Adulthood

Recently I have been reading a book called "The God Who is There" by  Francis Shaeffer. It talks about some of the philosophical trends that have happened in the last century that have to do with denial of absolute truth in the like. In it, he mentions two French philosophers who talked about self actualisation (I forget who they were). Basically, to self actualise, you just have to do an action. You have to make a choice - so helping a lady cross the street would be no more or less valid than beating her up and stealing her bag.

Simultaneously I have been coming across a lot of material (blogs, sermons, and, who knew, a complete recording available for free online of C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" - gold) which have been talking about adulthood or maturity in the faith and the journey onward to salvation.

The theme of a lot of it has been something clearly biblical, yet which I think many mainstream theologians have either overlooked or downplayed. I have heard it a lot from those who would be considered "heterodox" - like Greg Boyd (highly recommend looking him up) and Rob Bell. It is the idea that the New Creation that will happen when Jesus returns is a certain type of place. In this life we are trying to practise and exercise our wills so that our characters will transform more and more into the type of character that can exist in a place like that.

This is a really cool way of thinking about life here, and it also gives me a context in which to understand the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox idea of "work's" role in salvation - this character transformation happens only through our exercises of will and the actions big and small that we carry out each and every day. So even though we are justified through grace alone, our "salvation" in the sense of becoming completely free from sin and surrendered to God, does happen through works.

So why have I called this post adulthood. Well, it occurred to me that the real and true way of "self actualisation" is, paradoxically, to give the self more and more over to the will of God. In the words of John the Baptist "I must decrease, He must increase."

God is calling me, and all of us, to adulthood. To self actualisation by submitting our will more and more to Him. To growing up into the character that will be made completely ours in the new creation - and thankfully by His grace, we can do this without feeling we have to prove ourselves or justify ourselves. Little by little, we can practise, and change, and grow.

The Parable of the Geraniums

I was out watering my garden this morning and I found a flower on one of my geranium plants.

This is interesting because I originally had two geranium plants, one of them I planted in pretty shallow soil and the other one in deep soil. The first geranium plant bore lots of flowers after about two days. I was overjoyed, but puzzled as to why the other geranium didn't have any. The flowers lasted for another couple of days and then died. This geranium has slowly been dying ever since. Now there are a few green leaves on it but most of them are brown and its stalk is all withered.

The second geranium just sat there for weeks. Its leaves were still green so I knew it was alive but it didn't seem to be thriving. Its leaves were sort of slightly curled up and it was... well... just sitting there.

But today, at least a month later, probably more like two months, it finally has a single flower, and still looks happy and green.

This reminded me in a really concrete way of Jesus' similar parable. And it made me realise the point of that comparison - it's not actually a good thing to do lots of good stuff and look like you're doing really well straight away. If you bury yourself deep in the soil of God's love and His word, then the fruit will come.
But you have to be patient. It won't come straight away, and you might only get one change at a time.

I find this so comforting because it makes me realise how true Jesus saying was "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I mean seriously - ALL we have to do is revel in God's love? We don't actually have to work changes in those impossible areas ourselves?
I also find it comforting because it shows me that sometimes there might be times in our lives where we feel like we are not bearing much fruit. But that doesn't mean we're "backsliding". A church I used to attend used to tell us that if you aren't moving forward in God, then you're backsliding. You can't just stand still. And I understand what they mean but at the same time that idea can cause lots of anxiety if it's taken wrongly (or presented wrongly).
Sometimes you might feel like you are at a standstill. But if we rest deep in God's love we will never stop bearing fruit.

Taking up my cross... what does that even mean?

This morning on the bus I was reading Mark 8:34-36, the bit where Jesus talks about taking up your cross and following Him.
And I'd always thought that this meant that you need to give things up for Jesus. Which is probably true sometimes. But then something struck me.
Immediately preceding this saying, Peter proclaims that Jesus is the Christ, and then rebukes Jesus for telling them He is going to die..
And immediately afterward, Jesus says "for whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

Generally the things preceding and succeding a saying or story are significant in helping us to understand that saying.
Could it be that Jesus, in saying "take up your cross and follow me," is making a point about Peter's rebuke? Peter knew Jesus was the Christ - yet when Jesus started talking about His imminent death, Peter refused to accept it. Was Peter ashamed of Jesus' words? Maybe because Jesus' vision of what it meant to be "the Christ" was so radically different to anything that anyone might logically guess it meant.
Judea at that time was longing for a saviour who would defeat the oppressive Roman forces and free them, giving them back their land and their autonomy. So the idea of a Messiah who would be rejected and die would have been ridiculous. Even more ridiculous, Jesus was saying He was going to come back to life! I can understand why Peter would have been alarmed, appalled, and ashamed at such statements.
But Jesus says "you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man... take up your cross and follow me," and then instructs the disciples not to be ashamed of His words.

So often, we try to get around the sayings of Jesus and make them more palatable, because we are ashamed in this world of what He really says. I do this all the time. The resurrection is one - wouldn't it be far easier to say that it's all just a symbol, that it never literally happened? In a scientific age this is a great temptation for me.
What about Jesus' claim that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life? Postmodernism insists that there is no one truth. Everyone's way is equally valid.
One more - sin, and atonement. The idea that we need saving, to many people, is frankly insulting and arrogant.

And yet these are all things that Jesus tells us are true. We are not to be ashamed of them. Instead, we are to proudly uphold them.
And here is where the cross comes in. Because to put your name to ideas that are mocked and rejected by the world is indeed a cross. Don't forget that as well as death, the cross represents shame. Carrying your cross through the streets, in full view of everyone? You would be incredibly exposed. People would be throwing insults at you, heckling, and judging you for being a lesser person, an outcast. This is exactly what happens to people who lay claim to the words of Jesus.
I recently read an Inside Cover article in the West Australian mocking Kevin Rudd for believing in miracles. I say, good on him. He is not ashamed of our Lord Jesus. He's not ashamed to say he believes His words.

I work in a science centre and this idea is an incredible challenge to me. I believe that God created the world, I believe in miracles, I believe in a physical resurrection of all people who have ever existed at the end of time. Am I willing to stand up and not be ashamed of the teachings of Jesus? I fear that all too often I am ashamed, and this is something I must rectify, because if I want to follow Jesus, I can't be. I have to take up my cross.

God give us all the courage to be proud that we follow Jesus!