What'll Ya Have?
Glad to be serving here at Al's. I actually have experience as a bartender. I worked in a men's grill at a Country Club in my hometown of Indianapolis before I went to seminary. I'm not even much of a drinker so it was fun. The guys would come out of the locker room and on the way out to play 9 holes would order a sandwich and beer. Mostly guys at that time ordered drinks that had the recipe in the title: gin and tonic, whiskey sour, or rum and coke.
Interestingly, Rick's invitation to share a grace prompted this memory. It was here at this bar where I received both grace and a lesson on grace. The lesson...sometimes we receive grace in the most unlikely places! Who would have thought that I would been more supported and encouraged by these guys who had sworn off church (after all they were on the greens on Sunday), than in my previous two summer experiences working in the church. These guys became my biggest fans and believed in me. Yeah, it is true people talk to bartenders and we did have great talks across the bar.
The week before I left to go to Princeton, the guys gave me words of advice and gifts. They tipped me big. My colleague hand-tooled a beautiful new Bible cover that I still have. One afternoon, a shy guy came up to the bar and tossed a wrapped gift to me. When I opened it and found a concordance, he said, "What is it? They said you'd need one." I was overwhelmed and smiled tenderly at this guy. I was flooded with God's grace. Where the churches had been critical, they guys believed in me. I thanked the shy guy and whispered a prayer of gratitude. God's grace in unexpected places.
On this Ash Wednesday, I send you my prayers as we set our face towards Jerusalem with Jesus. It's God's grace that even enables us to make the journey. On this day, we will hear.."ashes to ashes, dust to dust." It so reminds me that we toil the earth and die because "paradise is lost." Would there have been (will there be) no more toil, no more death, no more ashes or dust when paradise is 're-found' (when paradise is restored)?
Rick, I think it is true that many believe so much in the power of nature to heal. I'm thinking though that the natural world is also fallen-- therefore the power of creation to heal cannot be equal to the power of Christ to heal. Christ is in all, above all and through all. God through Christ is restoring ALL things. I had never thought about this until Rick's comment... maybe even creation--the natural world--is fallen too. Creation itself is wounded. Often we say that human beings wound creation and that because of the sin of human beings creation is wounded. This is true, but could it also be true theologically speaking that creation in itself is wounded because of the Fall? In Romans 8, we read 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
So, I've been pondering...if the natural world is fallen, is there such a thing as a tsunami in paradise? We also claim that these, "acts of God" are just the way that the natural world is constructed...shifting techtonic plates causing waves--"natural events." But what if it is the result--consequence--of the falleness of the natural world? Can we imagine a created order, a natural world, that is constructed in a way where there is no more dying? It's hard isn't it? We say...it's the natural course of events...and I believe that...leaves die and fall off the trees. But isn't is intersting to ponder, maybe this isn't the "natural way". What will happen when there is a new heaven and a new EARTH? What will happen when nature/creation is restored, not just beause of our sin, but because of paradise lost? What will paradise found-restored look like?
Indeed there will be no more Ash Wednesday...
and perhaps no more ashes to ashes-- dust to dust.
What do you think?
Julie
Interestingly, Rick's invitation to share a grace prompted this memory. It was here at this bar where I received both grace and a lesson on grace. The lesson...sometimes we receive grace in the most unlikely places! Who would have thought that I would been more supported and encouraged by these guys who had sworn off church (after all they were on the greens on Sunday), than in my previous two summer experiences working in the church. These guys became my biggest fans and believed in me. Yeah, it is true people talk to bartenders and we did have great talks across the bar.
The week before I left to go to Princeton, the guys gave me words of advice and gifts. They tipped me big. My colleague hand-tooled a beautiful new Bible cover that I still have. One afternoon, a shy guy came up to the bar and tossed a wrapped gift to me. When I opened it and found a concordance, he said, "What is it? They said you'd need one." I was overwhelmed and smiled tenderly at this guy. I was flooded with God's grace. Where the churches had been critical, they guys believed in me. I thanked the shy guy and whispered a prayer of gratitude. God's grace in unexpected places.
On this Ash Wednesday, I send you my prayers as we set our face towards Jerusalem with Jesus. It's God's grace that even enables us to make the journey. On this day, we will hear.."ashes to ashes, dust to dust." It so reminds me that we toil the earth and die because "paradise is lost." Would there have been (will there be) no more toil, no more death, no more ashes or dust when paradise is 're-found' (when paradise is restored)?
Rick, I think it is true that many believe so much in the power of nature to heal. I'm thinking though that the natural world is also fallen-- therefore the power of creation to heal cannot be equal to the power of Christ to heal. Christ is in all, above all and through all. God through Christ is restoring ALL things. I had never thought about this until Rick's comment... maybe even creation--the natural world--is fallen too. Creation itself is wounded. Often we say that human beings wound creation and that because of the sin of human beings creation is wounded. This is true, but could it also be true theologically speaking that creation in itself is wounded because of the Fall? In Romans 8, we read 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
So, I've been pondering...if the natural world is fallen, is there such a thing as a tsunami in paradise? We also claim that these, "acts of God" are just the way that the natural world is constructed...shifting techtonic plates causing waves--"natural events." But what if it is the result--consequence--of the falleness of the natural world? Can we imagine a created order, a natural world, that is constructed in a way where there is no more dying? It's hard isn't it? We say...it's the natural course of events...and I believe that...leaves die and fall off the trees. But isn't is intersting to ponder, maybe this isn't the "natural way". What will happen when there is a new heaven and a new EARTH? What will happen when nature/creation is restored, not just beause of our sin, but because of paradise lost? What will paradise found-restored look like?
Indeed there will be no more Ash Wednesday...
and perhaps no more ashes to ashes-- dust to dust.
What do you think?
Julie
posted by Rick at 9:00 AM
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