“Soaring in the Spirit…”
10 Dec 2008
Chuck Conniry writes…I wrote Soaring in the Spirit for people who have not yet experienced all they had hoped to experience in the life of faith—which includes most of us, if we are honest about it. Here’s what I say in the preface:
“This book is about experiencing the presence of Jesus Christ in the moment-by-moment “nows” of daily life. I do not romanticize the spiritual life by promising that our journey of faith is marked by unbroken, upward progress or that intimacy with Christ leads to a more fulfilling end. Life in the Spirit does not always take us where we want to go. I do not idealize life in Christ by suggesting that the way of the cross holds the key to ’spiritual success,’ nor do I minimize the complexities and paradoxes of the Christian life by distilling them into a simple formula that is readily understood and easily applied.”
Some writers oversimplify the way of Christ. They proffer things like, “five easy steps to a more fulfilling life in Christ” or “seven healthy habits for victorious living” or whatever. But the truth is our spiritual lives are bruised by personal failures, conflict with others, and an endless assortment of trials. In its best form, our walk with Christ undulates between periods of intense spiritual passion and frigid indifference to the things of God. What’s worse is that we are often afraid to share the full scope of our lives with each other. Some faith communities market a brand of “victorious spirituality” that nobody really lives up to…and that induces us to put on facades instead being real with each other. Life in Christ is, in a word, complicated because life is complicated.
One thing I tried to do in Soaring in the Spirit was to give each other permission to share the dirt about themselves. If we can’t talk to each other about the stuff that’s dragging us down, who else can we go to? One of the great distractions that keeps us from bring real with each other is the fixation on “believing the right things” and “behaving rightly.” I devote several chapters, replete with personal stories, to this crippling distraction.
Another thing I tried to do was to put some handles on that slippery thing we call ‘mystery.’ One of the primary characteristics of so-called Christian mystics is their capacity to recognize the presence of Christ in ordinary life. In my book I explain what caused us to become so suspicious of mystics and how deeply rooted in Scripture the way of mystery really is. It is in fact the key to escaping the excesses associated with “the way of knowledge” (i.e., right belief) and “the way of piety” (right behavior).
Finally, I tried to reinforce the centrality of the church in Christ’s redeeming work in the world. Some high-profile church leaders have proclaimed that “the local church is the hope of the world.” While I appreciate the sentiment behind that statement, I have to disagree. The church is not the hope of the world…JESUS IS THE HOPE OF THE WORLD. But the church is central to what Jesus is doing in the world. I speak candidly about the weakness and failings of the church—especially the modern, Western church. However, I believe that redemption begins with the church. It is a mistake to write the church out of the script. The church is the Body of Christ—a point that Jesus brought home to me in an unforgettable way (see chapter 12, “The Church’s Dual Citizenship”).
I look forward to the conversations about these and other topics!
28 comments
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Comment by Rick Cruse
11.28 am on 11 Dec 2008
In a word, “performance.” That’s where so many of those among whom I minister find themselves. On the one hand, they find themselves bound by the need to believe all the “right things” (orthodoxy). In their desire, then, to do “right things” (orthopraxy), they are unable to understand that, in the biblical sense, it’s lived from the inside out. Orthopraxy is the life of Jesus being “incarnated” in me, in the inner person by the Spirit (Eph 3:14-21). So, they are left to attempt to produce on the outside (performance) what they so long to know on the inside. The Christian community is performance oriented, where security comes from appearances (and where inner insecurity then flourishes because people know they are being phony). “Who will deliver [us] from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Comment by Chuck Conniry
3.44 pm on 11 Dec 2008
Spot on, Rick! We are often forced to perform at multiple levels. We must produce “fruit” in our ministries (as though we are actually the makers of the fruit). We have to live “godly lives” (which are often defined by unrealistic standards). We have to be the parents of perfect children…or whatever.
And if we are at all “successful” at these things, we become increasingly haunted by the gap that exists between how our external lives (as they are perceived by others) and our internal lives (which seldom match the facades we’ve created).
