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"God Out of the Box"
Scripture Focus - Mark 1:4-11 (NRSV)
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Message for this coming Sunday:
Do you get frustrated with faith communities putting God in a box? Ever wish you could get God out of the box? You probably can if you’re willing to make the sacrifice.
Listening this week to a podcast done by a group of professors from Luther Seminary, they bravely stated that religions exist for the purpose of putting God in a box. Their sentiments are echoed by the Muslim-Atheist-Jewish-Christian author named, Samir Selmanovic, who critiques organized religion as little more than God-management systems. I couldn’t agree more, particularly in terms of my own recent journey and the sacrifices made so God could be out of the box for me and my life. With God out of the box, there have been blessings and insights beyond what I would have thought possible.
Both John and Jesus let God out of the box. From there God came alive for them in ways that organized religion and the governmental powers of their time would not allow. Ultimately those sources of authority couldn’t tolerate it and killed them. So let’s not be mistaken about the sacrifice entailed.
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Message for this coming Sunday:
Do you get frustrated with faith communities putting God in a box? Ever wish you could get God out of the box? You probably can if you’re willing to make the sacrifice.
Listening this week to a podcast done by a group of professors from Luther Seminary, they bravely stated that religions exist for the purpose of putting God in a box. Their sentiments are echoed by the Muslim-Atheist-Jewish-Christian author named, Samir Selmanovic, who critiques organized religion as little more than God-management systems. I couldn’t agree more, particularly in terms of my own recent journey and the sacrifices made so God could be out of the box for me and my life. With God out of the box, there have been blessings and insights beyond what I would have thought possible.
Both John and Jesus let God out of the box. From there God came alive for them in ways that organized religion and the governmental powers of their time would not allow. Ultimately those sources of authority couldn’t tolerate it and killed them. So let’s not be mistaken about the sacrifice entailed.
Another effect of “God out of the box” is that a person may be led to eccentricities. John decided that the only thing he wanted to wear was camel’s hair and eats locusts with a bit of honey. I wonder if that eccentricity symbolized something for him. John also railed continuously against the tyranny of religious and governmental authorities. He didn't worry about losing his nonprofit tax-exempt status or worry about offending some old fart in the church pew, but his rantings did cost him his head.
By contrast, Jesus had a bad habit of routinely breaking the law and doing so in God’s name. He did this to stand over and against injustice, absurdity, and things he found to be utterly contrary to an unconditionally loving God. Possessed of a phenomenal intellect and reasoning skills beyond most any of us, Jesus showed up absurdity for what it was at nearly every turn and he did so with breathtaking compassion for those on the receiving end of such foolishness -- those who suffered most because of the autocratic malignantly narcissistic persons who ruled over them. Repeatedly Jesus’ intellect and compassion served as foils in his fight against the tyranny dominating people’s lives. In the end, as with John, the religious and political authorities decided to snuff out the “Jesus effect” through one of the most humiliating and tortuous forms of execution, i.e. crucifixion.
Today, in this country and many others, one’s beliefs and the right to speak out about those beliefs will not land a person in jail for the most part. However, there’s still a price to be paid and sacrifices made. For some of us that involves the need to move on from "official" ties with faith traditions we were raised in, ordained by, and in some instances were our employers. Sacrificing “formal” ties is painful but I am deeply grateful for those persons who chose to remain in friendship and contact with me. They are truly life's priceless blessings for they allow me to speak freely and fully about the God who calls me to establish a church free of the world's encumbrances rather than belong to an institution that wants me yoked to its particular God-management system.
On that note, a quick story comes to mind. I remember a baptism incident several years ago as a jurisdictional officer in the Pacific Northwest for my former denomination. Brian, the minister for a baptism, felt led to baptize Edith with these words, “I baptize you into the community of Christ.” He then put Edith beneath the lake's water and brought her back up. To the delight of everyone, Edith gleefully shouted out her joy in the radiant sunshine bathing that moment.
By contrast, Jesus had a bad habit of routinely breaking the law and doing so in God’s name. He did this to stand over and against injustice, absurdity, and things he found to be utterly contrary to an unconditionally loving God. Possessed of a phenomenal intellect and reasoning skills beyond most any of us, Jesus showed up absurdity for what it was at nearly every turn and he did so with breathtaking compassion for those on the receiving end of such foolishness -- those who suffered most because of the autocratic malignantly narcissistic persons who ruled over them. Repeatedly Jesus’ intellect and compassion served as foils in his fight against the tyranny dominating people’s lives. In the end, as with John, the religious and political authorities decided to snuff out the “Jesus effect” through one of the most humiliating and tortuous forms of execution, i.e. crucifixion.
