2. Christianity
The Great Mystery - Texts

Our Father Who Art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom Come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
(Mt. 6:7 The Lords Prayer)

For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16)

I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
(John 14:20)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
(Rev. 1:8)

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God; and without Him was not anything made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(John 1:1-4, 14)

The Great Mystery - Musings

Our Father
Who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name.

God is holy. His very name, though as familiar as a protective parent, is holy beyond understanding. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Great Creator who brought all into being with His utterances.

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…

He so loves us, his children, that he clothed himself in flesh in order to personally share our human experience in all its suffering and joy. Incarnate, embodied, Word made flesh, the King of Glory whose dwelling place is heaven - He lives among us, and his kingdom, heaven, is here.

God incarnate was a servant and companion to the dispossessed, earning his living as a craftsman, and traveling on the dusty roads of his land. His friends included males and females of every hue and stripe in the melting pot that was first century Judaea. They were Greeks, Jews, Romans and Samaritans. There included men who were common fishermen, tax collectors, and Roman centurions. They included women who were entrepreneurs, adulteresses, harlots, scholars, and domestics.

He was equally at home conversing with religious scholars and political leaders as he was with the common and destitute people of his time.

He began his life in the company of animals, shepherds, wise men and angels. He wandered as a mendicant teacher and healer. He died ignominiously in the company of criminals, only to rise and overcome death itself.

Through him we glimpse the true image of the Creator-Father.

The World - Texts

And Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands; They shall perish, but Thou remainest. They all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same and Thy years shall not fail.
(Heb. 1: 10-12)

I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
(John 12: 46-47)

For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, they the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
(Mk 4:28-29)
Christianity

The World - Musings

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, and neither do they spin…
The earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear…

The world is from God. It is a sign of beauty and of bounty. Its miracles are gifts from the Creator, and a sign of His love. The lyrical praise of nature in Paul's letter to the Hebrews feels like the poetry of the Psalms.

Since Eden, since having fallen into a corrupt and sinful state, humanity has been in need of redemption. God Himself intersected with the world at a special moment in time as a participant and as a light. The son, the New Adam, the visible image of God, brings peace that is not of the fallen world. His peace is a demonstration of the constant invisible source of our life. The source is spirit, and it is our touchstone.

If God is in His heaven, and we are in the world, a diagram of the Christ-spirit entering our realm would look like the center of a cross where earthly and divine participate in each other.

The world began. The world has been redeemed. The world will end. And the world will be made new.

Humanity - Texts

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistle? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
(Mt 7: 16-18-20)

For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, they the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
(Mk 4:28-29)

He that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.
(John 3:31)
Christianity

Humanity - Musings

Our lives are of the earth. We are made of its clay, and will return to it as dust.

When soil is cultivated it gives forth good fruit. Trees grow strong and green. Vines and foods, succulent plants and flowers grow in profusion. When soil is untended, it becomes overgrown with thorns and thistles, and a tree, having nowhere to root properly, will bear inedible fruit.

We are the same. We must cultivate the ground of our being so that all our actions will be strong and healthy, capable of bearing nourishing and beautiful produce.

God sent His Son to the world, not to condemn the world but to save it. Jesus is the image of God par excellence. The characters in his riveting stories provide us with models for leading a good life - the good Samaritan, the man who uses his talents wisely, the bride who waits for her groom, and the father of a prodigal son. In his own life, we have a model for living the image in the Father's mind - to serve, to love, to be no respecter of class, to forgive, and above all to bear good fruit.

We are utterances, images of God, brought into being through the breath of His spirit, separated from Him for a time, and then gifted with a God-human savior.

Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.

God intends that we depend on him as a father, to provide us with our daily bread, and to deliver us from evil.

He intends that, "as above, so below," His heavenly kingdom of love and forgiveness should be enacted by us.

The Teacher - Texts

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
(John 3:16)

And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
(Mt. 4:2-3)

The spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted. to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, To preach the acceptable year of the LORD."
(Luke 4:18-19)

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, And am known of mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so I know the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold.
(John 10:14-16)
 

The Teacher - Musings

God so loved the world and His creatures that He clothed Himself in flesh. Though we are made in the image and likeness of God, we know little about how to reflect His radiance. Christ, the anointed one, the Word made flesh, is the perfect image.

He was born in a stable in the company of animals, and worshipped by kings who traveled from afar. He grew up working with his hands to make homely furnishings for humble Jews, and was a healer and teacher of the poor and dispossessed.

