+Z’ev

Commemoration of Harriet Bedell

Today’s assigned readings:
Exodus 17:1-7, Colossians 1:15-23, John 7:37-52

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation
Colossians 1:15

As noted in an earlier post, there are some doubts about who wrote this Epistle. It could have been Paul, or - in order to explain language and style differences between Colossians and other epistles - it could have been Paul dictating through someone (possibly Timothy); or it could have been written without Paul at all, but in the name of Paul by any one (or more) of his disciples.

What is certain, its theology is expanded, more fully developed than other Epistles. And it quotes hymnody - which means the Christian community would have needed time to develop such.

The passage assigned today is “‘The Christ Hymn’ Of Colossians”. Depending on who you ask the hymn is verses 11-20, or maybe 15-20, or possibly some other combo of the verses between 11 and 28.

What you can see, if you look at the opening passages of this epistle, is the number of times Paul says “All”. I think this hymn is better called the “All” hymn. “All” sorts of blessings are offered to the Colossians, then “All” kinds of things are claimed for Jesus.

“All” is a translation of the Greek word πας pas. It is used 1075 times in the New Testament. It’s used eight times in verses 15-20. Paul is making some important claims about Jesus and how God works through Jesus effecting salvation for us.

Here are all the “all” claims in verses 15 - 19

15: Jesus is “firstborn of all creation”
16: Through Jesus “all things in heaven and on earth were created” and “all things have been created”.
17: Jesus is “before all things” and in Jesus “all things hold together”.
18: Jesus has “first place in all things”.
19: In Jesus is “all the fullness of God”.

The word all in the Bible Dictionary I use links to this curious disclaimer:

“the whole world has gone after him” Did all the world go after Christ? “then went all Judea, and were baptized of him in Jordan. “Was all Judea, or all Jerusalem, baptized in Jordan? “Ye are of God, little children”, and the whole world lieth in the wicked one”. Does the whole world there mean everybody? The words “world” and “all” are used in some seven or eight senses in Scripture, and it is very rarely the “all” means all persons, taken individually. The words are generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts — some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile.

The thing is how it builds up from a simple use of literary hyperbole to that final theological claim that “Christ has redeemed some of all sorts”. “All Jerusalem” is clearly hyperbole.

What about “All the fullness of God”? Is that Hyperbole?
What about the claim that “All things” are made through Jesus?

Do we need to read this disclaimer into these early verses of the hymn? Only some-but-not-all things come before Jesus? There are some other things that are before him. Only some but not all of the fullness of God dwells in Jesus, there are some things that are not Jesus at all. There are some things, in fact, that are more important than Jesus.

That would explain, of course, the final “all” in the hymn, in verse 20, that in Jesus’ actions…

All things. Oh My God, is Paul (or at least this hymn being quoted) making a claim for Universalism, again?

Well…

Does “all” mean “all”?

Yes, it is quite possible to proof-text particular salvation out of the Bible. Some people are going to be-not-saved. Some will be saved. But we normally use that proof-texting as a way to condemn some (usually those with whom we politically or theologically disagree). It is also possible to proof-text the claims of universal salvation in such a way as to override all conception of free will.

It is neither possible nor desirable for God to coerce from the hearts of his creations affection for himself.

How do we reconcile the clear Biblical and patristic claim of universal God-ward reconciliation with the clear Biblical and patristic claim that some people won’t want to be involved?

We’re so very used to the idea of “two places” for people: a good place, heaven with God. And a bad place - hell - with lots of fire. What if they are both the same place? Look to the patristic claim that “the afterlife” will mean full participation in the presence of God, full communion - to know and be known - in God and the fullness of all creation. But to some people, that will be hell for they won’t desire this at all. All things - all meaning all - are reconciled to God. But some people don’t like that idea at all.

Imagine being subject to a political leader for whom you did not vote. Imagine being subject to a political leader whom you imagine to be opposed to your freedoms. Imagine being subject to a political leader whom you imagine somehow engineered a peaceful coup, and so, for a period of time (until the next election) you’re stuck with this man in office that you did not vote for and whom you think stole the election. And here you are, stuck in the country he leads, and he is - really - your leader for some period of time or, God forbid, maybe he wins a second election and you have to suffer through yet another period of time with this leader.

Just try to imagine that happened.

Of your own free will, that man would not be leader, but, yet - either through might, or coercion, graft, skill, or just dumb luck - that man is your leader. Do you stay or do you go?

Can you walk away while keeping your home, your job, your family and friends, etc?

Or would you spend the entire time insisting that, in fact, that man wasn’t your leader? Would you spend the entire period trying to discover the assumed graft that placed that man in power? Would you wear t-shirts and bumper stickers that insisted your leader was someone else; make videos exposing the fraud, protest in the streets every chance you got, and have people snicker at you behind your back because, well, how can anyone be so dense?

If so, perhaps you might spend a period of time in my idea of “hell” in a universalist sense - full participation available but rejected.