In other words, whenever we try to live up to a certain “image” of godliness by means of external appearances, we run the risk of becoming posers.
Many followers of Jesus fall, sometimes unwittingly, into this form of toxic spirituality.
One of the things I try to offer in “Soaring in the Spirit” is a way out–by giving us the handles we need to understand the undulating nature of our relationship with Jesus Christ and thus the freedom to embrace the fact that holiness is a gift to be celebrated rather than a thing that is earned by good behavior.
Chuck
Comment by Rick Cruse
1.14 am on 12 Dec 2008
I appreciate the picture offered through the word “Undulating.” I spent time this afternoon with a young man who has a heart to follow Jesus, but is bothered by the ups and downs of his own “spirituality.” I sought to encourage him with the natural rhythms like the tides, like breathing, like seasons to picture the naturally-uneven journey we are on. Your term captures it very well. I like it. Guess I’ll have to track your book down here in Canada. May grace abound to you this day.
Rick
Comment by Chuck Conniry
3.46 pm on 12 Dec 2008
The images of tides, breathing, and seasons beautifully picture the point that C.S. Lewis conveyed in the phrase, “Law of Undulation.” In “The Screwtape Letters” Lewis writes:
“Has no one ever told you about the Law of Undulation? Humans are amphibians – half spirit and half animal…. This means that while their spirits can be directed to an eternal object, their bodies, passions, and imaginations are in continual change, for to be in time means to change. Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation – the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks.”
I tried to unpack this idea in my chapter on “Messy Spirituality.”
This person is blessed to have someone like you in his life, Rick. Carry on!
Faithfully,
Chuck
Comment by Rick Cruse
6.05 pm on 12 Dec 2008
Yep, gotta track down your book. How insidious ungrace is. I awoke this morning, following a less than stellar afternoon/evening, only to find myself wondering “how to get back to God.” Picked RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL from my bookshelf…. “‘Justification by grace through faith’ is the theologian’s learned phrase for what Chesterton once called ‘the furious love of God.’ He is not moody or capricious. He knows no season of change [though He did change in the incarnation, but that's another issue]. He has a single relentless stance toward us: He loves us” (p.22).
Grace is like the Grand Canyon in the US Southwest. Deep, broad, wide, scary, yet God calls us to draw near, right to the edge, even at the risk of slipping. “You can’t enjoy the splendour if you don;t come right to the edge. So what does the church do? Erects a fence 10 feet from the edge and posts signs that say: “Danger! Grace near. Don’t get too close. Yes, God is gracious, BUT….”
My favourite adjective for grace is scandalous.
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Comment by steven hamilton
12.49 pm on 11 Dec 2008
it sounds like a wonderfully refreshing read…i look forward to reading it! thanks…
Comment by lynn
11.15 pm on 11 Dec 2008
Rick, what a comment….
To be tied in to the need to perform and to allow others to perform is killing me spiritually at the moment and I’m wrestling with the feeling of being bound.
Comment by Rick Cruse
1.26 am on 12 Dec 2008
Performance is a killer, a stone-cold, natural born killer. it kills those who impose the expectations and those on whom they are placed. As Paul points out in 2Cor 3, the letter kills, produces condemnation, focuses on the externals. I had the privilege to baptize one of my son’s who wanted to make public declaration of his faith. A man in an authority position questioned (in a public context) the “validity” of his baptism because my son “revealed a rebellious spirit when he chose to wear his earring while being baptized.” Thankfully, I resisted the temptation (barely) of ripping out his lungs without benefit of anesthesia!
Comment by Chuck Conniry
2.13 am on 12 Dec 2008
Rick, you’re obviously a person of immense wisdom and restraint.
Chuck
Comment by Rick Cruse
6.34 pm on 12 Dec 2008
Chuck, you are a hard man to track down. Who are you?
where are ? what are you doing?
Comment by Chuck Conniry
6.45 pm on 12 Dec 2008
Rick, I am a seminary professor, administrator, and writer. I have been at George Fox University for almost 11 years. Before that I was a pastor for almost 20 years.
