Restored by Divine Love
Friday, May 9, 2025
A primary or foundational sense of order can sustain us in times of exile and disorder. Richard Rohr explains:
We must first honor the plank of order, next walk the plank that is always disorder, and only then fall into the ocean of infinite everything. When we are committed to the law of Torah, or basic law and justice, for example, we can then dare venture into the disruption of the Old Testament’s prophets, and trust that we’re being led on a great journey. There must be enough order to contain the disorder, enough authentic conservativism to hold together the scary advance of history, enough containment to hold a lot of variation. This very real tension is necessary to make us clarify our thinking, refine our laws, and stretch our humanity. Paul called this phenomenon “the folly of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18), where God took the worst thing, the killing of the Christ-Man, and made it into the best thing, the very redemption of the world.
We can recognize this new order (reorder) when it is less violent and more universal than the previous arrangement. Jeremiah leaps toward such a reorder by introducing the unthinkable idea of a whole new covenant (31:31–34) to replace the old one. Hear YHWH speaking to him:
I will not cease in my efforts for their good, and I will put respect for me into their hearts, so that they turn from me no more. It will be my pleasure to bring about their good, and I will plant them firmly in this land, with all my heart and soul.
—Jeremiah 32:40–41
Jeremiah has successfully walked us through the trauma of exile, all the while breaking the logic of vengeance and privilege that we normally use to interpret such events. Jeremiah proclaims that YHWH loves Israel even more when they sin: “I have loved you with an everlasting love, so I am constant in my affection for you” (Jeremiah 31:3).
Where did Jeremiah get the freedom and courage to talk this way? Only God could have provoked such generosity. Whatever inner experience Jeremiah underwent to transform his theology, it must be allowed to fully transform ours. It’s the movement from external signs of belonging to the internal “heart” religion (Jeremiah 32:39–41) so treasured by Jesus. Let’s just move entirely beyond any notion of retribution or punishment, he joyously promises, as the frame for how God’s justice is done!
Sincerely religious people, trained in forgiveness, exodus, exile, and crucifixion, should be the readiest and most prepared for this full journey into unconditional love, but up until now that has only been the case in a small remnant of every group. These are the evolved people whom we called “saints” and “prophets.” Like Moses, Jeremiah, Harriet Tubman, the suffragettes, and others, they always emerge before, during, and after any big societal event—be it a disaster or a major rearrangement of the historical reality.
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John Chaffee 5 On Friday
1.
“Crux probit omnia (The Cross proves/challenges/probes everything).”
– Martin Luther, German Reformer
The centrality of the Cross was a significant marker in Martin Luther’s theology and pastoral work. For him, it was the epicenter of all converging thought for Christianity, and every theological system or belief structure must “prove itself in light of the cross.”
For Luther, the Cross was so important because in his day, there was something he dubbed “a Theology of Glory.” It was an approach to teaching and preaching that said our lives should be moving from one success to another, with increasing intensity and glory. Life with God should always be looking up and up and up and up…
The only problem is that it did not even happen for Jesus. Instead, the path for Christ involved being crucified naked outside the city of Jerusalem.
Not so glorious.
As a result, Luther was adamant about “a Theology of the Cross.” Struggle, hardship, disappointment, loneliness, failure, etc., are all baked into the experience of life. These are not things to be avoided, but on some inexplicable level must be accepted.
Hence, Luther’s insistence that “the Cross proves/challenges/probes everything.”
2.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
The older I get, the softer I think I become. I look back at earlier versions of myself and feel remorse over how harsh, stubborn, and cynical I might have been.
Love is the only thing that matters.
3.
“I do not believe in universalism, but I do believe in Jesus Christ, reconciler of all.”
– Karl Barth, Swiss Presbyterian Theologian
For many people, the conventional theology of Christianity is displeasing and irreconcilable with the person of Jesus. Over the years, I can remember many conversations with people who struggle with the idea of a God who “keeps account of wrongs” and therefore cannot live up to the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Years ago, I had a conversation with a pastor in a stairwell.
He asked, “John, are you a universalist?”
I replied, “No, I did not say that. I said that I believe in the reconciliation of all, which Paul says in Colossians 1:15-20. So, if you have an issue with me teaching the reconciliation of all, then you have an issue with me quoting Paul verbatim. Are you saying you don’t believe the words of Paul?”
The conversation was a significant marker for me.
It gave me the clarity to realize that the bulk of Western Christianity is not interested in teaching what the Scriptures say but only in teaching a small segment of the Bible that overlaps with what it means to be “a good American.” It also gave me a fork in the road; it forced me to choose whether I wanted to fall into rank or break with the conventional definitions of Christianity and side with the Bible passages that are intentionally overlooked.
The Gospel is disruptive, but only in the ways it needs to be. It shatters our conceptions of who is in and out, how there can be full accountability and amnesty, and that our ethics can be entirely built on love and what is healthy, rather than any reward or punishment system.
4.
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”
Or, as Brennan Manning used to say, “The Church ought to be a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints.”
The faith has so much more life and adventure than people realize. It is not meant to be a spectator sport where we sit back and watch God fix everything. Instead, it is a co-redemptive project. God invites our participation as co-laborers for the betterment of the world.
5.
“Above all, art should be fun.”
– Alexander Calder, American Sculptor
This quote jumped out at me.
Sometimes, it is possible to create for the audience or to make money. It is another thing entirely to create for the sake of the enjoyment of the process of creating.
