How I Beat Candy Crush - and You Can Too!

 

 

I’ve finished Candy Crush!!!  DONE!  COMPLETE!  I made it to level 425!!!!  I beat it!YAYYY!!!  What?!?!?!.....  You say there are more than 425 levels????...



What I’ve learned on the steady scroll upward to Soda Swamp, is that Candy Crush can become an unhealthy addiction.  While playing, I’ve had moments of great joy and great pain.  It seemed that the more frustrated I became, the more determined I was to beat it.  Ultimately, though, I learned that Candy Crush is not really a “game” at all in the traditional sense.  You see, Candy Crush isn't designed to be beat.  It's designed to beat you. How I (finally) realized this:



       1. On the Iphone, the time doesn’t show on the top of the screen as you play. It seems the makers of the game don’t want you to realize how long you’ve been playing.

       2. The levels are made so that you almost HAVE to spend money (Glory to God, I beat it without ever spending a dollar – I made up my mind early not to get sucked into that). CC is the top grossing iOS game in the world!  (read the linked article to find out the gory details) They make an OUTRAGEOUS amount of money each day from people who just HAVE to get to the next level. 

      3. One week, level 425 was the end and two weeks later, they added 15 more levels!  Then when after a couple more weeks, they added 15 MORE levels!!! Seriously?!?! How can I win if the finish line keeps moving further back? At this point I saw that the game had never intended for me to win. It only wanted me to keep coming back for more.



So back to the point - How did I beat it? And more importantly, How can YOU???  You beat Candy Crush by deciding what YOUR finish line is. Whether it’s the laughable level 2, the notorious level 67, or the profanity-inducing level 150, you can beat Candy Crush at any time.  You win when YOU decide to step away.  For me, that was after completing level 425.  If you've got other important things you want to do, maybe you decide even earlier.* 


However you do it, you WILL beat Candy Crush. and that day will be tasty, sweet, and oh so DIVINE.

 



Crushing it,
j.a.g.

 




Creator and Sustainer God, thank You for the gift of games. They have given me the opportunity to connect with others and find relief in my day.  Thank you also for your Word that teaches that there is a time for everything.  I pray I use my time wisely and focus on the things that matter most.  When I get imbalanced, please pull me in line and correct me.  I'm nervous about your correction, but I know I need it.  Thank You for being.  Amen.










*Since I've stopped playing nearly two weeks ago, I've read three books (Twelve Years a Slave and the first two books in the Hunger Games series - finishing the third now). I've also found myself looking into my children's eyes more and listening to my wife more clearly (I hope). I also don't look at tile flooring and try to find patterns of threes nearly as much. Beating the game is one of the best things I've done in a while.


 
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Ecclesiastes 3:1-6
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Blurred Lines, Pt. 2

This post is a continuation of a sermon about when it's ok to blur the lines and when it's not ok.  While it's ok to live in the grey areas regarding some things (GRIEF and PRESENTATION), sometimes it's important to have clear boundaries.  There are some things we should never blur the lines on.

1. DON'T blur the lines of FREEDOM –

Psalm 68:7-8 reminded the people that God was concerned about their freedom: ⁷ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: ⁸ The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

The psalm tells us that God went before the people as they marched and moved the mountain of Sinai.  This reminded me that this year is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  At the march, it felt like God went before the people.  What is painfully clear is that things haven't changed as much as we'd like them to.  During the march, people held signs that read: “End the War” “End Poverty”, “End Segregated Rules in Public Schools”, “We Demand Voting Rights Now”.   Sadly, we can still hold up similar signs today.

We’ve got to be careful not to blur the lines of freedom. Good enough is not good enough.  All schoolchildren should have textbooks that were written since they were born.  All citizens should have the right to vote.  Everyone should have access to food and water.  Freedom doesn't mean unbinding the hands and then binding the ankle.  We’ve got to stop blurring the lines on what freedom is.

Jesus giving His tip - Get Out!
Matthew 21:11-12

When it comes to freedom, God sees right and wrong, not blurred lines. It is wrong to hold back food from the hungry. It is wrong to withhold clothing from the naked.   It is wrong to tip the scales toward the side of the rich.   Can I remind you of Jesus in the temple? 

