Today is Maunday Thursday - the day that three of the four gospels say the “last supper” occurred. As I read the synoptic accounts of the last supper, and look at the ministry of Jesus as a whole, I have really gotten to the point where I believe that most religions interpret it all wrong.  I really don’t believe that Jesus was trying to set up a ritual ceremony that must occur in a formal way, in order to “prove” devotion to God.
I think we have it all wrong.  I believe that Jesus knew his life was going to be ending soon (he spent the whole week pissing off the Roman authorities, so it was inevitable), so he called his close followers together and said, “if you really want to remember what I’m all about, then get together, have a meal and really get to know each other.”  That’s what the Gospel is all about.  That summarizes everything that Jesus was about - building the Kingdom here on earth by building close, compassionate relationships between all of us.
I was happy to come across this article this past week. He puts is so much more eloquently (and intelligently) than I can…

Break Bread Together? Or Drive-Thru Alone?

Why People Are Drawn to Simplicity Over Truth - Donald Miller

The truth is people aren’t drawn to truth, they’re drawn to simplicity. Recent research from Harvard suggests that customers don’t necessarily buy the best products, they buy the products that are the easiest to understand and the easiest to purchase.

This isn’t only true in consumer habits, though, it’s true in subscribing to ideas as well. Whether we’re talking about politics, religion or philosophy, a leader who can simplify ideas for the masses will likely rise.

But there’s a problem.

And the problem is this: The truth isn’t simple. In the world God made, no area of life is easy to understand. Scientists have yet to figure out the complicated nature of the universe. Doctors are still in the infant stages of understanding the brain. And God knows we’ve no proof or our own origins.

*Photo Credit: Oleh Slobodeniuk, Creative Commons

So why is it that we can turn on a 24 hour news station, or walk into church one Sunday morning and think we can get the whole of truth into our heads?

The reality is, of course, we can’t. But it’s comforting to think we can, and so we buy in. Is the Tea Party right? Who knows, it’s complicated. Can the whole of scripture be broken down into 5 bullet points? No thinker in their right mind would believe that, except for the millions who do.

So why is it we are so afraid of mystery?

Why can’t we admit we know some things but not everything?

In my opinion, it’s because humans fear a life in which they aren’t in control.

And knowledge over an issue gives us the false sense we can predict it and understand it and in some ways control it. (Tweet This)

Doesn’t our broken down systematic theology also offer us the illusion we can predict God? And isn’t that enticing?

Certainly there is truth, and certainly there is absolute truth, but, as G.K. Chesterton said, only a fool would think they could cram all of heaven into their heads.

Here’s how to know if a leader or teacher is trustworthy: They consistently say “we don’t have that information” and no longer pretend we do. Some things are for God to know and for us to trust. The rest of life is about making wise decisions based on the information we’ve been given. Which is less than we’re comfortable believing.

Donald Miller - Storyline Blog 4/14/14

Perspective

Anything is I write is so little…  When you look at the world around and all the stories that happen around us, my life seems so small.  My thoughts seem so inconsequential.  Maybe I should start looking at theology and politics and work in that way, too.   Rich Mullins once said that life is too short to get real heavy into thought and analysis. Instead, we should be enjoying our lives and enjoying the company of others.  That would probably give our lives more meaning.  After all, isn’t that really what Jesus taught?

The Lord Has Yet More Light And Truth...

I think this is one of the biggest problems I have with the Christian religion today.  Everyone in the world is continually searching for a better understanding of ourselves - where we came from, where we are, where we're going, etc.  However, the Christian religion seems content to believe that everything that we need to know is in the collection of ancient writings known as the Bible. That's odd, because Jesus was even quoted in the gospels that there is so much more to learn than what he or any book can teach, and that the Holy Spirit will give us new understandings as we are ready to grow.  For some reason, many Christians put more weight on the historical figure of Jesus than on the real living presence of God in the world today, that is the Holy Spirit.

God is to be enjoyed & served, not used. To use God for any other end, whether economic, political, whatever, is to take God’s name in vain.  - Leonard Sweet

An Intimate Relationship...

Holy Ground

This writing from Frederick Buechner reminds me of my dad’s workshop….

"One holy place I know is a workshop attached to a barn. There is a wood-burning stove in it made out of an oil drum. There is a workbench, dark and dented, with shallow, crammed drawers behind one of which a cat lives. There is a girlie calendar on the wall, plus various lengths of chain and rope, shovels and rakes of different sizes and shapes, some worn-out jackets and caps on pegs, an electric clock that doesn't keep time. On the workbench are two small plug-in radios, both of which have serious things wrong with them. There are several metal boxes full of wrenches and a bench saw. There are a couple of chairs with rungs missing. There is an old yellow bulldozer with its tracks caked with mud parked against one wall. The place smells mainly of engine oil and smoke — both wood smoke and pipe smoke. The windows are small, and even on bright days what light there is comes through mainly in window-sized patches on the floor.

I have no idea why this place is holy, but you can tell it is the moment you set foot in it if you have an eye for that kind of thing. For reasons known only to God, it is one of the places God uses for sending God's love to the world through."

- Frederick Buechner - Originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words