENTIRETY OF HIS SCRIPTURES AT HIS FINGERTIPS, SO TO SPEAK,

AND WOULD HAVE, INDEED, BEEN ABLE TO CHOOSE CERTAIN TEXTS

AS HAVING​​ THEOLOGICAL PRIORITY OVER OTHERS.

 

GIVEN​​ JESUS' RADICALLY EGALITARIAN STANCE​​ 

TOWARD WOMEN, A STANCE THAT WOULD HAVE

SINGLED HIM OUT​​ IN HIS DAY,​​ 

AND PROVOKED MUCH CONTROVERSY,

WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES ABOUT THE​​ ORIGIN

OF JESUS' BASICALLY BEING TWO THOUSAND YEARS

AHEAD​​ OF HIS TIME WITH RESPECT TO WOMEN.

 

THE​​ ANSWER, I THINK, LIES IN JESUS' PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE

OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES.

 

ONE OF THE TEXTS WHICH IMMEDIATELY STANDS​​ OUT

AS A THEOLOGICAL​​ ABSOLUTE​​ FOR JESUS​​ IS GENESIS 1:27,

WHICH STATES UNEQUIVOCALLY

 

"SO GOD CREATED HUMANKIND IN HIS IMAGE,

IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE CREATED THEM,

MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM."

 

IN MANY WAYS, JESUS' OWN RADICALLY EGALITARIAN STANCE

TOWARD WOMEN CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AS HIS​​ 

THINKING THROUGH THE IMPLICATIONS​​ 

OF THIS REVOLUTIONARY TEXT.

 

GENESIS 1:27 SUGGESTS​​ THAT AN APPROACH TO GOD

THAT EMBODIES​​ BOTH​​ MASCULINE AND FEMININE QUALITIES

WOULD​​ ACTUALLY BE​​ TRUER​​ TO THE NATURE OF GOD

THAN​​ EITHER​​ MASCULINE​​ OR​​ FEMININE QUALITIES​​ ALONE.

 

JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGIST JOHN SANFORD​​ 

WRITES THAT JESUS LIVED THE PERFECT​​ BALANCE

BETWEEN INTOVERSION AND EXTROVERSION,

FEELING AND RATIONALITY, THE CONCRETE AND THE INTUITIVE,

THE MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE.

 

IF JESUS​​ EMBODIES​​ THE​​ PARADOX

WHICH CHRISTIAN TRADITION CALLS THE​​ INCARNATION​​ –

 

THE​​ MYSTERY​​ OF ONE PERSON BEING​​ AT​​ THE​​ SAME​​ TIME

FULLY HUMAN​​ AND​​ FULLY DIVINE –

 

THEN BY LOOKING AT JESUS WE GET​​ 

THE CLEAREST AND DEEPEST REVELATION

OF​​ WHO​​ GOD​​ IS

 

AND​​ OF​​ WHAT IT MEANS TO BE

A TRULY​​ BALANCED​​ AND​​ WHOLE​​ HUMAN BEING.

 

WHAT WE SEE IN JESUS​​ 

IS A RABBI WHO DOES NOT HESITATE​​ 

TO ACCEPT​​ WOMEN​​ AS​​ DISCIPLES,

 

A​​ MAN​​ WHO DOES NOT​​ HESITATE TO EXPRESS HIS​​ FEELINGS,

 

A TEACHER WHO DOES NOT HESITATE​​ 

TO USE A​​ WOMAN​​ AS A METAPHOR FOR​​ GOD

(SEE THE PARABLE OF THE LOST COIN IN LUKE 15),

 

AND A SON WHO DOES NOT HESITATE

TO DESCRIBE HIS FATHER AND HIS FATHER’S KINGDOM

IN THE​​ MOST​​ TENDER​​ OF TERMS.

 

WHAT WE SEE IN JESUS​​ 

IS A PERSON WHO DOES NOT HESITATE TO SPEAK​​ FOR​​ GOD,

 

AND IN SPEAKING FOR GOD,

TO SHOW US THE DEEPEST YEARNINGS OF GOD’S OWN HEART:

 

“JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, THE CITY THAT KILLS THE PROPHETS

AND STONES THOSE WHO ARE SENT TO IT!

 

HOW OFTEN HAVE I DESIRED TO GATHER YOUR CHILDREN TOGETHER

AS A HEN GATHERS HER BROOD UNDER HER WINGS,

AND YOU WERE NOT WILLING!