Jesus notices that the weights of the scales are being manipulated so that those in charge are receiving more than their fair share. Jesus snaps and has a moment made for reality TV. He tosses tables and calls people bad names. Jesus doesn’t see a grey area. Jesus doesn’t wait for an explanation from the swindlers. Jesus doesn’t wait for a press release.  He only sees right and wrong. 


In Jesus, it is clear which side of the issue God is on.  There are no blurred lines of freedom.  Justice can't be furloughed.  The psalmist tells us God has come to provide for the poor (v. 10) and to move mountains.  I believe God wants us to be concerned about freedom.  I believe God has come to move the American Mt. Rushmore of racism, sexism, classism and militarism.  I believe God will go before us as we bravely march into the beloved community that awaits us.




Lord, You are great.  You have never blurred the lines of Your love for us.  Please let us never blur the ways in which we love one another.  Grant us the courage and wisdom to pursue justice, not because it is convenient, but because it is right.  We trust Your Spirit goes before us and moves stones that feel unmoveable.  In the liberating name of Jesus, Amen.



Encouraged,
j.a.g.

 

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Matthew 21:12-1312 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Blurred Lines, Pt. 1

The following posts are excerpts from a sermon I preached recently entitled "Blurred Lines".  It addressed our need to live within the grey areas of life (the blurred lines).  It also spoke to times when blurred lines are insufficient - when it is important to be clear about what the lines actually are.

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You can’t go anywhere right now without hearing the song, “Blurred Lines”.  The song has many different interpretations.  WARNING: Be careful if you Google it - if you watched the MTV VMA's, you've probably seen the song too - sorry, didn't feel comfortable linking to those videos here - smh.  Well, the song is generally speaking to the idea of having mixed emotions. The song suggests there’s no need to “blur the lines” along boundaries. The song is catchy, once you hear it, it’s hard to get it out of your head.  It confesses that there’s a grey area that calls itself neither black nor white, neither good nor bad, neither right now wrong. 

 

Psalm 68 is another example of a song discussing "blurred lines".   There are many categories of Psalms; psalms of praise and psalms of lament, psalms of victory and psalms of defeat. Psalm 68 (verses 1-10 below) is called a "mixed psalm" because it's neither all praise nor all lament, but a little of everything.  Great triumphs. Great sorrows. Great hopes. Mixed emotions.  Let's look at this Psalm to see areas where we SHOULD blur the lines...  

 

1.  Blur the lines of GRIEF

Hear the psalmist... God will be "a father to the fatherless" and "a judge for the widows" (v. 5).  This writer has the audacity to say this to people who have lost everything.   Can God really replace my father or my spouse?  Most people who have lost someone dear to them would probably say there is no one that can ever replace them - even God.  When it comes to grief, we like to give trite responses like these that suggest God’s just going to "make it alright."  This is discouraging to many people who have experienced loss.  It seems to tell them that they have to be on one side or another of grief. 

 

We can’t forget that the fatherless singing this psalm have just lost their fathers. The prisoners have just left prison. The widows have just lost their spouses. It’s not enough to say everything’s going to be alright.  Like our military, a lot of people enter the church with PTSD. They have been abused, neglected, and abandonded.  The church shouldn't be in the business of just making them feel ok.   Many critics of Christianity and faith have said that religion is “opium for the masses”.   It is a drug, a hallucinogen, something people take so they don’t have to confront reality.  The church should not be using worship, preaching, or service as ways to sedate people from dealing with their feelings.  Instead, the church should allow people to sit in the grey area, the mixed emotions, and the blurred lines of grief.   

 

 

2. Blur the lines of PRESENTATION –

 

In the youth group at our church, questions often arise from the teens about what they can or can't do. Is it wrong to go to a party? Is it ok to drink? Is it BAD to get a tattoo? I usually try to remain silent on the matter.  However, one time, I tried to explain it by saying I don't think that God is concerned with many of the things we're concerned with.  I believe sometimes we focus on things that are temporal while God is focused on things that are eternal.   I hoped this answered their question, but it didn't.  They still wanted to know if they could get a tattoo or not. 