I’m married to Dianne (26 years) and have three children: Krystal (23), Matt (21), and Nathan (17).
I love motorcycling, swimming, and the outdoors.
Here are two links that might help:
http://www.georgefox.edu/seminary/ (click on the “about” tab to see my message to prospective students)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soaring-Spirit-Rediscovering-Christian-Emerging/dp/1842275089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229103785&sr=8-1
I hope this helps.
Faithfully, Chuck
Comment by francisco
10.46 pm on 12 Dec 2008
Simply, there is no dual citizenship for The True Believers citizenship is in Heaven…….
For True Believers have taken heed unto The Call of The Only True GOD to “Come Our of her, MY people”…….
They have “Come Out” of this wicked world and it’s systems of religion for they “see” that “the WHOLE world is under the control of the evil one” indeed and Truth…….
Truth is never ending…….
thedestrutionoftheearth.wordpress.com
Comment by Chuck Conniry
10.58 pm on 13 Dec 2008
Dear Francisco,
I went to your blog site and spent some time reading your postings before responding here.
First, let me offer a general observation:
It makes it difficult for one to find conversation partners when one insists that his or her opinions are nothing other than divine revelation, conveyed through visions. One of my dear friends calls this “pulling the God card,” which trumps every alternative perspective.
One fabled conversation between a Catholic priest and Baptist preacher goes something like this: “After a long and heated debate about the authority of Church Tradition versus the Bible, the Catholic priest said, ‘Obviously we see things differently. Let’s agree to disagree.’ ‘Sounds good to me!’ the Baptist preacher said. ‘You have your opinion and I have GOD’S OPINION!’”
When it comes to matters of God, Francisco, it is appropriate for you to believe what you believe passionately. That is the nature of “convictions.” Convictions are the beliefs that make us who and what we are. We cannot surrender a conviction without giving up part of ourselves. That’s one reason why anger and violence often results when one’s convictions are challenged.
We have an especially deep affinity with our “religious convictions” – and that increases the likelihood that we will confuse “what we believe” with “Whom we believe.”
I saw this happen several times in the congregations I pastored. One example will suffice. A dispute broke out during an adult Sunday school at our church one morning over the interpretation of a certain passage of Scripture. One man ventured an opinion that was clearly off base. Others in the group encouraged him to reconsider. All to no avail. Finally, one aged sister in Christ made her appeal, “Brother Smith, do you realize you’re the only who sees it that way?” Mr. Smith retorted, “Well that’s because I’m the only one here who is listening to God!” Based on my knowledge of the biblical passage in question, I can assure you that Mr. Smith was wrong. But try to convince him of that and you’re contradicting God!
Now I’ll speak to C.S. Lewis’s statement regarding the Christian’s “dual citizenship.”
You alluded to Philippians 3:20, where the Apostle Paul states, “But our citizenship is in heaven….”
The context of this statement is telling. What’s important to remember about the city of Philippi in the first century is that it was a Roman colony. Those who were born in Philippi were birthright Roman citizens. And in that day, Roman citizenship was no small privilege. The Philippians, in other words, took great pride in their Roman citizenship.
It is against this social and historical backdrop that Paul makes this statement: In Christ, there is no room to boast of one’s (Roman) citizenship. Only ONE citizenship counts – namely, our citizenship in heaven. That’s Paul’s point here.
Lewis, of course, is making a different point–a point that is reflected in Galatians 5:16-17: “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” In this passage, the phrase “sinful nature” is an extended use of “flesh” (Greek “sarx”).
It’s this tug-of-war of natures that Lewis artfully depicts in “The Screwtape Letters.”
When Christ redeems us from our sinful nature (our flesh), he redeems us fully. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1). But for the time being, we struggle with “the-now-and-not-yet” of our status in Christ. Our spiritual selves undulate between what we are presently as flesh-bound human beings and what we will be when Christ’s saving work culminates in glory.
