Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving Thoughts

My son got to be a 'turkey' in his school's Thanksgiving play – talk about type casting! Watching the scene on video was priceless. He shook his tail feathers to "I'm a Little Turkey" and gobbled to "Albuquerque Turkey." I love Thanksgiving, but it has become strangely placed in contemporary times. It forms in grocery stores like a flash mob between Halloween and Christmas – surprising and enthralling us seemingly out of the blue before disappearing again into the fog of the retail holidays.

The stories behind Thanksgiving are vast and ripe with historical import, but are mostly an afterthought to the turkey, cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce (jello?) many of us enjoy on the fourth Thursday in November. The traditional narrative – the school play version – is something simply akin to the Pilgrims and "Indians" making nice. The tale goes a bit deeper than that, but we have a way of de-contextualizing history to avoid the messy details. We forget that these early colonies, though often imbued with religious purpose, were in themselves business ventures. They were indeed imperial usurpers of lands that did not belong to them. And they brought with them germs, diseases and practices that ravaged the Native Americans and the landscape. This makes the 'First Thanksgiving' in November 1621 all the more significant. The three day celebration was an accord of peace in the midst of universal crisis. The Plymouth Colony did not have a superb go of it in the beginning. Unprepared and under supplied, their first winter in America was brutal and bore a great human toll. Yet, the Wampanoag tribe and their leader Massasoit, though much maligned by the English presence, played a pivotal role in helping the settlers learn how to survive in this 'new' land. Establishing peace in the spring they celebrated the first harvest of corn (maize) in the fall of 1621. From turmoil, peace (though tragically temporary) was born among those willing to respect and care for one another.

In light of the current political turmoil in our nation it is of no little significance that Thanksgiving was proclaimed an official holiday at the height of the American Civil War in 1863. Abraham Lincoln, in his address, called on God to "heal the wounds of the nation." May those words be on our heart this Thursday. Our woundedness is evident – in our nation, in our towns, in our homes, and in our relationships. We will all bring baggage to the table, not unlike the disease and cultural strife our forbearers brought to this land so many years ago. Yet, here we are…together. We can either live in distress and conflict or we can seek peace by finding ways to give thanks for one another. I believe love and loving actions have the power to create unity among the most divisive factions. Let's give thanks for those we are in conflict with this week, and begin the process of creating bridges built on care, respect and admiration to all the peoples who inhabit the global landscape.

Thanks to the Wampanoag and all Native Americans – may we begin to offer healing for the sins of the past.

Thanks to the Environment and Agriculture we enjoy – may we find redemptive ways to enjoy your bounty.

Thanks to our political and cultural foes – may we find peaceful solutions that benefit all of humanity.

Thanks to the God that is Love – may we engage you in the positive transformation of the world for people of all nations, cultures, races and beliefs.

-D. Christian Nix, 11/24/2010

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"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." – Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

Monday, November 1, 2010

‘Hell is Real’…and other things I learned driving through Kentucky.



On a recent family road trip I got to see a lot of Kentucky – once on I-75, and again along I-65. I find myself on the road a lot, so I try to make it a point to absorb a bit of the culture wherever I am. I learned several things while driving through the Bluegrass State.

First, don't try booking a hotel in an SEC football town (Lexington) anywhere near the weekend of a home game – even the Motel 6 had become the Motel $600. Second, and directly related to the first, when driving well off the beaten path (which is not too hard to do in KY) in search of an affordable hotel, don't trust your GPS. Sometime around midnight we found ourselves staring at a pasture that was supposedly the address of a Hampton Inn. Third, people in Kentucky are apparently big fans of 'bagel toppers' (a half bagel with a quiche-like substance baked on top). We spent two nights in Kentucky, and both hotels were serving them as the 'main entrĂ©e' for breakfast.

Finally, I learned that the religious establishment in Kentucky (and southern Ohio) wants to make it perfectly clear that "Hell is Real." That was the message plastered on multiple billboards along the highway, usually complete with a listing of the Ten Commandments on the reverse side – to make it obvious why so many will be going there I guess. It's not the most uplifting message, but it did get me thinking about the two things I imagine the authors behind the signs were hoping for – Hell…and Jesus.

What did Jesus say about 'hell'? Not as much as you'd think if you grew up in the southern 'hell, fire and brimstone' traditions, but Jesus certainly covered the topic. In Mark 9 Jesus contrasts life and hell – the Kingdom of God and Gehenna (9:43-47). Notably, he does not contrast heaven and hell. While I do not doubt the eschatological overtones of the Markan text, it begins with something intriguing – Jesus says, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power" (9:1). Is Jesus here predicting – incorrectly – the 'end of days'? Or might Jesus be referencing something more temporal and more in sync with his mission on earth?

Interestingly, only a few days later something miraculous happens in the passage. No, not the 'transfiguration' narrative that immediately follows that statement. Rather, the next event seems more telling. After descending the mountain Jesus finds his disciples amidst a crowd of onlookers. A father had brought his son to them for healing. His son was mute, foaming at the mouth and prone to seizures. His life had from birth been rife with danger and pain. In that moment Jesus performed an act of healing, and in that moment the kingdom of God became present for all to see (verifying his earlier prediction) – "Jesus took him by the hand and raised him…" (9:27). Here a tangible transfiguration takes place, as the boy's experience transformed from one of a living hell to truly living. Of no little significance, just a few verses later Jesus will highlight the importance of service to others through a series of hyperbolic statements contrasting life and hell, and interchangeably, the kingdom of God and hell. Hell is a reality. But, service, loving action toward and with others, is the catalyst that offers an alternate reality – life.

Might it be possible that just as the kingdom of God has much to do with the here and now, that hell is not merely an eschatological concept? Many people throughout the world are experiencing hell on a daily basis – many are experiencing violence, persecution, torture, poverty, hunger, disease and isolation. Hell is real…this we know. Yet, as I read those numerous billboards scattered along the highway, I wondered where the gospel, where the good news was in such a message? What about love, what about service, what about peace, what about the transformative power of Jesus' way of life? Aren't these the messages Christians should be sharing with the world?

As part of my daily commute I pass a billboard advertising Newcastle beer in midtown Atlanta. Next to a glistening pint of the brown ale, it simply states, "Hell is waiting…but, it's a dry heat." I can't help but laugh at the lighthearted ad, and the stark contrast between it and the signs I saw along the highway. The beer sign, enveloped in its satirical humor, has an underlying message: "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" - an oft-quoted conflation that finds its roots in biblical tradition (Ecclesiastes 8:15, Isaiah 22:13).

In light of the alternate realities of the kingdom of God and hell in this world, I would like to offer another billboard worthy message: "Eat, drink and be merry…BUT, share your food, share your drink and share your joy so that all may know peace on earth." That is a message I think even Jesus might approve. – D. Christian Nix, 11/1/10

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"No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white / Just our hands clasped so tight / Waiting for the hint of a spark / If Heaven and Hell decide / That they both are satisfied / Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs / If there's no one beside you / When your soul embarks / Then I'll follow you into the dark…" – Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Follow You into the Dark.

"…take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'" – Matthew 25:34-36 (TNIV)