 

I ultimately said I didn't think it was a big deal to God.  How we present ourselves on the outside is not as important as how we are on the inside.  For instance, it's funny how the same people who don't want you to damage your "temple" by putting a tattoo on it, don't get angry about people eating unhealthily or not exercising.  If we're not careful, the church can be a place where our focus is on what's outside and not what's inside.

 

 

One final example: This sermon is the first time that I've preached from an Ipad.  For a while, I struggled with this because I've only preached from paper before.  The Lord had to really work with me on this.  I eventually settled on the question, 'Should the focus be on the Ipad or what's IN the Ipad?'  After being challenged about this, I saw that what I had been guessing about as right or wrong was neither - it was a grey area.  We can’t get caught up in what things look like.  Instead, we have to blur the lines of presentation and seek the Spirit in everything (I John 4:1). 

In areas of grief and areas of presentation, we need to blur the lines of what we expect.  In the next posts, I will share areas where we DON'T need to have blurred lines.

Lord, please help us to settle in the moments and images that we can't define.  Help us to be ok with spaces we can't so readily handle.  Thank You for walking with us and never leaving us.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

 

 

Sitting,

j.a.g.

 

 

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Psalm 68

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

 

¹ May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
may his foes flee before him.
² May you blow them away like smoke—
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God.
³ But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

⁴ Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
⁵ A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
⁶ God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

⁷ When you, God, went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,
⁸ the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
⁹ You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
¹⁰ Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

I John 4:1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

PTSD Day

On the Fourth of July, I often recall Frederick Douglass'  speech in 1852.  In it, he sharply criticized the United States of America's hypocrisy in celebrating freedom and yet denying freedom to slaves:

Fellow-citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, to-day, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, "may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!" To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world.


In this excerpt, Douglass invokes Psalm 137, reminding the listener that freedom comes at a cost.  Like the Hebrews of the Torah and Douglass over a century ago, I find it hard to celebrate freedoms when bondage abounds.  While I'm grateful for the country I live in, how can I applaud a country that didn't consider freedom for my ancestors worthy of even one mention in their Declaration of Independence?  Even now, I find it hard to congratulate American independence in the same year the Voting Rights Act is effectively invalidated. 

Ironically, there is another group of citizens who also have difficulty enjoying this day - military veterans.  Veterans?  Yes, many veterans have lots of trouble enjoying the Fourth of July because of the fireworks.  Loud explosions trigger Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (click the picture above to find resources for veterans with PTSD) in those who have served in active duty.  They stay inside away from the sounds that recall the physical and emotional battles of service.  It is an irony that those who fight for independence can also have trouble celebrating it.  Explosions are a symbol of great celebration and great sorrow.  



For all, freedom is complicated.  For some, it is delayed - for others it is denied.  Even for those who fight and win, there are consequences.  Everyone freedom touches (or doesn't touch) has endured a traumatic encounter.  Days like today remind us of the complex PTSD the US is still living with.  This is a nation where the trauma of the past continues to unfold in the present.  While the country rejoices, let it also remember the "mournful wail of millions" within it's borders.  



Lord, You are the great Liberator.  You free us in mind, spirit, and body.  Please allow us to address the consequences of our past we so readily deny.  Please help military veterans, abuse victims, and all those who have survived unimaginable events. Give them peace and support.  Remind us all of the cost of freedom.  In the name of Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, Amen.




Remembering,
j.a.g.






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4 Psalm 137:4-6
4How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.


John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Daddy Issues

For the next year, I will be serving as a chaplain resident at the Durham VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.   In my time there, I will help families and veterans walk through fear, grief, and loss.  My continual prayer has been that this be a time of healing.  

It is a blessing to serve as a chaplain. I'm able to focus on helping others and do a tremendous amount of personal discovery.  We have regular meetings where we spend time opening up about the emotional and spiritual wounds we carry with us into ministry.  One of the tenets of our chaplain experience is you can only go as far in someone else's pain as you've been in your own.  