I hope this helps, Francisco. Remember…one of the best ways to show we love Jesus is by loving his (imperfect) followers.
Faithfully,
Chuck
Comment by francisco
11.33 pm on 13 Dec 2008
“I hope this helps, Francisco. Remember…one of the best ways to show we love Jesus is by loving his (imperfect) followers.”
That which is not of The Truth will never “help”, but will always gender delusion, deception, “confusion and every evil work”…….
And apart from The Truth there can be no “love”, only a form, and so it is that i have “Come Out” from among those who have but “a form of godliness”…….
Truth is that the catholic/christian name of ‘jesus’ was first given to one-head of their three-headed pagan ‘god’ less than 600 years past…….
And Truth is the catholic/christian systems of religon are Anti-Messiah, as are all systems of religion…….
Faith will not create a system…….
And Faith IS Alive so there is still hope…….
For Miracles do happen…….
Hope is there would be those who experience The Miracle that is receiving “the love of The Truth” for they will take heed unto The Call of The Only True GOD(Father, Creator, Great Spirit,,) and “Come Out” of this wicked world and it’s systems of religion for they will clearly “see” The Light that reveals The Truth that “the WHOLE world is under the control of the evil one”(1John5:19) indeed and Truth…….
Truth is never ending…….
Comment by Adrian Roberts
12.54 am on 15 Dec 2008
Chuck
I wonder if the title is misleading in that it gives the opposite impression from what you say the book is about. “Soaring in the Spirit” makes it sound like a book that says you should be on a spiritual high all the time or else there is something wrong with your life; and the reader ends up feeling guilty and Under Law because he doesn’t measure up.
But you say the book says quite the opposite, that we are not on a high all the time; our lives and our walk with God is messy and marked by failure. A book that accepts this is much more like what most of us including me need. I’ll certainly put it on my list of books to order and read, though there are an awful lot already on the list!
Adrian
Comment by Chuck Conniry
4.16 am on 15 Dec 2008
Hi Adrian,
Here’s my explanation for the title, from p. 181 of “Soaring in the Spirit”:
The Title, “Soaring in the Spirit,” was inspired by my mentor and friend, Jim McCldendon. He points out that there are four identifiable stages in the Christian life. Each stage is marked by one of the church’s significant communal practices, which occur at key points in our spiritual journey. The first stage is “introduction” – our first encounter with the way of Christ. This, says McClendon, is memorialized in the church’s practice of catechism. The second stage is “initiation” – the transition point from our own way to the way of Christ. “Conversion” is closely tied to this stage and baptism is the corresponding practice. The third stage is “following.” McClendon equates this with the biblical term discipleship and says that the church’s recurring practice of Eucharist marks this stage.
Many followers of Christ consider these three stages, variously expressed in different traditions, to be all there is to the Christian life. Yet there remains, says McClendon, a less-recognized but vital fourth stage in our spiritual journey. He describes it – in the spirit of Isaiah 40:31 – as “Christian soaring,” and says that “corporate spiritual discernment” is the corresponding practice.
McClendon admits that discernment of this sort has been the exception more than the rule during the last 500 years in which other forces set the church’s agenda. And without this practice of communal discernment, disciples have been largely on their own in matters of discernment and spiritual soaring. Mystics like Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, Brother Lawrence, John of the Cross, Madame Guyon, George Fox, Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, and Richard Foster are outstanding figures precisely because each one exemplifies in his or her own way a potent force of spirituality that has been missed (and sometimes dismissed) by the mainstream.
So, Adrian, in a word, the idea of “soaring” as I use it in my book, refers to our gathered attempts to discern the way of Christ in our time and place. It is a call for us to reengage the historic spiritual practices that enable us to become evermore “present” to “Christ’s presence.”
In this sense, “soaring” isn’t supposed to conjure images of “Christian victory,” unsullied by our undulating spirituality. Instead, the term is a summons to be still – to cease striving by our own efforts – and know that God is God.
