 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -Galatians 3:28 Our family just returned from a trip we've been planning for years. We spent nearly two weeks in Utah and Colorado, exploring beautiful places, laughing, and experiencing some of our majestic national parks. In the coming weeks, you'll undoubtedly hear snippets of that journey as I reflect and process what Jesus is teaching me through all things. And that's what we want to do, right? To see all of life as a opportunity to get to know Jesus better and become more like him? Midway through our trip we spent a day in Mesa Verde National Park. If you're not familiar, Mesa Verde is a time capsule, preserving the story of the Ancestral Pueblo people who built and lived in remarkable cliff dwellings about 700 years ago. Their abandoned villages are still incredibly intact. We chose the most adventurous tour, climbing up 30 foot ladders and crawling through a few narrow tunnels to see these amazing living quarters. Our Park Ranger helped us understand what we know about these dwellings. At one point he said that the Ancestral Pueblo people did not only dwell in cliffs. Some lived on the top mesa and hunted, and others lived in the valleys and farmed. Another tourist raised his hand to ask a question. "So, were these cliff dwellings the premium locations that people fought over, or were these the poorer areas?" Ranger Brady paused a moment and smiled a little. What a modern American question. "There was no class system like we think of today. People shared what they had and lived in community. There was no upper or lower class. Some just chose to live here, others elsewhere. That's what we know." As modern westerners, it's difficult to imagine a society in which people are not differentiated between the ones with all the resources and the ones without. It's how we see the world, right? How we establish our value? It's even how we choose our friends and decide if we are successful or not. We are groomed to constantly rank ourselves so that we know who is higher up and who is lower down. Both the tourist's question and the Ancestral Pueblo culture are reminding me of the radical beauty of God's kingdom vision. Like the ancient world of Mesa Verde, God's kingdom transcends the assumptions of class and classification. Jesus revolted against classism by touching the untouchable lepers, caring for the sick, offering dignity to beggars, treating women as equals, bringing attention to the poor, and sharing the table with those who had been judged as the worst of sinners. Theologian Greg Boyd writes, "The Kingdom of God has a center—Jesus Christ—and he demonstrated that there are no walls composed of class distinctions that should divide us. This is a beautiful alternative." A center room without walls is a beautiful image. In Mesa Verde, the ancestral Pueblo people lived in shared community, learning to respect one another and the land that they inhabited. In God's kingdom, we learn to see one another as God's beloved, and this earth as God's sacred creation. We choose to share community with those who may be very different. They may have more or less than us, but we are learning the beauty of diversity and the joy of sharing with each other when need arises. We acknowledge maturity and authority based on wisdom and compassion rather than accomplishment and accumulation. We understand that in Christ, we are one. And we believe that the expansive ground at the cross and the tomb entrance is wide enough for all of us to sit at. Our goal is not upward mobility but inward maturity, which may very well move us in the opposite direction at times. It's a beautiful, countercultural vision. There was one more thing. These cliffs didn't even have a much space for bedrooms and storage. Yet every single community dwelling was full of kivas, small round rooms reserved for sacred ceremonies, prayer, feasts, and celebrations. Square footage was limited, but a place to connect with the divine was always only a few steps away. Maybe I'll write more on kivas one day. But today, let us be a people that learn to freely share community without rank, knowing that the presence of God is near to us all. Jesus, protect me from the need to rank myself and others, and draw me near to your presence today. Peace, Keith 
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 "...and God saw that it was good."