I like to call this early unrecognized pain Daddy Issues.  "Daddy issues" represents emotional baggage from childhood that follows us into adulthood.  This can include abuse, disappointment, insecurity, and many other conditions.  Daddy issues can be harmful if they're not discerned and exposed.  Of course, these issues don't necessarily come from fathers.  There are many amazing fathers (Psalm 103:13 below) and there are many experiences in our lives that negatively effect us.   However, for me, this has been a helpful way to think about this because I didn't have my biological father in my life.  What I'm growing to learn is that his absence has impacted how I see God.  Whether I admit it or not, his absence has also shaped the way I minister to others.  If I'm not aware, I can be ministering to others out of my own needs rather than theirs.  


I believe this happens more than we think.  We serve others to fill some void in our own lives (the desire to experience validation, power, or love).  I pray we can expose these motives and the issues that birthed them.  I'm so grateful for chaplaincy giving me the space to help others through their healing.  But I'm also blessed to have a year where I can uncover and maybe even discard some of my own emotional baggage.  I don't want to use ministry to cover past hurts or relieve my own insecurities.  As I minister to others, I need to be doing the harder work of ministering to myself.  




Our Father, who art in heaven, Your name is hallowed.  Your kingdom is nearing, Your will is occurring.  Please help us to recognize our own emotional and spiritual issues.  The baggage we ignore reveals itself in how we care for others.  Please help us to minister as broken vessels who have discovered where our leaks are.



Sharing,
j.a.g.



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Psalm 103:13 

As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;


Colossians 3:21

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

The Parable of the Cinnamon Rolls

For the longest time, I have been burning the bottom of cinnamon rolls. Then one day last week, I cooked them a little differently than usual.  I oiled the pan  first.  Then, instead of keeping the rolls spaced out (which I normally did), I put them in a group together.  I let them cook in the oven and checked on them periodically.  After a short while, I looked in on them and the tops had cooked as normal.  So now was the major test. I checked the bottom... and they were perfect!!!   What I noticed was that the more rolls were in the pan, the less heat there was on each one.  The rolls absorb the heat from one another and keep them all from being burnt.  

The cinnamon rolls represent people.  The oil represents the presence of God. (Leviticus 21:12)  The heat represents the trials of life.  By going through hard times in life together, we protect one another from being scarred and unusable.  We also allow one another to expand and become the best we can be.  God's presence is with us, but it is not the only thing we've been given to sustain us.  There are other rolls in the pan too!

For the last three years, our family has been in the oven of seminary.  By God's grace, we've been through the fire and made it out.   Today is the moment of icing - Graduation Day!!!

"It is not good for rolls to be alone"

We've learned many things about God and ourselves.  The biggest lesson has not been a theory or powerful explanation.  It has been the power and strength of community.  It has come in the form of friends and family who have gathered around us to protect us from the heat.  Phone calls, letters, study groups, cards, text messages, prayers, gifts, and visits just to say, let me come next to you while you face this.  

God puts us in each other's lives to keep the heat off one another.  The closer we become, the better we can withstand the fire.  When you are facing heat in your life, don't separate from others, get closer! I honor my wife, Ashley, who has remained in the oven with me through this season.  I love you and am so grateful for your presence in my life.  I also thank God for each of my classmates, who have become dear rolls to me.   :)  

Finally, to each person who said or did ANYthing to come alongside us during this season, may God richly bless you.  You have taught us the most important part of being God's creation - we were made to go through life together.  We are forever grateful for your relationship and Godly example.  Well, it's breakfast time now - let's go get this icing!!!

Thank you Lord for allowing us the blessing of friends and family. Thank you for our parents. Thank you for our co-workers. Thank you for our teachers and mentors. Thank you for our pastors. Thank you for each new person we met during our time in Durham. Thank you for Your presence with us here. Please help us never to forget the strength in doing life close together. Why you love us, we'll never fully know. But thank You for choosing us to go through the heat and come out better. We love You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Cooling,
j.a.g.

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Leviticus 21:12 - nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.

Wake up Call: Hip Hop and the Black Church

I was blessed with the opportunity to write a book review for the Howard Journal of Communication on the book Wake Up: Hip Hop Christianity and the Black Church by Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan and Marlon Hall.  The Hip Hop community and the Black Church communities are often speaking different languages.  Whether we admit it or not, we've become ok with this arrangement.