Faithfully,
Chuck
Comment by rodney neill
10.55 am on 15 Dec 2008
Hello Chuck
I appreciate the refreshing down to earth realism and honesty of your thoughts about the Christian life in your post and your critique of simplistic ‘market a brand of “victorious spirituality’
If I were to give the third stage of the Christian life it would be ‘falling away’ based purely on personal observation of the high percentage of newly converted Christians who give up after an initial period of enthusism…rather than following. I say this more out of sorrow rather than anything else
I an also unsure about the practice of ‘communal discernment’ due to the abysmal track record I have seen of leadership in church communiities making disastrous mistakes/errors in decision-making which has been marketed as ‘Gods will or plan’ (I am a veteran of the shepherding movement in the charismatic tradition)
I sound defeatist but can only be honest of where I see things in practice……
all the best
Rodney
Comment by Rick Cruse
12.58 pm on 15 Dec 2008
Per Rodney’s comments: “If I were to give the third stage of the Christian life it would be ‘falling away’ based purely on personal observation of the high percentage of newly converted Christians who give up after an initial period of enthusiasm…rather than following. I say this more out of sorrow rather than anything else. I an also unsure about the practice of ‘communal discernment’ due to the abysmal track record I have seen of leadership in church communities making disastrous mistakes/errors in decision-making which has been marketed as ‘Gods will or plan’ (I am a veteran of the shepherding movement in the charismatic tradition). I sound defeatist but can only be honest of where I see things in practice……”
The phenomenon you are addressing, real as it is, reflects the church’s failure at Chuck’s first two “landmarks.” First, the “gospel” many have responded to is the American version with the focus on “a free ticket out of hell” pass and the subtle (or not so subtle) promise of what Larry Crabb calls “a life that ‘works.’” By that, he means that each person has their own (or their church’s) understanding that life should “work.” When it doesn’t “work,” we’re either admonished to have faith or told that we are the problem. Here, the challenge is to embrace the reality that “God’s loving kindness truly is “better than life [the life that "works"].
The church’s second failure is at Chuck’s suggested second stage: initiation. We’ve “programized” discipleship into a blend of hollow “quiet times” and special programs and methods that promise spiritual maturity. Instead, people need to be introduced into an intentional process(es) of being conformed to the image of Christ IN COMMUNITY for the sake of the world.
When these two have happened, then the third occurs, not in the context of the (so-called) leaders but right smack-dab in the middle of the community of faith. It’s the discernment that comes when increasing numbers within the community are learning to “be present” to the God who is ever present to them.
Though I am hesitant to mention this (due to your previous experience in the shepherding movement), there is another element that leads to a corporate experience of unity, maturity, stability and growth (on all levels). That’s the appropriate embrace of the [non-directive, non-controlling] ministries of those folks mentioned in the context of Ephesians 4:1-16.
I certainly have not “arrived” at this point, but these are the bearings I’m moving toward. They may be well out there on the horizon, but they provide a much better focal point than anything I’ve seen in the evangelical church in more than forty years of engagement.
Comment by Rick Cruse
1.06 pm on 15 Dec 2008
A P.S. to the reality of so many falling away. Within the grouping of those thought to have fallen away, is the grouping of those who have left not because they have “lost their faith,” but because they want to hold onto their faith. Many evangelicals are content to stay at the “because the pastor said so” or the “because the Bible says” stage of Christian experience. These are the ones who, when they bump up against complex issues (like how can God be loving when the world is going to hell), retreat to the “simplicity” position, simplicity on this side of complexity. I believe it was Oliver Wendell Holmes who said, “For simplicity on this side of complexity, I wouldn’t give a thing. For simplicity on the ‘other side’ of complexity, I would give everything I own.” We have to be willing to dive into the complexities, allowing people freedom (in community) to struggle with the hard questions without telling them simply to “believe.” Many have run up against the complexity, asked the questions, received no answers and gone elsewhere to continue the search. [Many of these thoughts have emerged from a book called “A Churchless Faith,” by Alan Jamieson.
