|
Opening Prayer
Word, Eternal and Bright,
You carry me upon yourself
As the stream a branch of the tree.
As dust in the wind,
You take me I know not where.
But being with You, Stream and Wind,
I rejoice. Amen.
(Brian K. Wilcox)
Story
Once upon a time a king lived in India, and he was a good king who loved his people, and always tried to be just. He also loved God; so, every morning he went to the temple to worship. The king took time to say prayers and sing praises to God. In the temple was a beautiful statue of Shiva, a member of the Hindu Trinity. To share love and respect, the king would bathe the statue with milk each day before returning to his duties.
One day the king decided to express just how much he loved God. He would take the statue of Shiva and put it in a large bowl. This could be filled with milk so that the statue could be covered with milk. In India this would be a sign of great respect. The only problem was that it would take a great deal of milk. So, the king sent messengers to the people who lived in his kingdom, informing them that they must bring all the milk they had to the temple the following morning. They must not feed the animals or the children, but must bring every last drop and pour it into the bowl around the statue of Shiva.
Even before the sun had risen, people began to arrive with milk to show respect to Shiva. They brought bowls, buckets, and churns full of milk. They brought bottles and barrels and cups full of milk, also. There were so many people that the royal soldiers had to show them all where they could stand in line. There were so many people that they had to wait a long time to put milk into the bowl.
The king was pleased to see the bowl slowly fill up with milk. He smiled as each person made an offering. But, he did not see the sadness in the faces. He did not hear the cries of babies as they waited with their mothers. For although the adults had water before they came, the babies and young animals could only drink milk, and they were hungry. The king was too enthused to notice.
As morning drew to a close, the file of persons became shorter. The milk was almost at the top of the bowl, and the king was pleased. But, when the last person had emptied milk into the bowl, there was room for more. The king was very sad, for he had so wanted to fill the bowl. There must be some milk left somewhere in the kingdom, he thought.
Just when the king was about to give up hope, an old woman came into the temple carrying a very small cup half full of milk. She walked up to the huge bowl and emptied the cup into it. The king could not believe his eyes, for the bowl was full to the brim. The statue was covered over with milk. The king sighed with relief and was certain that God would know how much the king loved him.
Being curious, the king stopped the old woman and asked her, “What is different about your milk? Why did you bring such a small offering?” The woman looked at the king, and she spoke, “Before I came here, I fed the animals and the children first. I am happy to give what remains to Shiva.” She was afraid, thinking she would be punished. Then, the king realized how unkind he had been. He had not heard the cries of the babies or the animals. God was more pleased, he knew, with the woman than the king. The king returned to the temple, where he sat quietly to think.
Scripture and Comments
19We love each other as a result of the Divine One loving us first.
20If someone says, "I love the Divine One," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love the Divine One, whom we have not seen? 21And the Divine One Itself has commanded that we must love not only the Universal Spirit but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.
(I John 4, NLT, Inclusive Adaptation)
6I desire you to practice faithful love, not offer to me ritual sacrifices. I want you to live intimately with the Divine One, rather than offer burnt offerings.
(Hosea 6, Author’s Translation)
The aged woman in the story of the milk offering to Shiva provides us an example. She serves as a literary foil for the king. No doubt, the king loved Shiva. He was sincere in his offering. However, the woman teaches us an important lesson about community and Christ. This same lesson is spoken of in Hosea, as the prophet addresses the contrast between worship at holy places and what the Divine One seeks most from worshippers. The I John writer links this with love, showing us that love is not simply an abstract idea, and that love must be expressed to the one we can see. Indeed, he says, essentially, “If I am not loving the one I see, I cannot love the one I cannot see.” And, it appears, the First John writer is not addressing loving persons generally; rather, he is addressing the lack of love and need to love within the faith community of those confessing the Triune God. How often do we witness persons in bitterness against those worshipping with them on a Sunday, singing and praying about loving the Divine One? The writer of I John could say, “How can I have bitterness and hatefulness, and rivalry against that brother or sister, and still sit and sing of my love for God?”
However, the story of the milk offering calls us to consider the least of all in our world. In the story the least or most dependent on the sustenance of milk: suckling children and animals.