(Matthew 23:37)

 

THIS IMAGE IS ESPECIALLY POIGNANT

BECAUSE IT REFLECTS A NUMBER OF STORIES

FROM THE ISRAEL OF JESUS’ DAY

IN WHICH A MOTHER HEN ALLOWED HERSELF​​ 

TO BE BURNED TO DEATH

IN THE ACT OF PROTECTING HER YOUNG FROM A RAGING FIRE.

 

THE FACT THAT JESUS SAYS THIS JUST BEFORE

HIS ARREST AND CRUCIFIXION

DEMONSTRATES THE LENGTH TO WHICH HE IS PREPARED TO GO

TO EXPRESS GOD’S LOVE FOR US.

 

MANY CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGIANS CONSIDER IT A BASIC AXIOM

THAT​​ WE​​ BECOME​​ LIKE​​ THE​​ GOD​​ WE​​ WORSHIP.

 

THEY CONSIDER IT NOTHING LESS THAN A TRAGEDY

THAT THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION SO EARLY ON

CHOSE TO​​ REJECT​​ THE​​ BALANCED​​ PICTURE ​​ 

OF GOD AND THE HUMAN PERSON EMBODIED IN JESUS,

 

AND TO SUBSTITUTE IN JESUS’ PLACE

A HYPER-MASCULINE GOD

WHO FAVORED MEN OVER WOMEN,

WHO APPROVED OF SO-CALLED “HOLY” WARS,

AND WHO AUTHORIZED CRUSADES AND INQUISITIONS.

 

THERE IS STRONG EVIDENCE THAT THE EARLIEST CHURCH

LIVED OUT THE REALITY OF THE “PRIESTHOOD OF​​ ALL​​ BELIEVERS.”

 

WE HAVE TEXTUAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE, FOR EXAMPLE,

THAT IN THE EARLIEST CHURCH​​ ALL​​ WHO COMPRISED​​ 

A PARTICULAR​​ LOCAL HOUSE-CHURCH,​​ BOTH​​ MEN​​ AND​​ WOMEN,

TOOK​​ TURNS​​ PRESIDING AT THE CELEBRATION OF COMMUNION.

 

THERE WERE AS YET​​ NO​​ PRIESTLY​​ CLASS

BECAUSE​​ ALL​​ FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST

WERE CONSIDERED TO BE PRIESTS.

​​ 

SIGNIFICANTLY, SOME EARLY MOSAICS IN ROME

SHOW​​ WOMEN​​ BLESSING THE BREAD AND WINE.

 

WITHIN TWO GENERATIONS, HOWEVER,

THIS ROLE WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM WOMEN,

AND ONLY MALE PRIESTS WERE ALLOWED

TO OFFICIATE AT COMMUNION.

 

WE SEE A MOVEMENT HERE

AWAY FROM THE EQUALITARIAN MOVEMENT​​ 

THAT JESUS FOUNDED,

 

TO THE CREATION OF A SPECIAL CLASS OF PRIESTS,

BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,

 

AND THEN TO THE ROLE OF PRIEST

BEING RESTRICTED TO MALES ONLY.

 

IF WE BECOME LIKE THE GOD WE WORSHIP,

WE SEE THAT THE REAL JESUS WAS EARLY-ON ABANDONED

FOR A HYPER-MASCULINE​​ GOD WHO WAS INTO​​ POWER​​ AND​​ MIGHT

MUCH MORE THAN​​ LOVE​​ AND​​ COMPASSION.

 

WHAT WE SEE HAPPENING IN OUR CONTEMPORARY CULTURE

OF THE PAST FIFTY YEARS OR SO

 

IS AN ATTEMPT, AT LEAST IN THE WESTERN WORLD

AND IN THOSE PARTS OF THE EAST INFLUENCED BY BUDDHISM,

 

TO​​ RESET​​ THE​​ BALANCE​​ 

BETWEEN THE MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE

THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY​​ LOST​​ 

FOR NEARLY TWO THOUSAND YEARS.

 

THE ATTEMPT OF MAINSTREAM​​ CHRISTIANS

TO USE GENDER-NEUTRAL, OR INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE FOR GOD

IS PART OF THIS WIDER MOVEMENT

TO CORRECT THE CULTURAL DISTORTION OF AN ALL-MALE GOD.