Comment by rodney neill
2.01 pm on 15 Dec 2008
Hello Rick
I agree wholeheartedly with your conversion/need for discipleship thoughts in your previous post…my problem is that I see very few communities embracing this as an actual reality compared to the great numbers of all ages abandoning an active faith in Christianity. To me we are living in the decline and death of the church in Europe (I live in Northern Ireland so I am not sure about the American situation).
As a person who left church for over 10 years but had a renewal of faith experience I can very much identify with the ’second naiviete’ experience described in Alans book but we are a very rare species compared to the many who never return at all. I would be inspired by Marcus Borgs ‘Heart of Christianity’ approach to faith which is in sharp contrast to my evangelical heritage and so would be very wary of Ephesians 4:1-16 ministries.
all the best
Rodney
Comment by Rick C ruse
2.27 pm on 15 Dec 2008
I cully understand your perspective in light of your context. Although I am an embarrassed-at-this-time-in-history American, my wife and I have not lived in the US since the mddile of the 80s: 12 years in Africa, 7 in Germany and four in England. Currently we are in Nova Scotia, a context likely more similar to England than to either Europe proper or the United States.
Jamieson, a Kiwi, reflects that his research suggests that most who get to the other side of complexity return to some embrace of Christian spirituality, though seldom that which they left in order to begin and be able to enjoy their journeys.
Wondering if you might provide a synopsis of Borg’s position as I am unfamiliar with it. Also, my current inquiries into the Ephesian 4 model is from a non-charismatic position, though at quite a distance from my original American, evangelical, cessationist starting point. I agree we simply have no current models (writ large) on which to base optimism in regard to leadership. All our EPC (evangelical, pentecostal, charismatic) models are top-down, my-way-or-the-highway types.
I left “big picture” ministry and found a small community of broken, grace-seeking folks with whom to do life. We aren’t where we want to be, but, by God’s gracious intervention, we aren’t where any of us started.
Comment by rodney neill
2.59 pm on 15 Dec 2008
Rick
Amid my general pessimostic outlook there are small communities dotted on the horizon on the fringes of post-Christendom in the UK which are signs of hope – your community sounds such a one in your local context of Nova Scotia
I hope your enquires lead to new fresh ways of reenvisioning the Ephesians 4 model of ministry.
It is very hard to pigeonhole ones faith journey to any writer or approach so I would forget the Borg comment!
thanks for conversation
Rodney
Comment by Chuck Conniry
8.55 pm on 15 Dec 2008
Rodney and Rick,
I so appreciate your reflections. Rodney, clearly you are not satisfied simply to theorize about these things. You want to see this working well in flesh-and-blood communities. Rick, you bring a rich quilt-work of life experiences – with different panes memorializing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Christian life. You describe your present community as “broken, grace-seeking folks with whom to do life.” That’s wonderful! And your observation that you “aren’t where you want to be, but, by God’s gracious intervention, you aren’t where any of you started” is probably the best we can hope church will be this side of eternity!
The reflection about “simplicity on the other side of complexity” calls to mind the NT Greek conception of “truth.” Some well-meaning disciples have talked about “Truth” (with a capital “T”) in ways the NT does not envision – an epistemological, Westernized brand of truth that highlights “right knowing” as its principal criterion. In this system, our salvation depends on “knowing the right thing.”
I am a proponent of orthodoxy. Matters of sound doctrine matter! BUT…for followers of Jesus Christ, “Truth” in the ultimate sense is not a set of beliefs; it is the Person of Jesus Christ. “Knowing truth” means knowing Christ…and all others who are so related to Christ. And this latter piece – the “church thing” – is where the rub comes in for people like me! I chafe at having to associate myself with people who at times can be obnoxious, which is another way of saying “the people who for whatever reason aren’t as enlightened, socially intelligent, or as cool as I am.” Let’s be honest…life in “the church” can at times be an odyssey in missing the point.
But Jesus rocked my world! It happened all at once…at a communion service. I talk about this at length in chapter twelve. If you will indulge me, I will copy the last part of that chapter here and then make some concluding comments about “truth” and “simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
First, let me set the stage.