How unassuming, how compassionate he was; how wise, and how forgiving. Willing to lay down his life for His truth, he embodied - gave body to - the virtues we too must cultivate - humility, dignity, courage, service, forgiveness, and above all, love.

He was the sacrificial lamb, teacher of rabbis, admonisher of moneychangers and kings, servant to the poor, and the one who even said of his murderers, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Look at the ways in which the Father speaks of the child and the ways in which the son speaks of the Father and to the Father.

This is My beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

This is my beloved son. Hear him. (LISTEN to him)

I and the Father are one.

He who sees me sees the Father.

The Father is in me and I in the Father.

In my Father's house there are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you…

A beautiful being, full of goodness and light.

The Way - Texts

If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
(Mt. 16)

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called the
children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Mt. 5:3-10)

I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.
(John 14:6)

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him and bound up his wounds, set him on his own beast and took care of him. Which of these three was neighbor unto him that fellest among the thieves?
(Lk. 10:33-36)

The Way - Musings

I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. (John 14:6)

I am the Light of the world.

So said Jesus Christ.

If Jesus was a divine child and lived a divine life in the image of His Father, and if he is the way and the truth and the life, we are called to live his way, by his truth, guided by the light of his life that illuminates the world. Then we, too, will live as God intended, in His image.

And how did Jesus live? He was a healer and a teacher. His public years were spent in healing the sick - even lepers. He comforted the afflicted, assisted sinners and forgave his enemies. There were only a few occasions in which he showed righteousness indignation. One was when he say the holy place of God defiled by money-making and the others were when he saw people who bore "bad fruit."

He never appeared "holier than thou." In fact he was the most humble of men, one who said it is better to pray and to give in secret, not seeking praise for good deeds. The people who were most holy and blessed in his eyes, are the people he described in his sermon the Mount - the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the seekers of righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are willing to suffer for what is right.

His way was not to merely follow the letter of the law. His way was to live in the world reflecting the image of God.

If we are like the serious young man who asked what he should do to attain eternal life, we are asked to part with our things of the world, to give to the poor and to follow his way.

Prayer - Texts

Our Father
Who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth
As it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those
who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
Deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever and ever
(Mt. 6:5-9)

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.
(Luke 2:14)

My soul doth magnify the Lord and my Spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.
(Lk 1:46-55)

Prayer - Musings

How simple it is to pray to Holy God, our Father in heaven. Abba, Jesus called Him. The Aramaic word is more accurately translated as the more intimate "Papa" or "Daddy" than the formal "Father." What we know about how Jesus addressed his Father in prayer illustrates his relationship with God, and models how our own should be.

The "Lord's Prayer" is utterly simple.

First it acknowledges that the Father, is in Heaven, our own spiritual home. Second, it says that His NAME is holy. Remember, Jesus was a Jew, and for Jews, the very Name of God, YHWH, is so holy as to be unspeakable.

Third, it expresses solidarity with God's Will - that His "kingdom" must come. The kingdom is the kind of society where the lion shall lay down with the lamb, a society in which we beat our swords into ploughshares, a society where we forgive our enemies. We wish that God's Will be done "on earth as it is in heaven." As above, so below. The heavenly Jerusalem described in the Book of Revelation should be built upon the earth, and if it is not, the world will suffer unbearably. It is our choice - and things do not look good for our contemporary world.

Then the prayer expresses our dependence on God as we ask Him to provide our daily bread. The mark of an authentic human being is utter trust in God. Even more, the Godly human being should forgive as God forgives her. And finally, there is our plea for help in overcoming the temptations of the world so that we can become our true, best selves.

All of these parts of the "Lord's Prayer" are echoed in the other prayers of Christ:

Father; please let this cup pass from me…

…Not my will, but thine

Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Father, into my hands I commend my sprit.
Christianity
Evil and Suffering - Texts

Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man... For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man.
(Mt. 14:12-20)

Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
I tell you, on the Day of Judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
(Mt. 12:33-37)

Evil and Suffering - Musings

Evil. It is the direct consequence of a life that bears rotten fruits. The rotten fruits are those things that come from a greedy, miserable, self-seeking swamp of a heart. For it is the heart that motivates our words. It is the heart that motivates our actions. It is he heart that motivates our very thoughts. And when sins come out of the heart, they are deadly.