Therefore, I place questions before us. Who are the most dependent in our communities and world? Who will be like the aged woman, realizing that serving Christ through serving these least of all is as important as the worship and gifts we offer the Creating One?
This addresses matters like churches or other faith communities storing up monies for a rainy day or to be spent on matters not directly related to mission. Such self-preservation is based on fearfulness, cloned as wisdom, and hordes the gifts given to serve the world by keeping them to serve our selves. Often this is seen in using money to build new buildings not needed, another building to invite persons to the faith community site, rather than spending money to take the church into the community, the site of the most need.
One problem is we faith communities often act like we still exists in the mid-twentieth century. Then, the local churches were the social place to be, and almost everyone attended the church: again, even if for less than worshipful reasons. However, matters have changed over time, and now the shift evidences that the church plant is no longer the in-thing. Therefore, this requires us to posit to ourselves the query: Now, where is the least of these? And, Now, how do we meet in compassion the one most in need of our help?
The answers to the above questions might shift from locale to locale. However, what is evident is that churches that keep bringing milk to cover the deity, so to speak, will be dying churches. Christ is in the least of these. We serve the Christ most by serving the most dependent, not by glutting the already glutted ones.
As a pastor, I find the irony is that many of those who are most religious, most attached to the church plant and its communal worship, are among ones who show little evidence of a compassion for the least of these, little evidence of a passion to be involved, personally, in mission. Why? Self-indulgence is part of our challenge. Self-indulgence kills compassion. Self-indulgence thinks of “I, me, mine,” and believes that the church is a place to meet “my” needs, a place for “my” convenience, a place to be shaped in “my” image. In such places “my” theology, “my” way of doing things, and “my” likes and dislikes take precedence over mission and movements of the Spirit. Indeed, such persons cannot even see the movements of the Spirit, for they see themselves and those like them, and such seeing blocks out the apparent operations of the Spirit, who will not fit an image of “ourselves” or “my church” or “our church.”
However, such ownership is contrary to loving my brother and sister. Indeed, I cannot love my brother or sister, or my church, if I see such present to be shaped to fit my felt-needs and convictions. And, if I cannot love the brother or sister, how shall I love God? How shall I love the one who does not identify herself as my sister? The person who does not identify himself as my brother?
Yet, I cannot simply will myself into a Love transcending “I, me, mine.” Self-transcending loving must be rooted in an Energy that is more than myself. That is, “I, me, mine,” the source of self-indulgence and lack of love, cannot itself, alone, free itself. No. Rather, Grace operates within to free the self of self-indulgence. Indeed, self is not a problem, self-indulgence is the problem Grace addresses, freeing the self from self-indulgence.
Notice how Hosea speaks of intimacy with God. Hosea pairs faithful love to neighbor with intimate relating with God. If I leave off intimacy with God, daily, then my love for others will grow slack. Intimacy with God sets ablaze my love for the other. If I leave off my loving service to the neighbor, however, my devotion to God becomes a self-righteous and pitiable expression of self-indulgence. Then, easily, worship of God becomes a hindrance to love, rather than an urging to love. That is the problem Hosea addressed, and a problem still needing addressing in our faith communities. Otherwise, the church will be a business and socialized family group covering its image of God with milk, for Spirit does not want the love that is withheld from the least of these who are dependent on those who have so much.
Reflection
What does it mean for you to know God intimately? What do you do daily to sustain and grow that intimacy? Whom outside the faith community do you sense God leading you to serve? What spiritual gifts has God given you to fulfill that mission?
Is the faith community you belong to a mission-hearted one? Is it willing to give money for missions? Is it willing to get personally involved in mission?
Does the faith community you worship in evidence intimacy with God? Love for each other? Explain.
Is God calling you to live more simply so as to be more giving to those in need?
Spiritual Exercise
Pray about getting involved in one ministry of outreach through your church or community?
Consider, if you are not already, sponsoring a child through Compassion International. You can find out more about Compassion International by going to www.compassion.net to read about sponsoring, in the name of Jesus, children living in poverty. Thanks! Brian K. Wilcox
|