We moved to Sherwood, Oregon in 1998 when I started my career at George Fox University. My family and I had been attending church there for about three years when our children got involved with the youth group of another group. Dianne and I agreed that it would be good to support our children, so we started a courtship with the new church. It was a recently planted church, which held its Sunday services in a school gymnasium.
In my book, I set this up with more detail. I had gone through a series of profound frustrations and letdowns in ministry that brought on a dark night of the soul that lasted about four years. Essentially, I died to the church…and the church died to me. I only kept attending services because of my role as a pastor/professor/husband/father. I kept up a pious façade, but in my soul, I suffered a deep disdain for the church. My disdain reached a new high during a communion service at this new church.
And now I pick up from “Soaring in the Spirit,” pp. 154-56:
I was bemused at the way this group chose to practice Eucharist. After a brief prayer trays containing the symbols of Christ’s body and blood were passed unceremoniously to the congregation – one right after the other. Canned background music emanated from ill-tuned speakers while each congregant was left to self-commune, deciding for oneself at what point along the way to consume the bread and juice…in time enough to beat the prayer for the offering. I waited for the trays to reach my row. With one eye half opened I quietly prayed, “O God, what were you thinking when you created the church? Its track record speaks for itself.”
I began to reflect on the conflicts and failures of the church over the centuries – of its struggles with divergent teachings and the emergence of church government that matched the hierarchical structure of the Roman government; of Caesaropapism (the combining of secular and spiritual authority) and its devastating consequences, which infected the church from Constantine on; of the Great Schism between the church of the East and West; of the medieval, Spanish, and Roman inquisitions; of the Crusades and their cruel effects on Europe, the Islamic world, and the Jewish community; of the conquistadors who savagely killed, enslaved, and raped in the name of Christ; of the bloody and barbaric persecution of Anabaptists by both Catholics and Protestants; of the Salem witch burnings in the North and the owning of slaves in the South. I thought of the church’s prevailing narcissism; of its cultural irrelevance and spiritual anemia. By now the elements of the Eucharist were coming my way.
I grasped a morsel of bread and plastic cup from the passing trays. The bread fragment was shaped like a Tylenol caplet, white and hard, like a pellet. With little forethought I placed the pill between my lips and pulverized it with my front teeth – chomp, chomp, chomp – like a rabbit. It was dry, tasteless, and gritty. As I ground the bread capsule with my teeth, it formed an unsavory paste in my mouth. I rolled my eyes and whispered to myself, “The body of Christ! A perfect metaphor.” Words scarcely convey what happened next.
A voice softly spoke inside my mind. At first I thought it was a product of my own imagination, but the more I listened, the more I realized I had no control over what it said.
“This is my body. Sometimes my body is dry and lifeless – completely self-absorbed and spiritually dead.
“This is my body. Sometimes my body is tasteless and anything but what it should be to the world.
This is my body. Sometimes my body is gritty, profoundly hurting its own.”
At that point I was simply listening. The words were strangely at home in my mind and yet seemed to be coming from somewhere else. I was more intrigued than frightened. The voice was gentle and peace inducing.
Than came the unexpected:
“And when you love my body, you love me the way I love you.”
Scales fell from my eyes and for the first time I was able to see things as they had always been – the church simultaneously occupying both realities…and with me as one of the motleyest of its members. A soul-renewing truth became crystal clear: Jesus Christ sacramentally presents himself to us in the imperfections of his body so that we might love him as he loves us.
Since that time I have celebrated the mystery that an imperfect church is none other than Christ the Lord, presenting himself to us in human infirmity, which he atoned for on the cross, intercedes for in glory, and will transform at the consummation of the age. We are not to resent the church for its foibles, for the church’s present state grants us the priceless opportunity to love Christ in his disfigurement as he loves us in ours. When we love the church in its imperfections, we experience a level of reciprocity and intimacy with Christ that can be had in no other way. In this juxtaposition of seemingly opposite realities, we are awakened to a truth of Copernican implications – irrespective of its failings past, present, or future, the church is the body of Christ – broken for us.