So when this hymn says “all” does it mean “all”?

Yes, I think so - and I take comfort in that belief.

Much love,

Huw

Today’s assigned readings:

AM Exodus 24:12-18, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

PM Daniel 7:9-10,13-14, John 12:27-36a

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
Daniel 7:13-14

In preaching this feast, it is a half-century tradition to mention the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only atomic bombs to be used in war… There are peace vigils, and anti-war protests that are traditional on this day. It is right, as well, that one of the great sins of humanity against humanity be noted every year.

But look at the readings for today: a human being - the traditional text says “Son of Man” - and it means “human being” in the same way that CS Lewis used “Son of Adam” and “Daughter of Eve”. This human being is presented to God, “The Ancient One”, and to him is given all “dominion and glory and kingship”. Generally, this is seen as Jesus - I’m down with that - and generally this feast of the Transfiguration is seen as the revelation of his dominion and glory and kingship. I’m down with that.

But God gives that kingship to a human being - a son of Adam. It’s the restoration of humanity’s rightful place in the created order. Like it or not, as stewards of the Created Order, we have a lot of responsibility.

And we fail in that responsibility over and over - just as certainly as the stories in Genesis. We have a whole history and mythology around those failures. Wars, sins, tragedies and disasters, stretching from “the fall of man” in Genesis, through the fall of Troy, to the Fall of Constantinople and Rome, and right on up to the fall of the Bridge in Minneapolis last week. But even though the problem is ours we keep asking “Where was God” in this? We indulge this through over and over.

I blogged on Saturday about one pastor whose entire comment on God’s love for us was (in my thought) totally blown out of the water by allowing his daughter, Talitha to think God let the bridge fall:

Talitha said, “Maybe he let it fall because he wanted all the people of Minneapolis to fear him.” “Yes, Talitha,” I said, “I am sure that is one of the reasons God let the bridge fall.”

But we don’t live in a world where God “turns on” earthquakes or “turns off” the support for bridges. We live in a world that we have screwed up. The Transfiguration shows us humanity as God intended us to be: conversing with people long “dead and gone” because they are not gone at all; glowing with the light of God with whom we are in full communion at all time; living on mountain tops. Instead we have a world of valleys and lost communion: without God and without each other we walk alone through the world.

At an interfaith prayer service in Minneapolis, yesterday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty sayid, “It takes a lot of faith to live in a world where tragedy, accidents, illness and injustice do their worst to the people we love,” he said. “We’re here to affirm in prayer our hope in comfort for the grieving, health for the injured and repair and recovery for our city and state.”

Pawlenty has hit on the truth: it takes a lot of faith…

It’s really easy to get distracted. In fact, all of the stories today are about ways God gets someone’s undivided attention - usually by getting them up above everyone else: on a mountain or in a vision. (The reading from Romans is, in fact, about people whose attention God can’t get.) But I noted yesterday that the only way to really get in touch with God is in the sound of silence. Why does God condescend to what Ed Sullivan would call a “rilly big shoe”?

And is it not the Really Big Show that moves us all to doubt the whole thing when the Really Big Tragedy takes over?

Here’s one of my favourite scenes in The Greatest Story Ever Told: when Jesus (Max Von Sydow) raises Lazarus. After some really occult hand gestures on the part of the actor, the camera pans back and you see Jesus standing, small and white, at the foot of a really huge cliff face. “Lazarus! Come!… Foooorthhhhh!…. And the voices echoes around the cliff and there is thunder! and lightening! And Angelic SINGING!!!!!! And then everyone prostrates as the Lord of Life calls his friend from beyond the grave.

But in the Gospel? Jesus cries. Opens the tomb. Prays and calls. Lazarus come out.

Is that enough for us to hold on to, or do we need thunder and lighting and angelic singing and prostrations? And if that’s what it takes to get us to imagine God acting, how scary must it be when God “lets” a bridge fall?

We built the bridge. We did the science. We made the cement and the steal and the bolts and the struts. God made it fall down?

What a petty deity we have made up in our head. Why?

In the stories that are true, even if not historical, God set us up in charge of everything - and we messed up. We tried blaming each other for messing up, and a snake for making us mess up, and then God for making the snake that made someone else mess up. Then God found a way to bring us back, to set everything right.

We just keep messing up.

There seems to have been between 5 and 13 dead. A bridge collapses. 800+ cars bumper to bumper in the middle of rush hour. 8 lanes of traffic including a school bus filled with kids.

A possible max total of only 13 dead?

Glory to God for all things!

And to hear the stories of people helping people, of ordinary folks and rescue workers leaping to save others… actions that bring “comfort for the grieving, health for the injured” we can see the feast of the Transfiguration foreshadowed. God who is love, living in us, present to each other… full communion.

The Transfiguration reminds us of what we’re supposed to be, shining glorious and in full communion with God and all of life. It’s painful to see how far we’ve fallen. But we need to know we did it ourselves else we’re doomed only to keep going down.