-Genesis 1:4 and 1:9 and 1:12 and 1:18 and 1:21 and 1:25 Every few years I teach through the beginning of Genesis with our church. I think many times we miss the point of this origin story, reducing it to a scientific prooftext that doesn't really lead us to encounter a God full of creative goodness and relationship. The story that begins us is remarkably different from the origin stories of other cultures. Instead of the world being created as a result of a cosmic battle between the gods, our story says that world is created simply by the power of God's good word. For the God of love, words create worlds. And the world God creates is deeply, wonderfully, fully, good. No other ancient origin story was like that. It was radical. Still is. So I've been thinking a lot about about the power of words, and about partnering to create cultures of goodness. My friend J.R. Briggs recently taught me about a word that he has become familiar with. It's called "freudenfreude." Now, you may have heard the word "schadenfreude" before. It's a German word that refers to the not-so-great human tendency to delight in the misery of other people. This is when folks are happy to see that guy get "what was coming to him." It's that deeply disturbing character flaw in my children that makes them laugh hysterically every time I stub my toe and roll on the ground in agony for 5 minutes. That's messed up, guys. And yet, we all know that feeling. And it's not always so humorous. It can stem from jealousy, competition, or the desire for people to be put in their place. Even in its most innocent forms, "schadenfreude" is often rooted in this thought: I'm glad that's not me! But there's an opposite word out there too. Social scientists use the word “freudenfreude,” (from the German word for joy) to describe the bliss that we feel when good things happen to someone else, even if it has no benefit to us. It's that moment when we see something wonderful happen to someone, and we are just grateful that such goodness exists. It's linked to wanting the best for others. And that means that it's linked to Jesus' call to love our neighbors, and to God's vision of creating cultures marked by goodness. What if we tried to be more intentional with our words and thoughts in this way? How would it change our lives to see good things happening to and through people, and tell them how wonderful we think it is? What if our natural inclination was to notice what is delightful about someone instead of what we don't like? And even beyond that.... what if our character became so Christlike that we just genuinely got happy when others experience good fortune? Can you imagine how much that would impact our communities? Our churches would be noticeable places of goodness and shared joy. People could come in and experience a refuge from the competitive and comparative environments around them, realizing that we truly want each other to flourish, and we delight in it. God has given us abundant life. And there is no shortage of it. There is grace enough for everyone, without reservation. Therefore, we can leave behind the need to protect our "piece of the pie." We can leave behind our need to see mean people "get their due." We can leave behind the jealousy that threatens to steal our God-enabled joy and contentment. Instead, we can long for goodness and freedom for each person, even the people we don't like or agree with! And we can participate in helping each other experience the goodness that flows from God's good world and God's good word. We can be people who practice freudenfreude, thinking "I'm glad it's them!" for all the right reasons. Take a look today. Where can you notice someone around you and delight in God's goodness toward them? Jesus, shape my identity so deeply that I effortlessly delight in goodness for others. Peace, Keith  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
-Jesus, Revelation 21:5 A friend reminded me recently that our bodies are constantly replacing cells, as old ones die and new ones are multiplied and created within us. I had some awareness of this, but I decided to research it a bit more. It is absolutely fascinating. Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, have been measuring and documenting this process for years. And they've actually measured that we replace 330 billion cells every single day. That's about 1% of all of our cells. In other words, every 100 days or so, the equivalent of your entire body's cells get replaced. Certain fat and muscle cells have a longer life that can be years, but even they are turning over. It's been said that you are replaced completely every 7-10 years. That seems about right. You are not the same person you were a few years go. Goodness, you're not even the same person you were at Christmas. What is true of the physical is often true of the spiritual. At each point in time, we are not the same people as we were, even just a moment ago. Some things remain, but each new experience leads us to understand the world in new ways. Each time we read a scripture passage or hear a familiar story, we are not the same person who heard it the last time. God will speak to us in new ways because we are a new people. In light of this... Your friend saying, "Don't ever change!!" is both impossible and (sorry!) bad advice. Our bodies are built for constant regeneration. So it is with our spirits. The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, that each disciple is a "new creation" as they trust Christ. They are being made into something different. They will experience the world in different ways because they're not the same that they were before encountering the grace of God. And in his letter to the Romans, Paul also encourages them to fully embrace the renovation process, inviting them to become "transformed by the renewal of their minds." Paul tells them that they will become new people by learning to dwell on the beauty of God's kingdom in Christ, again and again. It's an interesting contrast. He is encouraging his young church members to think about the unchanging grace and love of God; and Paul knows that as they encounter it over and over again, they will constantly be changing. I love that. It gives me hope that God will speak and shape me in new ways, even through things I've heard before. Even through the deepest truths that we think we know by now. Truth be told, my friend shared that original comment to me because I was teaching on a theme similar to something that I had taught about 4-5 years ago. And I was expressing concern that people would be bored, or feel like "they've heard this before." "We are completely different people now," he said. He's right. Billions of cells have been replaced since then! We are not the same people as we were. And God is always in the process of making things new, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. We may even find that God's love leads us to new understandings in the deep places. I am astonished at how the teachings of Jesus can hit differently every single time I read them, even a day apart. Because I'm not the same. I'm regenerating, by God's grace. I invite you to take a moment and invite God to regenerate your spirit. Take a look at the words of Jesus with fresh eyes. What familiar words do you now see differently? What weakness do you now identify with in new ways? What love do you now feel more acutely? Do not be afraid that you are not the same person, even if your own regeneration has been a painful process. God is alongside us in it all, nudging our spirits toward renewal along with body and mind. I hope we can be open to that. Maybe we'll even find that there is something wonderful and fresh in the same unchanging love of God. It is such a gift that although God does not change, we certainly do. Lord, I want to welcome this season of my life with you, and open myself up to fresh encounters with your timeless love. Peace, Keith |
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