There are seven sins in particular that Jesus spoke of in his sermon on the plain. These have come down to us as the "Seven Deadly Sins":

1. Arrogance and self-serving pride;
2. Jealousy and petty desire for the goods or good fortune of another;
3. Gluttony that is "conspicuous consumption" - consuming more of the world's bounty than we need;
4. Lust for bodily pleasures - even the pleasures of appearance, emphasizing outer beauty while neglecting the health and beauty of our souls;
5. Anger, the fuse for violence that is in school shootings, human bombs, and weapons of mass destruction in our world;
6. Covetness for perceived treasure, always wanting more, and more is never enough;
7. Sloth, the laziness of not attending to our hearts so that they will bear good fruits.

We cause suffering when we sin. We displease God because we are not being Godly. By turning away from God, we lose our innocence. We become jaded and worldly in the worst sense of the word. We lust after the things of the world, power, excess, and greed. We are at our most unattractive.

We ourselves also suffer, sometimes inexplicably. It is part of the human condition. The Godly Jesus as a human being, participates in this condition. The juxtaposition of the three images of God as Majestic King, Protective Father, and Suffering Servant illustrates how mysterious His nature is. Through his agony, suffered by his own choice, Jesus expressed true solidarity and compassion for humanity. By being unjustly tortured and executed, he overcame our deepest human fears of rejection and annihilation and he gave hope to the world.
 
Struggle - Texts

And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless,
Not as I will, but as thou wilt.
(Mt. 26)

Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame that with two ands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
(Mt. 18:7)

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?
(Mt. 16:24-26)

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(Eph. 6)
 
Struggle - Musings

Jesus strove with the devil and he strove with the Father.

He shared not only in the joy, suffering, hopes and dreams of humanity, but also in the temptations that are also part of human life. So he went to the desert to seek clarity and strength for his mission. The devil deftly made appeals to his human longings and frailty. Power. Wealth. Pleasure. They are all entrances to the slippery slope we all know so well. Jesus called on all his spiritual resources and the inner knowledge of his divine nature to see beyond the short-term enjoyment to the greater good.

In the face of his impending torture and death, Jesus struggled with God, the Father and the source of his being. He suffered through the watches of the night. Alone. Abandoned, not once, but twice. His closest friends slept, unconscious of his battle. The lonely night was spent in prayer, in communion with the Divine. Like a human child, he pleaded for release from his duty. And like the Divine Child that he was, he unified his will with the Will of God Who knows the Greatest Good.

The devil lost the struggle. God won.
 
Death - Texts

Behold I show you a mystery: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality…
Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?
(1 Cor. 15:55)

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
(John 6:49-51)

Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
Now is my soul troubled And what shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name.
(John 12:24-28)
 
Death - Musings

The most unknown, the greatest event in a life - and the most feared - is death. Death comes to us all in the fullness of time. Sometimes it comes after a long illness and is a relief. Sometimes it comes violently and swiftly. Sometimes it takes us in our sleep.

Jesus' was a death exposed to the elements and the crowds, executed high on a cross. It was this that he dreaded in his agony in the garden.

Yet there is hope.

O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?

After the death of the grain of wheat sown in the ground, the grain bears much fruit. It is only by dying to the things of the world that can never be fully ours that we can have a spiritual birth.

Just before his death, Jesus cried, "My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?"

Then: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

And finally when he had risen, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God"

The Ultimate - Texts

In my Father's house are many mansions.
I go to prepare a place for you…
that where I am, there ye may be also.
(John 14:2)

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.
(Luke 17: 20-21)

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there by any more pain.
For the former things are passed away.
(Rev. 21:4)
 
The Ultimate - Musings

I don't know about you, But I would love to be in one of the Father's many mansions in the heavenly city.

I once had a dream where I was in a room whose walls were made of jewels. The jewels were like multi-colored pieces of light. I picked them up and built new walls with them. I felt like a child building a sandcastle at the beach on a summer day. I was thoroughly engrossed and didn't notice time passing or that a number of people had gathered around to watch. In my dream I invited the people to come and build with the jewels on their own. Anyone could play and create whatever they wanted. Over the years I have often meditated on the meaning of the jewels in this dream (which I have described in detail in my wisdom workshops), and I have ultimately seen them as jewels of wisdom.

Heavenly beings have halos of light, and thus their minds are enlightened. They have wings, and thus they can traverse the universe in the twinkling of an eye. They have the ability to receive and deliver communications of God, and thus they are holy. And they dwell in the heavenly city.

In the book of Revelation the buildings are said to have foundations made of precious stones - jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, topaz, amethyst. "even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." The gates are made from pearls and the streets from pure gold, "as it were transparent glass." The city is lit from within its own substance, and in it flows a river of crystal clear living water and grows the Tree of Life.

In the epilog to the final chapter of the final book of the Bible, Jesus said,

My reward is with me to repay
according to everyone's work.