 

JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY HAVE ALWAYS​​ TAUGHT

THAT GOD IS BEYOND GENDER,

 

BUT THEY HAVE NOT ALWAYS​​ LIVED-OUT​​ THIS INSIGHT

IN THEIR LITURGY AND THEOLOGY.

 

OF COURSE USING GENDER-NEUTRAL, OR INCLUSIVE, LANGUAGE

FOR GOD GETS AWKWARD AT TIMES,

WITH UNGAINLY PERMUTATIONS LIKE “GODSELF,”

OR “FATHER/MOTHER GOD.”

 

BUT, I SUGGEST, THIS AWKWARDNESS IS MUCH MORE​​ POSITIVE

THAN THE DAYS WHEN THE MASCULINE PRONOUN “HE”

REFERED TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,

AND THE CAPITALIZED PRONOUN “HE”​​ 

WAS ALWAYS USED TO REFER TO GOD.​​ ​​ ​​ 

 

OUR TRANSLATION OF GENESIS 1:27

NICELY CAPTURES THE OUTLANDISHNESS​​ 

OF USING THE MASCULINE PRONOUN FOR GOD.​​ ​​ 

​​ 

THE CRUCIAL THEOLOGICAL POINT THAT THIS VERSE IS MAKING

IS THAT MEN AND WOMEN ARE​​ BOTH​​ 

CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD,

WHO, BY IMPLICATION,​​ TRANSCENDS​​ GENDER.

 

BUT NOTICE HOW THE LANGUAGE IS​​ WEIGHTED​​ IN​​ FAVOR

OF THE​​ MASCULINE: ​​ 

 

WE ARE CREATED IN​​ HIS​​ IMAGE;​​ 

AND WE ARE TOLD TWICE THAT​​ HE​​ CREATED US.

 

PERSONALLY, I FEEL THAT THEOLOGICAL INTENT​​ 

SHOULD BE​​ FACTORED​​ IN​​ WHEN TRANSLATING.

 

A BETTER TRANSLATION, BETTER IN THE SENSE OF​​ 

BETTER REFLECTING THE​​ ACTUAL​​ THEOLOGICAL​​ INTENT

OF THIS VERSE, WOULD READ:

 

“SO GOD CREATED HUMANKIND IN GOD’S IMAGE,​​ 

IN THE IMAGE OF GOD GOD CREATED THEM,

MALE AND FEMALE GOD CREATED THEM.”

 

SEVERAL YEARS AGO I​​ READ AN ARTICLE,​​ 

I THINK IT WAS IN​​ TIME​​ MAGAZINE,

THAT REPORTED ON STUDIES THAT SHOWED

THAT WHEN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF A CORPORATION,

OR THE CABINET MEMBERS OF A GOVERNMENT

REACHED THE THRESHOLD OF 30​​ PER CENT WOMEN,

 

THERE WAS A MEASURABLE​​ INCREASE​​ 

IN DECISIONS BEING MADE IN A​​ NONVIOLENT​​ AND​​ INCLUSIVE​​ WAY.

 

THAT ARTICLE CITED THE HIGHLY SEXIST ATTITUDE​​ 

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STARTUP “UBER.”

 

SEXISM WAS SO MUCH A PART OF THE ENVIRONMENT AT UBER

THAT AT ONE OF THEIR​​ BOARD MEETINGS,

WHEN IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THERE SHOULD BE

MORE WOMEN PRESENT,

 

ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS RESPONDED WITHOUT THINKING:

"BUT WOMEN WANT TO TALK MORE;​​ 

HAVING THEM ON THE BOARD​​ 

WOULD MAKE OUR MEETINGS MUCH LONGER."

AND WHAT, IT MIGHT BE ASKED,​​ 

IS​​ WRONG​​ WITH​​ MORE​​ CONVERSATION?

 

THE WORLD WOULD DEFINITELY BE​​ 

A MORE CARING PLACE​​ WITH MORE OF IT. ​​​​  ​​​​ 

 

I CAN’T HELP BUT THINK THAT THE HISTORY​​ 

OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION SINCE THE ADVENT OF CHRISTIANITY

WOULD HAVE BEEN A REMARKABLY​​ BETTER​​ HISTORY

IF THE FULL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN​​ 

WHICH MARKED THE EARLIEST CHURCH HAD BEEN MAINTAINED –

 

IN OTHER WORDS,​​ IF THE CHURCH HAD REMAINED​​ TRUE

TO THE TEACHING AND PRACTICE OF ITS FOUNDER, JESUS.

