Saturday Night Theologian
16 May 2004

Acts 16:9-15

Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink:
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
The sailors in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" are stranded in a becalmed sea, desperate for a refreshing drop of pure water. Many people today feel like those sailors, anxious about their circumstances, looking for help, but without much hope. When the Macedonian appeared to Paul in a dream, he implored him, "Come and help us!" Why hadn't Paul had the idea earlier to cross the Aegean Sea into Macedonia and Greece, rather than continue to travel in Asia Minor? Probably it was because Paul himself was a native of Tarsus, a city in Asia Minor, so his heart was there. He was excited about the gospel, and he wanted to share it with his compatriots. However, his venture into Europe proved to be providential, and some of the cities where he preached the gospel--Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth--became leading centers of Christianity over the next several decades. This passage tells us that many people live their lives with a sense of longing, a feeling that something is missing, even a sense of desperation. The good news of Jesus Christ offers hope, meaning, and peace to all these people, if it is presented in a bold yet sensitive manner, and if those who are seeking can observe the positive impact that Christianity has had on others. Unfortunately, Christianity in the West is often too closely associated with one particular economic theory (capitalism) and one particular approach to international problems (militarism), so the gospel message is blunted. Progressive Christians need to take a stand against so-called Christian behavior that projects a sense of moral, religious, and cultural superiority; whose words betray a lack of respect for the concerns, and sometimes even the lives, of others; and whose motivations appear to be more nationalistic or tribal than Christian. The world is in dire need of good news today, and true Christianity offers hope for those in need.

Psalm 67

One of my former pastors used to say, "You can't take it with you. You never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer." God blesses us in this life so that we can be a blessing to others. The psalmist asks for God's grace and blessing, "that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations." Proponents of the health and wealth gospel claim that God's blessings of his followers will make others want to join their ranks so that they may experience the same success. I can't think of a more perverse distortion of the gospel message than the idea that greed should motivate someone to become a Christian. On the contrary, Christians should be characterized by a spirit of giving, having concern for the needs of others, not just themselves. It is true that if people equate Christianity with the wealth of the Western world, they might want to abandon their faith and adopt Christianity--along with Western values--in the hope that their luck will change. However, the most effective form of evangelism is one in which non-Christians see Christians showing them love and meeting their needs to the best of their abilities. When the people in parts of the world that are largely non-Christian begin to see Christians not as self-righteous, cultural imperialists but as caring people respectful of the beliefs and concerns of others, then and only then will "the nations be glad and sing for joy" because of the blessings of the Lord.

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

Many books and movies over the years have offered pictures of an ideal world, though there is almost always a serious flaw of some sort. Pleasantville pictures a world that is almost perfect, but hopelessly provincial. The Stepford Wives (1975 movie, due for a comic remake in 2004) portrays an ideal town, if you happened to be a sexist, insecure male. In Lost Horizon, people only grow old very slowly, and there is no disease, but they are doomed to stay in Shangri-La forever. In the book The Giver, artificial families live happy, care-free lives; sexual urges are controlled by drugs; pollution is eliminated; and even the climate is regulated. The problem is that only one person in the town is able to experience any pain or sorrow, and he experiences it for everyone. Just because utopian dreams often turn out to be much less than ideal doesn't mean that people should stop imagining a perfect world. Today's reading from Revelation describes the new Jerusalem in utopian terms. It descends from heaven in unimaginable splendor, replete with walls of jasper, foundations of precious jewels, city gates of pearl, and streets of gold. Its inhabitants are pure and holy, there is no night, and numerous trees of life offer people eternal life. Earlier in the chapter the author offers another characteristic of the new world: there is no sea. For John, who described himself as exiled to the island of Patmos, the sea made his island a prison, so its absence reflected freedom. The absence of night symbolizes the perpetual presence of God with the inhabitants of the city. The trees of life represent not only an end to the problem of death but also a return to the primeval paradise of the Garden of Eden. Christians have occasionally tried to create an ideal city on earth, often with unfortunate consequences (e.g., Calvin's Geneva or the Anabaptist's Münster). However, if not taken to extremes, utopian models can be a positive influence here and now. For example, many people would reject the notion that the ideal world should be landlocked, but the bars of injustice and limitations on responsible human freedom that the sea represented to the author would not be part of an ideal world. Precious gems might not be an appropriate building material for an ideal world, but the fact that wealth belonged to all, not just a select few, suggests the principle that basic human needs--including housing, food, and education--should be provided for out of the wealth of the community. We can't eliminate death, but the trees of life in the city remind us that excellent health care is a basic human right. The word "utopia" literally means "nowhere"; there is no perfect city on this planet. Nevertheless, the people of God can work together to create a world that more closely approximates that perfect city. It is our sacred duty to do so.

John 14:23-29

In his book Chariots of the Gods? Erich Von Daniken claimed (among many other bizarre statements) that the Ark of the Covenant described in the Old Testament was actually a kind of alien communication device, an extraterrestrial walkie-talkie, with which Moses talked to "God" (who was in a UFO). Although most people would reject such a claim as ridiculous, the fact remains that the Bible speaks frequently of divine-human interaction, and communication with the divine is a notable concern of both the biblical world and our own. As Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent departure, he tells them, "The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you." Clearly communicating with God was very important for Jesus' disciples. It was easy enough while Jesus was with them, since they accepted Jesus' words as having come from God. But when he was gone, what then? Jesus promises that God will send the Holy Spirit, a phrase almost unknown in the Old Testament (where terms like "the spirit of God" predominate) and which elsewhere in the New Testament often connotes a special endowment of power from God. In John, however, the Holy Spirit has the special role of comforter and teacher, acting at times as a sort of conduit of divine knowledge to the disciples. It is important to note, however, that the Holy Spirit primarily serves to reinforce the words of Jesus: "The Advocate . . . will remind you of all that I have said to you." It follows, then, that those who claim to be following the leadership of the Holy Spirit should not be acting in ways contrary to the explicit teachings of Jesus. The role of the Spirit in the modern divine-human equation is a mystery, and varieties of opinions exist concerning the exact mechanism by which God communicates with the faithful. Christians who want to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit should first of all be intimately acquainted with the life and teachings of Jesus. It is easy to mistake one's own inclinations for the leading of the Holy Spirit, but it is important to remember that God observed that"every inclination of the thoughts of their [humans'] hearts was only evil continually" (Gen 6:6). The only sure guide is conformance to the teachings of Jesus. For example, the Jesus who said "Blessed are the peacemakers" is unlikely to condone an elective war. The Jesus who "went about doing good" would not want his followers torturing prisoners, or making excuses for torturers. The Jesus who said "Blessed are the poor" would advocate the alleviation of poverty. I believe that God continues to communicate with us today. The problem is that our ears are often not attuned to the divine voice, so we confuse it with the voices of other people, including our own. The only surefire standard by which to measure suspected teachings of the Holy Spirit is the standard of Jesus himself.