Today, in this country and many others, one’s beliefs and the right to speak out about those beliefs will not land a person in jail for the most part. However, there’s still a price to be paid and sacrifices made. For some of us that involves the need to move on from "official" ties with faith traditions we were raised in, ordained by, and in some instances were our employers. Sacrificing “formal” ties is painful but I am deeply grateful for those persons who chose to remain in friendship and contact with me. They are truly life's priceless blessings for they allow me to speak freely and fully about the God who calls me to establish a church free of the world's encumbrances rather than belong to an institution that wants me yoked to its particular God-management system.
On that note, a quick story comes to mind. I remember a baptism incident several years ago as a jurisdictional officer in the Pacific Northwest for my former denomination. Brian, the minister for a baptism, felt led to baptize Edith with these words, “I baptize you into the community of Christ.” He then put Edith beneath the lake's water and brought her back up. To the delight of everyone, Edith gleefully shouted out her joy in the radiant sunshine bathing that moment.
The incident horrified the religious legalists. Why? Well, Brian hadn’t used the proper spiritual incantation of “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” So in their minds the baptism hadn't taken and therefore it angered God and upset Jesus. As the area officer, I heard more complaints about that event than I had of any other in quite a while. Finally a higher level church official pressed me to counsel, and if necessary, discipline Brian about his error. I refused to do so and made clear that the official had not been present, and that the official had not witnessed the beauty of the event nor the power of God’s Spirit that attended it. Therefore I made clear that I would not detract from Edith’s baptism by counseling or disciplining Brian. In short, I said that God was big enough to cope with the situation and everyone else needed to do the same. Naturally, as you might imagine, my higher-ups were displeased and the incident caused me significant career capital. The memory of what happened however for Brian and Edith and the entirety of their real church family -- not the institutional one -- will be a blessing I treasure forever. And if those words frustrate religious legalists, then so be it. Feel free to chalk it up as one of my eccentricities due to God being out of the box for me.
“God out of the box” allows the mortal and spiritual worlds to come much closer together that we might ever imagine. When that happens for you, God and the world are going to name you and identify you. The scripture above is clear on that, e.g. John was the Baptizer and Jesus was the Beloved. For me, given my experience last May, I might be Brad the pure of heart. For Brian, he might be Brian the baptismal rebel and for Edith it could be Edith the joyful. But then again, I'd want to get Edith's input on that as she's an iconoclast of epic proportions!
So if you’re willing to make the needed sacrifices and let God out of the box for you and your life, what will the identifier be for you? What will be the eccentricity that takes hold in you and makes you a little wild? Believe me, you can trust whatever happens and it won’t take away your goodness. And if you need a little help on that end, just remember the following portion of an old children’s story. In the story, a child is curious about the nature of a new animal that’s arrived to the forest. The little girl feels anxious and unsettled, even upset over the animal's behavior. Finally, out of her concern, she goes to Mr. Beaver and asks, “Is he good, Mr. Beaver?” Mr. Beaver responds by saying, “Oh, of course he’s good -- but he isn’t tame.”
Pastor Brad Shumate, M.A., M.S., LMHC
Free of Encumbrance Ministries
Vancouver, WA
Email: brshumate@freeofencumbrance.net
“God out of the box” allows the mortal and spiritual worlds to come much closer together that we might ever imagine. When that happens for you, God and the world are going to name you and identify you. The scripture above is clear on that, e.g. John was the Baptizer and Jesus was the Beloved. For me, given my experience last May, I might be Brad the pure of heart. For Brian, he might be Brian the baptismal rebel and for Edith it could be Edith the joyful. But then again, I'd want to get Edith's input on that as she's an iconoclast of epic proportions!
So if you’re willing to make the needed sacrifices and let God out of the box for you and your life, what will the identifier be for you? What will be the eccentricity that takes hold in you and makes you a little wild? Believe me, you can trust whatever happens and it won’t take away your goodness. And if you need a little help on that end, just remember the following portion of an old children’s story. In the story, a child is curious about the nature of a new animal that’s arrived to the forest. The little girl feels anxious and unsettled, even upset over the animal's behavior. Finally, out of her concern, she goes to Mr. Beaver and asks, “Is he good, Mr. Beaver?” Mr. Beaver responds by saying, “Oh, of course he’s good -- but he isn’t tame.”
Pastor Brad Shumate, M.A., M.S., LMHC
Free of Encumbrance Ministries
Vancouver, WA
Email: brshumate@freeofencumbrance.net
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