 

WITH A THIRTY PERCENT REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN PRIESTS,

BISHOPS, CARDINALS, AND EVEN POPES,

 

I SUSPECT​​ THAT THE CHURCH BLESSING WARS,

CRUSADES, AND INQUISITIONS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.

 

AND ON THE PROTESTANT SIDE,

IF THE REFORMERS HAD ALLOWED WOMEN​​ 

TO BE ORDAINED TO THE MINISTRY AS WELL AS MEN --

 

SOMETHING THAT HAS HAPPENED ONLY

WITHIN THE LAST SIXTY​​ YEARS,

AND THAT ONLY IN THE PROTESTANRT MAINSTREAM --

 

THE HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES

WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT LESS VIOLENT AS WELL.

 

OF COURSE WE CAN’T REWRITE HISTORY,

BUT WE​​ CAN​​ INFLUENCE THE SHAPE THAT HISTORY TAKES

IN THE​​ PRESENT​​ AND​​ FUTURE.

 

THIS IS WHY CHRISTIAN FEMINISM​​ 

AS PART OF THE THEOLOGY OF LIBERATION

IS SO CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT.

 

CHRISTIAN FEMINIST LIBERATION THEOLOGY ​​ 

IS NOT, AT ITS CORE, ABOUT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS,

BUT ABOUT ISSUES OF​​ BASIC JUSTICE.

 

THE FIRST​​ ORGANIZATION THAT NEEDS TO BE LIBERATED

IS THE CHURCH ITSELF.

 

THEN, WHEN WE HAVE OUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER,

WHEN WE HAVE​​ RETURNED​​ TO THE TEACHING AND PRACTICE

OF JESUS,

 

THEN, AND ONLY THEN, WILL THE REST OF THE WORLD​​ 

TAKE THE CHURCH​​ SERIOUSLY​​ WHEN WE SPEAK ABOUT

JUSTICE AND PEACE.

 

LET US CELEBRATE THE WONDERFUL TEXTS​​ 

THAT WE HAVE IN THE BIBLE​​ 

THAT REVEAL THE FEMININE SIDE OF GOD.

 

DEUTERONOMY 32:18 CONTAINS THE CHALLENGE:

“YOU FORGOT THE GOD WHO GAVE YOU​​ BIRTH.”

 

THE ROOT OF THE HEBREW WORD FOR COMPASSION,

RAHAMIM, IS​​ REHEM, WHICH MEANS “WOMB.”

 

GOD EXPRESSES GOD’S WOMB-LIKE, MOTHERLY LOVE

THROUGH THE PROPHET ISAIAH:

 

“CAN A WOMAN FORGET HER NURSING CHILD,

OR SHOW NO COMPASSION FOR THE CHILD OF HER WOMB?

EVEN THESE MAY FORGET, YET I WILL NOT FORGET YOU.

(Isaiah 49:15)

 

GOD PROMISES, ALSO THROUGH ISAIAH:

“AS A MOTHER COMFORTS HER CHILD,

SO I WILL COMFORT YOU.”

(Isaiah 66:13)

 

I WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE THIS SERMON

WITH A​​ QUOTATION FROM THE BOOK​​ GOOD GOATS.

​​ 

CONCERNING HIS STRUGGLE TO EMBRACE A GOD

WHO​​ WAS LIKE A​​ MOTHER​​ AS WELL AS LIKE A​​ FATHER,

DENNIS LINN WRITES:

 

“AT​​ FIRST​​ I THOUGHT THAT MY​​ RESISTANCE

WAS TO CHANGING MY​​ THEOLOGY.

 

BUT I DISCOVERED THAT MY​​ REAL​​ RESISTANCE

WAS TO CHANGING MY​​ PERSONALITY

 

I NEEDED TO RELY​​ LESS​​ ON MY ABILITY TO​​ THINK

AND MORE ON MY​​ UNDERDEVELOPED​​ FEELING​​ SIDE.

 

[I NEEDED TO LEARN TO] APPRECIATE HOW GOD​​ 

LOVES THE​​ UNREPENTANT SINNER,

HOW GRACE IS NOT​​ EARNED​​ BUT GIVEN AS A​​ FREE​​ GIFT.

 

I HAD TO BECOME MORE AT HOME WITH​​ RECEIVING​​ FROM OTHERS

RATHER THAN ALWAYS COMPULSIVELY​​ DOING​​ THINGS FOR THEM.

