NOVEMBER 23, 2003
2 Samuel 23:1-7; John 18:33-37; Revelation 1:4b-8

As we approach the Advent/Christmas season it is not surprising that the Lectionary would reaffirm the idea of God as a Supernatural Being who, having created the universe with the earth as a home for the special human part of God's creation, would have included in The Plan a means of redemption for His out-of-control human children. Given the traditional emphasis on the importance of "prophecy" as "proof of truth" in announcing The Plan centuries before it came to fruition, it is both expected and helpful that the Lectionary would be composed of scripture selected to amplify and make easily understood the essence of The Plan.

In this Commentary, it is important to the author, that no hint of lack of appreciation for traditional insights be construed by the reader, but instead that the Commentary be understood as an effort to reinterpret scripture and Judeo-Christian tradition from the assumption of God's creativity expressed through process rather than through a miraculous kind of intervention. This latter point is, I believe, consistent with the general contemporary world view and is basic to all human efforts in education, experimentation and experience. It is consistent with the many areas of progress which are enjoyed in the world today, in spite of the many negatives that are so very apparent. The negatives, however, are approached as challenges for improvement by those who are most healthy among us and thus become opportunities for meaningful and fulfilling endeavors in the expression of human life. This approach to "negatives" and the expression of life are understood as a process wherein events in the present build on events of the past. Some form of the word "evolution" is often used in an attempt to understand the meaning of "process" more fully.

The Old Testament scripture from Samuel has King David (remember--he is a descendant of Ruth and Boaz who represent the "chosen" and the "not chosen but righteous") making prophetic utterances on behalf of God. "The spirit of the Lord speaks by me and his word is upon my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me:....." Those words alone should get our attention and, if taken as literal truth should lend the highest position of authority to that which is about to be spoken. It should be remembered that these words are reported to have come from the lips of a dying King who was once a marauding bandit in the hill country of Israel and Judah; who was reported to have been a skillful musician with skills in poetry and insights in philosophy and theology which would result in his authoring poety such as Psalm 23 plus many others; and who was later to be remembered as the greatest King Israel ever had. This image of the life of David is in itself a great example of "process" at work in the life of a given individual. David, however, in his closing moments of life has become prophetic on behalf of God, speaking of an everlasting covenant between the two, "ordered in all things and secure".

This "covenant", which is such an important part of the belief system of Judaism, was/is believed by Christianity to have been fulfilled in the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians have traditionally believed, and it is taught in the New Testament scripture, that Jesus came from the physical and spiritual lineage of King David, as an important part of God's Plan for the redemption of His/Her human children. This belief is confirmed by the Gospel of John in relating the conversation between Pilate and Jesus during the events involving the judgment of Jesus just prior to his crucifixion. The world and the Jews were accustomed to thinking of "kingship" in terms of military and political rulers. Jesus explained that his kingship was "not of this world" but was a spiritual kingship designed to bring attention to "truth". In other words, the kingship of Jesus had to do with the spirituality of the human family rather than with domination and external control. In reality, the spiritual kingship of Jesus wielded much more power and has had far greater influence on the world than the worldly kingship of any person in history, including King David.

Now to a basic question. Was Jesus really an expression of an important part of God's plan for redeeming the human race from itself or was Jesus something else? The influence of Christianity, to which the birth, life, ministry, death, and spiritual resurrection, of Jesus gave inspiration, leadership, and amazing power, cannot be denied. Without Jesus, i.e. without Christianity the history of the world would have followed a much different course and the world would be much different (less) than it is today. BUT was Jesus actually an expression of God's intervention in bringing the various stages of His/Her Plan to reality through the methodology of miraculous intervention, OR was Jesus an extremely important part of a Process through which God quite naturally works? AND does God involve His/Her human children primarily through genetics and generational chronology as per the scripture, OR does God work primarily through His/Her human children through a slow process of learning, evolutionary development, and progress resulting from a gentle nudging from God in the direction of becoming something better than is now experienced. I suggest that we are each part of the Process!

The Bible would have us believe the former! History and contemporary human experience would have us believe the latter! As we consider the scripture from the Book of Revelation, several things should be kept in mind. First, it should be remembered that in the Old Testament we have God telling the Jews what would some day happen; in Jesus we have the "happening"; and now the early church is taking up the banner of prophesying the future by telling us what will be in the future as a result of the "Jesus happening". Second, it should be remembered that the books of the Bible, including the New Testament, were included as scripture by the Councils of the early Church by reason of their use by Christians and by vote of the Council. The Book of Revelation "made it" by a very narrow voting margin reported by some to have been only one vote. Third, it should be kept clearly in mind that the Book of Revelation was written as a response to the severe and unimaginable persecution being experienced by the early Christians. It was written with the utilization of allegory and was designed to provide some basis for faith and hope in the future. It was given authority by promising reward and threatening punishment if its contents were not received as "the word of God". Hear the closing of the Book. "I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which is described in this book" (22:18-19)

Having said this, turn now to the message of the early verses of the Book, also keeping in mind that it was written long after the death of Jesus. "Grace to you and peace from him who IS who WAS and who is YET TO COME...and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priest to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold he is coming in the clouds and every eye shall see him,......" This is a message which is rationalizing the death of Jesus as part of the sacrificial requirement instituted by God and is promising that Jesus will return to complete the task that he started when he lived and walked on the earth the first time.

It hardly needs to be said that if one can look at these portions of scripture objectively, void of the prejudice and fear which typically accompanies this kind of teaching, it is possible to "see" arrogance, divisiveness, and a spirit which nurtures the exact opposite to what the world needs in terms of the values which are embraced by a contemporary majority of the civilized human family. In other words, without depreciating the goodness of the Judeo-Christian tradition, both within and external to the Bible, the "Process" needs to continue with progress in a theology which unites rather than divides, which offers change and hope rather than judgment and exclusion and which recognizes that the future is indeed in human hands as we move forward in a partner relationship with our Creator toward a wonderful kind of goodness that our minds are unable to fathom. Life and history teaches us that the future is dependent upon human decisions and behavior. God is not going to "do it for us" but God provides resources with which we can work in order to bring better events to reality. The impact which different events have on one another, past and present, ought to convince us that the future is in our hands and is not predetermined by a God who has a Plan.

As we move toward the Advent/Christmas Season, the greatest gift we can give ourselves, and the world, is permission to think of life and God in a way different from traditional Judeo-Christian thinking. Furthermore, we should view this change in direction not as disloyalty or rebellion, but as an important part of a process which is always building new events on past events, and in this case, with appreciation. Such an experience is in fact, an expression of freedom rather than bondage to the thoughts of our ancestors who had a view of the world entirely different from ours. This is precisely the spirit which motivated those who are viewed as primary leaders in both Judaism and Christianity. We are thus being faithful to the Process, to our God, and to the good work of those who preceded us.