Salvation- if the son sets you free

Today is baking day. Baking day is a good day. Fresh bread, and time to think between all tasks baking. Often I listen to sermons or read a book. The last few bread days, I've been reading a book by Brian McLaren called, "a Generous Orthodoxy". This book is worth the time. Here is an insightful quote from page 208. "We are focused on fighting symptoms like abortion, promiscuity, divorce, and profanity. We might add terrorism to the list. But these are not the disease. These are in many ways the symptoms of the very disease we tend to support, aid and abet, defend, protect, baptize, and fight for - a system sick with consumerism, greed, fear, violence, and misplaced faith (in the power of the Economy and the State and it's Weapons). "

As with many of things in the book, Mclaren encapsulates for me something I have been thinking or feeling, but I have not thought it so cleanly and therefore could not have stated it that clearly.

Jesus in his last statements on earth told us to go and make fervent followers, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, holy spirit, which meant to teach them to guard and obey and do all the things Jesus taught. I don't think it is by mistake that Mclaren in his statement chose to add the word "baptize" when talking about our steady immersion into the system that creates the problems.

If I go to church with my children and read the beatitudes, and Jesus parables, and the law, and then with everything else in my life demonstrate to my children and community how to get ahead, how to press the advantage, how to take advantage, how to be prosperous, if effect, how to be a north american, then I am not baptizing them in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rather, I am baptizing them in the name of consumerism, materialism, and prosperity - or my life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If I do this, when I do this, I am like a man who looks in the mirror and then immediately forgets my appearance.

I recently learned that there is a lingual connection between the hebrew word for corner of your beard, and the corner of your field. This is one of those not so obvious to us because of our ignorance, yet obvious to those knowledgeable in hebrew, things, that changes how we see the levitical code. When the Lord told them to not cut the corners of their beards; let them grow, it was a visual reminder to not to cut the corners of their fields during the harvest, to leave it for the poor and the stranger. If we live clean shaved, we may look good to ourselves, but how about to our creator?

I shared a some weeks ago a bit of historical speculation I had when assessing Israel's history. The Hebrew people were made a people so that they could demonstrate God ways for the world. They were given a land, a very particular land that was the cross road for all known trade routes between the then powers. If they had lived God's way, they would have never raised a stink with their neighbors. God's protection was embedded in the very way he told them to live. If Egypt and Syria only ever experienced, as they traded and traveled through Israelite territory,generous hospitality, safe rodes, and right living, they would never need to conquer them. In fact, superpowers might even fight each other to protect such a wonderful, enjoyable,neutral, safe zone. Then God's ways would have been seen by all.

Instead, Israel chose from Solomon forward, to become a world player. How did Solomon make silver so incredibly common in Israel? - by exacting tribute. Of course God specifically told Israel not to amass gold and silver. Israel wanted to be a world player, and so it played by the world's rules. And then she was mercifully judged. The superpowers chose to conquer Israel rather then pay tributes on their trade. We would do the same today. In fact we are.

It seems that I am at the same cross roads today, along with the church in North America. Do I take the path of power? Or do I take the path of suffering. Do I baptize my children into what it means to be successful by the rules of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Or do I baptize my children into successful living from the living words lived by the hebrews 11 heroes? With what kind of baptism will I immerse those experiencing my influence?

I don't want any longer to be part of a "christian community" that is against all the symptoms, but is not against the greedy, self serving culture that creates the symptoms. I cannot support the christian institutionalized support of greed and personal prosperity and at the same time condemn the moral fallout that results from those who flunk from the system. The church I grew up in, that I experience today, whispers now and then that greed is bad. Yet then turns around and lives in such a way that shouts, "greed is perfectly acceptable as long as you follow certain moral rules". It is like I saying a heard recently, "a person can keep all the rules of torah and still be a scoundrel."

Good news from the good news book of the gospel of Isaiah - we hear God's very words, red letter words, "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age old foundations, you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings"

I was so cheered in heart to hear that funding has come in for the hull housing project. Truly, those who contributed can be called, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings"

If the son sets us free, we are free indeed.