 

I​​ NEEDED TO INTEGRATE FEMININE VALUES

INTO MY DEEPLY SKEWED MALE VALUE SYSTEM.

 

I GREW UP WITH A MALE SKEW.

 

I WAS​​ GOOD AT EFFICIENCY,

BUILDING THINGS IN THE OUTER WORLD,

COMPETING, AND DOMINATING MY ENVIRONMENT.

 

I BELIEVED THAT​​ EXTERNAL​​ AUTHOTITIES HAD ALL THE​​ ANSWERS.

 

HEAVEN AND HELL WERE​​ PLACES “OUT THERE.”

 

LIKE MANY MEN, I WAS ORIENTED TOWARD​​ OUTER​​ SPACE.

 

I WAS NOT SO GOOD AT THE FEMININE VALUES

OF CARING FOR THINGS AS THEY ARE, MUTUALITY,

OR EXPERIENCING MY OWN FEELINGS AND BODY WISDOM.

 

I DIDN’T KNOW​​ THAT TRUTH IS ALSO FOUND​​ WITHIN,

AND THAT HEAVEN AND HELL HAVE AN INNER MEANING,

AS MEASURES OF MY OWN CONNECTEDNESS OR DISCONNECTEDNESS

TO GOD, MYSELF, OTHERS AND THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.

 

I WAS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE FEMININE DIMENSION

OF​​ INNER​​ SPACE.

 

IN ORDER TO BECOME A MORE BALANCED PERSON,

I NEEDED TO DEVELOP MY FEMININE SIDE,

AND IN ORDER TO DEVELOP MY FEMININE SIDE

I NEEDED TO KNOW GOD THE MOTHER.

 

ALL LANGUAGE FOR GOD IS METAPHORICAL;

GOD IS NOT LITERALLY A FATHER.

 

BUT IF GOD IS​​ LIKE​​ A FATHER, THEN GOD IS ALSO​​ LIKE​​ A MOTHER.

 

MALE AND FEMALE, LOVING MOTHERS AND FATHERS

REFLECT FOR US EQUALLY THE IMAGE OF GOD (Gen.1:27).

 

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

 

JUST AS WE BECOME LIKE OUR HUMAN PARENTS,

WE ALSO BECOME LIKE THE GOD WE ADORE…

 

AS LONG AS WE HAVE AN ALL-MALE GOD,

WHAT HAPPENED TO ME

WILL ALSO HAPPEN TO OUR CULTURE AND OUR CHURCH.

 

THEIR VALUES TOO WILL BE​​ 

THOSE OF DOMINATION AND COMPETITION,

IN WHICH WE DEVALUE WOMEN,​​ 

DO NOT DEVELOP OUR FEMININE SIDE,

AND DO NOT TRUST OR CHERISH THE INNER LIFE

OF OURSELVES OR OTHERS.

 

AND SO LONG AS WE BELIEVE OUR CULTURE WHEN IT TELLS US

THAT IT IS GOOD TO DOMINATE AND BE IN CONTROL,

WE WILL​​ REINFORCE​​ OUR EXCLUSIVELY MALE IMAGE OF GOD.”

 

(END OF QUOTE)

 

ONE WAY FOR US TO BREAK THE STRANGLEHOLD

OF AN IMAGE OF GOD THAT TENDS TO REFLECT THE​​ WORST

ASPECTS OF MASCULINITY

 

IS TO GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH SOME OF THE GREAT MYSTICS

OF THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION.

 

IT WOULD DO US GOOD​​ 

TO MEDITATE ON​​ MEISTER ECKHART’S WORDS:

 

“ALL LANGUAGE HAS TAKEN AN OATH TO FAIL TO DESCRIBE GOD;

 

ANY ATTEMPT TO DO SO IS THE HEIGHT OF ARROGANCE

 

AND WILL ALWAYS DECLARE SOME KIND OF​​ WAR:

 

THE​​ INNER​​ WARS THAT UNDERMINE OUR STRENGTH,

 

AND THE​​ OUTER​​ WARS THAT MAIM RED.”

 

IT WOULD DO US GOOD​​ 

TO MEDITATE ON TERESA OF AVILA’S TERSE STATEMENT:

 

ALL​​ CONCEPTS OF GOD ARE LIKE A JAR WE​​ BREAK,

BECAUSE ONLY THE INFINITE CAN CONTAIN PERFECT LOVE.”

 

AMEN.

 

Independent and United Church of Christ