The greatest expression of freedom

From the Declaration of Independence to the libertarian movement to the spirit of Ayn Rand that is invoked each election cycle Americans love to talk about freedom.

We like to think that the greatest expression of freedom is to do what we are allowed to do. This is often the case when I talk with some people who carry guns.

"I carry a gun because it it my constitutional right! The 2nd amendment says..."

Or when I talk with people about free speech...

"This is America and I can say whatever I want. Or have you not read the 1st amendment..."

Or even when talking with people who buy things that just do not make sense...

"Why did I buy this leopard printed toilet seat? Because I can."

Christians have long understood that these silly examples are not expressions of total freedom. When we say that we are free in Christ or that Christ has set us free for the sake of freedom, we are not talking about being able to do whatever we want "just because we can."

True freedom comes in choosing to be limited.

There is no greater expression of freedom then being able to do then choosing to not do it.

When people are taken into slavery, they are forced to work and work hard. They are not free to refrain from working nor are they free to choose when they will work and for how long. Freedom is not in what you can do but what you choose not to do.

This is what makes the spiritual practices an expression of freedom. We do not have to, lets say, fast from eating. God does not require fasting, we are free from the mandate to fast. And since we are free from this mandate, when we choose to fast, we are actually expressing the fullest extent of this freedom.

Freedom comes not in the ability to choose "to do" but in the ability to choose "not to do."

Why passion is not enough for faith

Recently I finished reading Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence. While this book is a little different than I expected and I almost did not finish reading it, I made the commitment to read it and so I finished it. 

The author quoted Jorge Luis Borges who noted, “Art is fire plus algebra.”

That got me thinking about spiritual formation.

I listen to a number of people talk about how they feel they should read the Bible more or have a better devotional life. Words like "I should want to want to do this" come up a lot.

For instance I heard a Christian say the other day, "We should want to read our Bible every day!" 

The underlying issue in these comments and sentiments is that we are under the false impression that if we just had the right amount of passion for something then we would want to want to do it. If we just had a change of heart and a passion for God then we would want to read the Bible everyday.

This is a false impression because passion (fire) is not enough! The thing that the saints of the church and those who are deeply grounded is that they too have figured out that passion is not enough to spiritually mature. The saints have all figured out the systems (algebra) to fuel the fire of passion.

You know the secret to wanting to want to spiritually mature? Set up systems in place that you cannot make an excuse for not doing it. We don't like the idea of having bad breath so we brush our teeth. Even if you do not have a fire about dental health, you have a system in place to ensure your teeth will remain healthy.

Want to mature in your spiritually? Discover the algebra, because fire is not enough.

Children's Sermons revisited

A few weeks ago I posted about an idea to shift the focus of children's sermons.

This is still a work in progress (you may see there are still five slots open for suggestions and modifications). I have made a public google calendar with the different focus for each children's sermon.

Here is the html link.
And, below is the calendar just embedded into this blog post.

I would love to hear comments you might have. Is there something you would add? Is there any thing you would remove or change? (Please note that on the first Sundays of each month we have communion and so we do not have children's sermons on those dates.)

Enjoy!

 

Everyone is trilingual. Yes, even you. Part 2

Expanding on Peterson's thought in this book, when we are born we quickly are thrown into learning language. 

The first language we learn is that of intimacy. It is that language that we hear parents speaking to their children, or what loves speak to one another over candlelight. It is what we hear in the book the Song of Solomon in the Bible. And according to Peterson, it is the language of prayer. 

There are fewer ways to quickly quiet a room than to simply say, "let us pray." Even the non-religious people in the room become quiet. We become quiet because, at some level, everyone recognizes that what is about to be said will be said in another language. Prayers are spoken in the language of relationship and everyone respects the intimacy of this language. Which might explain why we all become quiet. 

We also could all become quiet because we know that in a prayer we are all about to hear a language that is both familiar and foreign. It is like a dream or déjà vu. We listen to a language that we once used so often but, for many of us, it has been a while since we accessed it. It is like riding a bike after years of driving, it takes a moment but in short time it all comes back to us. 

As we value more and more the languages of information and motivation, we find ourselves seeking out those who still are fluent in our common native tongue. You see a baby and cannot help but listen to her babble in the hopes you will be able to hear what she has to say. You find a poet who speaks with a rhythm that moves your soul. You find a teacher that uses the same words you use everyday but yet says them differently. 

We are desperate for those who know and use our native language of intimacy and relationships, and the most common way to hear it is through a collective prayer. 

There are so few who speak this tongue fluently and there are so many of us who feel out of practice. 

Which is why when we hear, "let us pray", we all become silent - hoping once again to hear the language of our home.