How that works out is that this generation sees the church as uncaring and irrelevant and the church sees the hip hop generation as ungrateful and irresponsible.  I'm grateful for this valiant attempt at bridging these gaps.  You can read the preview of my review below and access the full copy online.  

Lord, please help us to be 

your eyes, ears, and heart in this world.  

Help us to see what you see, 

hear what you hear, 

and feel what you feel.  

When we see sagging pants, 

let us see Christ's drooping robe.  

When we hear thumping beats, 

let us hear lamentations and jubilee.  

When we witness pain, 

let us feel 

a call to action

and not to judgment.

Nodding,
j.a.g.

Can We Take Holy Communion Online?: Pt. 3 (Mystery)

This is the third of three posts answering the question posed in the title.  The other posts deal with community and history.  

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MYSTERY   mysterium (or sacramentum)

“What I have written is but a fleeting intimation of the outside of what one man sees ...No one shares the secret of a life; no one enters into the heart of the mystery.” - Howard Thurman

In any Christian church, Catholic or Protestant, conservative or liberal, Reformed or Evangelical, there are at least two sacraments or ordinances: they are Baptism and Holy Communion.  In fact, the word sacramentum (from which the word sacrament comes) in the Greek comes from the word mysterion or mystery.  The very definition reminds us that we don't completely understand what is happening when we participate in Holy Communion.  

Holy Communion/The Lord's Supper/Eucharist is a divine cliffhanger - it's a time we  remember and anticipate the Lord's return.  My Baptist theology teacher, Curtis Freeman, has some really poignant thoughts about the Lord's Supper.  He says that when it is happening, "There is more going on ...than meets the eye."  He also says "this can't be something that we do, but it has to be something that God does."  Others throughout the Christian tradition have remarked about the "Holy Mystery" of communion.

So, what is the final answer???



Yes we can.  I have to say that my initial uncertainty has been eased by God's habit of using things we think aren't worthy to reach us.  If God can use a donkey, a fish, a book, bread, wine, and even a rock, surely He can use a camera, a computer, and an internet signal.  In fact, a small community of believers have agreed to trust God and gather for a "virtual communion" this Sunday.  We're excited about what God has in store for us as we steward this mystery. (I Cor. 4:1)

The gospel was never meant to be a novelty or flavor of the month.  It will outlast YouTube, Skype, and Google; it's power and influence will not implode like the .com bubble...  

But it was never meant to be a relic either.  It is alive, energized by the words of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit to be relevant in the world yesterday, today, and forever.

Please pray with us as we remember Christ through Holy Communion.  When God's people come together with Him as the focus, anything can happen.

God, you are able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we can think, ask, or imagine.  Your Words are elusive, but they are real.  Let this bread and cup knit us together as it did Your followers.  Let it heal our illnesses, shape our character, and strengthen our faith.  We long to live for You beyond what we've seen.  Help us to keep looking to the hills from where our help comes.  We will be mindful to give you the praise.  Always.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.



Open,
j.a.g.



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I Corinthians 4:1
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.

Can We Take Holy Communion Online?: Pt. 2 (History)

This post is a continuation of a discussion started here and concluded here.  In short, I believe the answer to the title question deals with community, history, and mystery.


HISTORY


Most of our conceptions of how Holy Communion/The Lord's Supper/Eucharist should be observed are based on tradition.  Now, tradition isn't necessarily a problem, but we should take it into account in wondering about this question of online communion. When we strip away tradition, how was it practiced originally? According to Luke 22 and I Corinthians 11:

• It was held in someone's home, not a religious space
• There is no distinction in who could lead it
• It was done during and after a larger meal
• The cup was given before and after the bread
• It wasn't done one person at a time, but collectively

To some today, observing Holy Communion without an ordained minister or as part of a larger meal would seem like blasphemy.  Yet when we read, we find it's completely consistent with scripture.  Renowned New Testament scholar and Dean of the Duke Divinity School, Richard B. Hays, says we have to keep in mind these "historical circumstances" when reading about the Lord's Supper - "Christians accustomed to experiencing the Lord's Supper only as a ritual 'in church', removed from a meal setting, will need to discipline their imaginations to keep this original setting in mind."*



A part of the issue then in reading and practice is that we often see tradition as the beginning of a practice, when tradition is really the ritualized development of an historical practice over time. There has constantly been changes in the way Holy Communion has been observed.  It wasn't always done by intinction (dipping the bread in a common cup), wearing white gloves (something we Black Baptists do), or with a gluten-free option (just heard of this last week - wow!).  Instead, it has been a continuation of faithfully observing the sacrament while making contemporary considerations...


