Inviting Further Conversion
Brian McLaren considers how Jesus’ inclusive message invites us to ongoing conversion:
[Jesus] loved to compare the kingdom of God to a party. He would demonstrate the open border of the kingdom of God by hosting or participating in parties where even the most notorious outcasts and sinners were welcome.
Jesus was often criticized for this “table fellowship” with notorious sinners; his critics assumed that Jesus’ acceptance of these people implied an approval and endorsement of their shabby behavior. But they misunderstood: Jesus wanted to help them experience transformation. Rejection hardens people, but acceptance makes transformation possible. By accepting and welcoming people into his presence, just as they were, with all their problems and imperfections, Jesus was exposing them to his example and to his secret message. In this way, he could challenge them to think—and think again—and consider becoming part of the kingdom of God so they could experience and participate in the transformation that flows from being in interactive relationship with God and others….
The thrust of Jesus’ message is about inclusion—shocking, scandalous inclusion: the kingdom of God is available to all, beginning with the least. Yet Jesus often warns people of the possibility of missing the kingdom. “Unless you become like a little child,” he said, “you shall not enter the kingdom” (see Matthew 18:3). So the possibility is real: the kingdom of God that is available to all can be missed by some.
This concern is especially relevant these days when the Christian religion is too often perceived as a divisive, judgmental, rancorous, and exclusionary movement—nearly the opposite of a kingdom of peace, available to all, beginning with the least. How can some people interpret Jesus’ message as exclusive, while others see it as the most radically inclusive message in human history?
McLaren points to the sacramental nature of baptism and the Eucharist, honoring the radical inclusivity of Jesus’ mission, while also naming the deep commitment required to join it:
What we need is a requirement that those who wish to enter actually have a change of heart—that they don’t sneak in to accomplish their own agenda, but rather that they genuinely want to learn a new way of thinking, feeling, living, and being in “the pastures of God.” Perhaps that is why baptism … was so important to Jesus and his disciples…. It was important to call people to a change of heart and give them a dramatic way of going public by saying, “Yes, this change of heart has happened within me, and I’m willing to identify myself publicly as a person who is on a new path.” And perhaps the Christian ritual of Eucharist was intended to function in a similar way—a kind of regular recommitment where people say, by gathering around a table and sharing in bread and wine, that they are continuing Jesus’ tradition of gathering in an inclusive community. “I’m still in,” they’re saying, “My heart is still in this mission and dream. I’m still committed.”
| Quote of the Week: “We are intimately bonded with the traumas that have formed us.” – from The Contemplative Heart, p.20.Reflection Jim is correct. Of course, as a clinical psychologist, he knows what he is talking about here. As a human being, he also knows what he is talking about. Jim’s family of origin was deeply traumatic with an alcoholic and violent father. His mother, a devout catholic, taught him prayer as a coping strategy for the pain. Throughout high school, he dreamt of moving away until he found the writings of Thomas Merton and sought to join the monastery. The monastery would surely be an escape from the trauma. Except it wasn’t. It was quiet and it was serene for a time, but the trauma was within. To change the external circumstances or environment might be an improvement, but it cannot change what was internal to Jim. For that to heal and to be well would take confrontation, counseling, and much prayer. Fortunately, God granted Jim the grace of healing from those past traumas and is now a highly sought speaker and writer about transformative and contemplative practices alongside clinical psychology. The reality is that we are intimately bonded with the traumas that have formed us. It is difficult to let go of those traumas because they have shaped who we are or have been for years or even decades. To give up that trauma is to take away the grounding of the person we thought we were, and it can leave us feeling as though we do not have an identity any longer. For this reason, many of us hold onto our traumas far longer than we should. We say to ourselves, “If I give this up, who am I? Who will I become? I have learned how to live my life because of this event, will I have to learn a new way to live?” To give up who we are, who we have become, and to become who we might be is no small task. But God is intimately interested in the restoration, renewal, and repair of the human heart, soul, mind, and spirit. The traumas of life are not what define us, the unconditional love of God is what defines us. Prayer Heavenly Father. Grant us the courage to let go of the traumas that have formed us, so that we might become free to be who we can be, rather than the person the trauma influenced us to become. We recognize that this is not an easy task, and we recognize our unhealthy attachments to these things. Be gracious as well as merciful as you do your work of healing in us. Amen and amen. |
| Life Overview: Who is He: James Finley When: Born in Akron, Ohio in 1943. Why He is Important: As a Clinical Psychologist and Spiritual Director, James speaks from the depth of his own experience and training about the life of a Christian mystic. Most Known For: James was a direct mentee of Thomas Merton while living in the cloistered monastery of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky. Notable Works to Check Out: Merton’s Palace of NowhereThe Contemplative HeartChristian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of GodTurning to the Mystics Podcast |