Thus ends chapter twelve of “Soaring in the Spirit.”
Now something about “truth” and “simplicity beyond complexity.”
The Greek word “truth” (aletheia), which Jesus uses in reference to himself (John 14:6, et al.), also means “real” and “authentic.” “Truth” in Jesus Christ is not propositional – it is interpersonal. And here enters simplicity on the other side of complexity. No matter how ignorant or ugly or broken I am…and no matter how ignorant, ugly or broken you are…Christ is not ashamed to call us his own and to incorporate us into his very being – his body (Hebrews 2:11). When I love you and you love me amid our stench and disfigurement – the stench and disfigurement that Jesus has taken into his own being – we are, together, “the church.” To quote Rick, we might not get where we want to be, but, by God’s gracious intervention, we won’t end up where we started. Imagine the possibilities!
Chuck
Comment by rodney
10.18 am on 16 Dec 2008
Hello Chuck,
I really appreciate reading about your Eucharist experience and the wisdom in your post……I still belong to a faith community even though at times it is hard. Your post helps me to see this struggle in a new fresh context. You have a freshness and enthusism in your writing which is appealing – in sharp contrast to some of the writing I have met on Christian blogs (Deep church is an exception to this commet!!). I look foward ordering your book and hope all goes well with its publication
Rodney
Comment by rodney
10.20 am on 16 Dec 2008
I wish I had spellchecked the last post for spelling and grammar!!!
Rodney
Comment by Chuck Conniry
6.31 pm on 16 Dec 2008
Thanks, Rodney!
Speaking personally, I’ve had to reengage that perspective several times since the Eucharist experience – the most recent of which was just a few months ago.
I found myself frustrated, at times even disgusted, with our congregation’s corporate worship, especially the music and preaching.
I attend a church that is loath to play or sing any musical artifact that was created before the 1980s (unless it is “improved” beyond recognition). Praise choruses and selections from the top 40 songs of the Christian Pop Music Index (sung, of course, in the original key, which is usually twelve octaves higher than the average person’s singing range) are our church’s musical staples.
Maybe it’s my age (I turned 50 last year); maybe it’s a non-reflective yearning to return to “the good old days” (whatever that is). No matter. For the last couple of years I have become more and more repulsed at being cajoled by overly caffeinated “praise bands” to stand up, clap in rhythm (which I personally find difficult), and sing, with reckless abandon, the same “praise phrase” 642 times. And then, in the same context, I am told in the sermon that liturgical worship is “vain repetition.”
So here I am, in a congregation in which I am a square peg in a round hole. And the more I fixate on what’s not right about my church, the more often I rehearse to my wife, “We’ve got to find a church whose gathered worship leaves me feeling…well…less like immersing myself in sulfuric acid afterwards.”
I worked myself into quite a froth over this until I heard it once again…Christ’s gentle whisper…”this is my body.”
It broke me…again…and enabled me to see my pastor as a tender soul that lays his head on the pillow every night haunted by the same feelings of inadequacy that stalked me as a pastor. Christ’s loving whisper reminded me of all the many precious relationships I have with the people there…who love my wife and me – beautiful, grace-giving, broken souls without whom my life would be incomplete.
I went to church the next Sunday and cried tears of joy during the singing. I heard God’s word in the preaching. And I reveled in the fellowship of redeemed humanity. It was a spiritual high…with more valleys surely to come.
I pray that Jesus will never stop whispering…and I pray that I will never lose the will to listen.
Chuck
Comment by bev
12.03 pm on 19 Dec 2008
Chuck
I love your post..
I really like CS Lewis’s quote- “the nearest thing to Constancy is undulation”.. that is me.
Thank God for Grace
Comment by Chuck Conniry
4.50 pm on 19 Dec 2008
It’s me too, Bev!
Indeed! Thank God for grace.
Chuck
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