If Jesus and His apostles witnessed how we observe Holy Communion would they recognize it?  Would they consider it faithful?  Somehow we believe they would make room for our adjustments - can't we make room for others?  Interesting...mysterious even...




Lord, thank You for the witness of history. Please allow us to remain faithful to You as we enter new spaces of worship and obedience.  Help us to be wise and harmless.  We trust You Holy Spirit and listen to be led by You.  Please guide our hearts and minds.  In Christ Jesus.  Amen.  



Pushing,
j.a.g.






*Richard Hays.  First Corinthians: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary in Teaching and Preaching. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1997), 193.

S/O to Dr. Brittany Wilson and my classmates in NT Bodies for great feedback last week and for suggesting we read Dean Hays' chapter on this topic.  See pp. 193-206 of that text for more.  

Can We Take Holy Communion Online?: Pt. 1 (Community)

Last month, I received an interesting message from a good friend of mine, Dr. Fredara Hadley (who I affectionately call Dr. Free).  She asked what were my thoughts on having a virtual communion.  That is, having the Lord's Supper/Holy Communion/Eucharist via webcam with others.  My first thought was curiosity spiked with wonder, "Whoa, I don't know!"  

My next reaction was a slight twinge.  "Is taking Holy Communion online even legitimate?"  This certainly didn't sound like the communion I grew up knowing.  For better (and sometimes worse), studying the church and the seriousness of the sacraments makes you real sensitive and deathly afraid of committing heresy.  So when I heard this question, I knew I needed a solid theological grounding to answer it.

I offer the following posts as a theological framework for the position I came to.  In short, I see this as a three part conversation between ideas of community, history, and mystery.  (Click the word to look ahead to pts 2-3) I hope these thoughts and the initial question can spark discussion on Holy Communion and it's continued significance in an ever-changing world.  Oh, and thank you my friend, Dr. Free, for your awesome inquiry.  

---     ---     ---     ---     ---

As we think about this, let's consider the words of Christ in Luke 22:14-20 - 

14 When the hour came, he [Jesus] took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 



COMMUNITY


After reading this passage, it became evident that the primary concern in observing communion online is that people aren't in the same physical space.  While that may not seem like a big deal, being tangibly present is SUPER important in Christian faith.  Remember, Jesus coming "in the flesh" is critical to our salvation (John 1:14).*  The fact that Jesus gave himself physically for our sins and gave the elements physically to his disciples is something we can't get away from.

Along with this, another contemporary concern is that observing Holy Communion online may disrupt the physical community.  Is online communion simply a product of a society/generation that often prefers being distant from one another?  (Think of the people who would rather text than meet in person - consider what the last supper would look like in the pic below.)  Will this cause people to be further disconnected from each other and God?  I'm of the mind that technology should be designed to enhance life, not simulate it, which means we have to be aware of it's ability to sap human interaction.  

Hosting while Posting:
"Hey Peter, what's the wi-fi password in here again?"

That said, I believe a better way to understand "communion" is by it's Greek definition of koinonia meaning a unique sense of fellowship.  Luke 22:14-15 above shows us Jesus was "with" the apostles and the apostles were "with him".   So, can physical community be created through technology?  No, not where people can touch one another.  But can technology mediate the community's fellowship (or the koinonia)?  Ever phone into a conference call?  Ever take a class via satellite?  Ever watch a live streamed event online?  Ever use Skype, Tango, Google+, Facetime, etc???  If you've answered yes, you may have very well experienced koinonia in the 21st century.  


