Musings on where we are

A couple of you have written to suggest that, I need to make better use of this space.

I'll do my best to focus on it a bit more.

So here goes. Random notes on the state of the world and the role of faith.

The last two weeks have brought us headlines on 700 Billion dollar bailouts, Presidential debates, warnings on the rising Global temperatures and war in places near and far. It would be easy to read some kind of apocalyptic vision into all of this. The world is coming to an end. The American empire is crumbling, God is judging us.

Hmmmm.

Maybe we are just judging ourselves.

When I first went to seminary, in what feels like another lifetime, I recall hearing about this idea of sin. Original sin, Sin Boldly, Sin as the root of all evil. For years I resisted this part of our doctrine. I thought of it as just a negative spin on what I had experienced as a wonderful world. I thought sin was something that the church used to make us feel guilty and drive us to worship.

Over the years, and perhaps with some experience, I've realized that there probably is something to this sin idea. Not in the popular, don't eat too much ice cream it's a sin, idea. Rather in the initial and ancient definition, namely, sin is a word to describe our separation from God. In a sense, sin describes a condition that we all feel everyday. We often live our lives as though they were, well, just our own lives. It's all about me. Well, no. Life is about us. And when I write us, I mean all of life together.

We tend to have this worldview that we are separate from everything else, when in reality we are all connected. Connected on a deep spiritual level by God, but also connected in an organic or biological way. I am what I eat, and we now know that eating well rewards us with a healthier life. We now know that when we drive a car that pollutes or uses tons of gas, well that effects the environment, which in turn effects other peoples health. But, we tend to forget about that interconnectedness - that would be sin.

My first area of study in graduate school was environmental education. I lasted 6 weeks. Not because I didn't love the subject or do well in classes. I left because i got a job teaching environmental education. I figured lets just do it.

When I look out at the world and see what's going on - War, Greed, pollution, etc I am afraid that I do see Sin. We do these things because we put ourselves first, and we really do believe, it's all about me.

So what's the way out?

I have no easy pat answers. No come to Jesus moment. No quick fix.

Joni Mitchell sang, "And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden."

Obviously, she didn't mean that literally, but more of us getting our hands in real soil could help remind us of the connectedness of life. What she was referring to was a return to the state of being connected - ultimately to God. That's both an individual path and a collective path. It involves the ongoing work of living in community, meditation, listening to our dreams, prayer, the hard work of staying in our marriages, and the hard work of remembering those who are the victims of oppression.

It's a road less traveled, but I believe it is the only road worth being on.


More again later....