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God looks at the world, all that shimmering majesty and cries out, "Wow! Now, that is really all Good!"
*See Genesis 1.31
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Tonight, in joy, I write with the late Marvin Gaye singing in the background. What does Marvin Gaye have to do with spirituality and Spirit? Everything. Everything. I say it again: Everything. "Wow! Now, that is really all Good!"
Often my mind returns to the rural Freewill Baptist Church and my little friend, one of the pastor's two kids. There he was, as fundamentalist, concrete-minded, and on-fire to save the world as I was in those years. There were three of us guys. We each, in mid-teens, had set out to preach and do our part to save the world.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with being enthused and having noble intents. But, sadly, our world was torn between God and Satan, the bad world and our longing for heaven, and the in-group and the damned-group. Of course, we had become convinced we were on the side of God, were ready for heaven, and in the fortunate in-group.
There stood my friend, in all sincerity, repenting before the congregation of listening to pop and rock music, which, of course, we had become convinced was of the Devil, of the world, of that damned-group.
I had already torn apart my albums, and felt great pride in my heart to be doing Jesus such a favor. No more Peter Frampton, Beatles, Bee Gees, Three Dog Night, Temptations, Stylistics,
No, we were out to reject the world on our way to a good, grand heaven ~ even though depictions of it sounded very boring.
After all, I had come from a tradition that decided we would be quite fine doing nothing for all everlasting except praising God. Now, I like hymns, but, frankly, after about one million years of praise hymns I might say, "Ha! There's got to me more than this to this!"
No one ever asked me, "If this God is so loving, which means unselfish, why would 'He' want to be praised for ever and ever unceasingly? Why wouldn't he sooner or later just say, 'Hey, people, get over it and go do something productive for yourselves, for once! What do you think I formed you for, to flutter around and sing all the time?"
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But, anyway, we three guys loved our Southern Gospel ~ nothing wrong with that (I still like some of it). But, alas! goodbye Neil Diamond, Bread, and the Beach Boys.
So, how tonight do I listen to Frampton ~ I tore up his Live twenty-five years ago, only to go recently and get a CD of it--and feel Jesus feels just fine about my enjoying Live tonight? And, tonight, Marvin Gaye,
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Well, many of my more conservative friends would say I am backslidden, even though ~ according to them ~ I will still just barely get my poor self in the pearly gates ~ after, of course, God reprimands me for not being as faithful as they have managed to be. In fact, some of my fundamentalist students were quite sure Dr. Wilcox, along with other colleagues, were sure to burn in an everlasting hell.
But, after running from the things of this world long enough, it dawned on me
. Do you remember that story in Genesis where the Creating One celebrates creation? There, God sees it all and thinks, "Wow! This is great!"
No, that is not about a Creator out to escape the world of matter and its manifestations. No, not at all, not at all. That is not a God who divides the world in two, or three, or four,
No, this is a God who would love Gospel, Classical, Pop, Rock, Country, Jazz,
This God might just get out on the dance floor and celebrate, laugh, and relish the rhythm.
After many years of being miserably so heavenly minded that I was little earthly good, Spirit began to teach me slowly that a healthy spirituality includes a love of matter as the manifestation of Spirit. That is right: matter ~ Gospel music, Rock music, Pop music, Country music, Classical music, trees, dogs, clouds, rain, grass, persons, dancing, sex, movies, food, sports, hiking, oceans, mountains, hugs, poems,
~ a manifestation of Spirit. Good ole' time incarnational Christianity ~ classical Christian faith.
Spirit is the Artist behind all the beauty of Life and all the energy of Life. To reject matter as inferior, when it is the Face of Spirit smiling at us in many wonderful and varied ways, is to deny the very act of Nature as an ongoing sacramental grace flowing from the being of One.
So, now I can enjoy Spirit through many manifestations of matter, and in them all the Divine loves me and brings joy to my heart.
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