While we must be mindful of technology's ability to dull human connections, we can affirm that technology offers ways to experience koinonia that have not been historically available.  Speaking of history...



Reflecting,
j.a.g.



Lord, please help us to experience community with one another and be faithful to the words of Christ.  Thank You for Holy Communion, an opportunity to gather together and receive from You.  Finally, Lord thank You for Fredara and her imagination to seek You in every medium, to not be limited by what she has seen, but to press into possibilities of a communion that she has not known.  May we encounter You as we eat and drink together.  In Christ, Amen.  






*In the early church, there were major controversies around Jesus' body not being physical (google Docetism and Gnosticism).  These have been condemned and for good reason, I believe.  Christ had to come in the flesh in order to redeem flesh.  Gregory of Nazianzus wrote "What is not assumed is not healed", meaning in order for Christ to heal our sinful condition, he had to assume our humanity.

God Hit Me - Pt. 2

In Pt. 1, Jocelyn's words highlighted how it felt to have been hit by God.  God hit me and it hurt.  A good friend sent me a scripture during this time that reminded me that some things we go through are joyful and others are painful (Ecclesiastes 3).


It is obvious what kind of season this has been.  It's hurt so bad at times we felt blinded like Saul, so bad we couldn't speak like Zacharias, so bad our bones hurt like Jacob.  It hurt so bad we didn't know what to say or do.  


Then something happened.  


We got a phone call.  Then another.  And another.  Then a text message.  Then a Facebook message.  Then a visit.  Then a card.  Then a meal caravan.  Then another text message.  Then a gift card.  Then a babysitter.  Then a check in the mail.  Then another.  Then a prayer.  Then another... 

In this season, we have truly witnessed the generosity of the Christian family. We have literally run out of ways to say thank you.  As I was on my way to compose this painful post, we received a letter by a friend who encouraged us to keep serving the Lord.  Even in my groaning, people were continuing to bless us.  

There are tremendous theological questions that surface during times of pain; "God, where are you?" or "Why would you hurt me?"  I will reserve these valid questions for some other time.  It has become clear to me that being "hit" by God wasn't an accident, but it was intentional.  In a way, we were allowed to be hurt so we could be allowed to be helped.  Our tears of gratitude have washed away our tears of pain.

I can't list everyone who has been a blessing to us, but I want to say thank you to everyone for everything you've done for us.  YOU have been our antidote and our serum.  You have been our friend, our sister, and our brother.  You have helped to heal us when we were hurting.  We trust that God is omniscient.   We believe the same God who "hit" us graciously gave us you.  In a time where our faith could have suffered, your signs of love have made it stronger.  Thank you...

Lord, we pray you get the glory out of our relationships and that we love others as we have been loved.  Please bless their families and their labors, their dreams and their struggles.  Your Word says You chastise those you love.  Thank you for loving us...  In Christ's name, Amen.

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It was good for me to be afflicted that I may learn your decrees.

- Psalm 119:71

For people living with impairment, and for their partners and families, dependence is a significant part of life. But living dependently is living in the image of God.

-"Those who are Blind See: Some New Testament Uses of Impairment, Inability, and Paradox", Simon Horne, from Human Disability and the Service of God: Reassessing Religious Practice, Nancy L. Eiesland and Don E. Saliers, eds.

God Hit Me - Pt. 1

The last two months have been a roller-coaster of emotions and experiences.  We lost three loved ones; Ashley's Granny, Ashley's high school friend, and my uncle.  We welcomed our daughter.  To complicate things, Ashley has recently been diagnosed with a condition that affects her nerves and muscles.  We've spent the last few weeks between doctors and hospital visits.  In between financial burdens,  physical trials, emotional stresses, and late nights with a newborn, it has been a wild season.

Jocelyn put it perfectly yesterday.  We were in the car and she was talking to herself (which she loves to do).  When we parked, she said "God hit me".  Wow, I thought to myself.  "God hit you?", I replied.  "Yes", she said.  "And how did it feel?", I asked.  She responded matter-of-factly, "It hurt." 

That is exactly right, I thought.  Lately, it has felt like God hit me too... and it definitely hurt.  

I probably can stop right there... in fact, I will.  Click here for pt 2...