As a progressive Christian, I believe there are many names for God and many ways to a loving God; this article reflects one of those ways. Take from here what works for you. Celebrate life with joy and peace!
I love kids. When I was growing up I decided I wanted to have five kids; I don’t know why that number exactly. Upon graduation from college, I started to hear from parents and grandparents, “It sure would be nice to have some babies in the family!” Well, I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn’t going to get married any time soon, if ever (being married to a man wasn’t even a possibility in the ‘80s), and I was the eldest of three boys, so I was feeling some pressure. Thank God for my brothers; they took all the pressure off me as they succeeded to have 10 children between the two of them! Woo hoo! Now I’m Uncle Dan and that’s fantastic!
I have great admiration for parents. I’ll never know the amount of work and dedication they put into their parenting skills. It’s a huge investment.
It’s amazing how fast kids grow up. Starting out as precious little babies, aww, so cute! There are so many “firsts” to be witnessed; holding her head up, rolling over, standing up, then taking his first steps and those first words, “Pastor Dan!”
Then come the twos! Maybe you’ve heard of this phrase, “the terrible twos!” Well, that might be a little too harsh, so there’s another “T” word that might describe this developmental stage; how about “the terrific twos!” The dictionary defines “terrific” as “extraordinary or intense in either a positive or negative sense.” The twos are terrific because there’s so much emerging in this little life all at the same time: physically, psychologically, emotionally and cognitively. It’s quite amazing when you think about it and “terrific” in that sense.
And it’s also “terrific” in another sense, and there are some other T words that come to mind like, tiresome, tough, taxing, tricky and trying and testing!
Two year olds are trying out everything, and in the process of “trying” out their developing personalities, intense curiosity and increasing skills; they “test” their parents and grandparents (whether from their family of origin or family of choice).
Kids at any age can be adorable, and at the two-stage they can be totally charming with their big eyes, beautiful hair and killer smile; and when they push the envelope and push their limits and they have to be told “no”, something else develops; a unique style of defiance. “No you cannot have that right now, close the refrigerator.” And then they pause, and look back at you with those big eyes and flash that charming smile and then proceed to do the denied thing anyway! Ha!
That’s where consistent disciplinary skills are employed; firm on one hand and loving on the other. When kids push the envelope many things go on in the parent or guardian. They are presented with an opportunity and this defiance either brings out the worst or the best. The defiance becomes a defining moment for everyone involved and it can cause a chain reaction of emotions, for better or worse.
Well, Jesus and his disciples intentionally pushed the edge of the sacred envelope of their religion, and in the process, pushed the hot buttons of the core leadership of the religion. The way the Pharisees looked at things, Jesus and his disciples were being defiant, especially in regards to respecting and honoring Sabbath Law, which was at the very heart and core of their religion. There were a whole series of rules, regulations and restrictions of things that were not permitted on the Sabbath; restrictions that were sacred and holy and were considered integral to honoring the Sabbath and fundamental to orthodox religious expression. I remember as a kid, we couldn’t mow the lawn on Sundays!
I like how Rev. J. Holub puts it, “By intentionally and defiantly stepping over those sacred lines and boundaries, Jesus provided the critical mass that yielded the opportunity for the best or the worst to come out in those around him.”
In the Pharisees, the religious authorities and those who represented the power structure, unfortunately, the worst came out and they rejected Jesus and his teachings. “The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” Not only did it bring out the worst in them, but the worst of the worst.
The religious of Jesus’ day, as represented by the authorities and hierarchy, could only see Jesus as a defiant, trouble-making, rabble-rousing enemy to be destroyed. Jesus was a threat to the tight little religious box in which they lived; so it came down to either their neat little box, or him and they chose their box.
The end of Mark 2 says, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
What Mark is saying, right at the beginning of his Gospel, is that he and his faith community were experiencing something radically new in Jesus; something not based in law and legalism; not based in restrictions of what you could or could not do; not based on hierarchical power structures; not based on a narrow-minded mentality, not based on rigid morality codes, not based on a dualistic mindset of who is included and who is excluded, clean and unclean; righteous and sinner; in or out.
What they experienced in Jesus so radically transcended the political and religious culture of his day that it could only be described as putting new wine into new wineskins. Jesus did not come to patch up a stuck religion and power-based politics, but he came bringing a whole new life; a paradigm that challenged the old one in every aspect and at every turn in the road.
Jesus eventually triggered a chain reaction of love in the lives of those who encountered him. Jesus transcended religion and saw the face of the Divine even in the most feared and despised; the lowest and the last and the least.
Jesus’ primary mission was not to get people to believe the legalistic correct things that would, “poof”, transport them to heaven, rather, he lived and taught through his words and actions, to make people whole in love, and that love would bring the realm of heaven into the world right now.
Jesus opens us up to live every moment to the fullest, to live with a consciousness of God’s amazing grace that is transformational in how we see and relate to those around us, in contrast to religion that is often held captive by its unbending and correctness of beliefs rather than the freedom of living with compassion and Christ-like love.
Jesus is our model for care, compassion and community. May we continue to teach and practice the Good News of God’s unconditional love for all people. May we welcome home those who have been spiritually wounded or are seeking or growing a relationship with God. May we actively promote equality and justice for all people and be fully engaged in our own growth and be present with others on their spiritual journey to hope, healing and wholeness. Let’s begin a chain reaction of love! Amen.
