Ronna Miller led a small group of us (Molly the wise, Jen the passionate, and Paul the great), at MHGS in Advent reflection this morning. Ronna guided our hearts and minds around the theme of “marveling.” It was a thoughtful and surprising time which stirred within me a reflection on the Christian life as a marveling comedy.
God seems to inevitably surprise us with Godself. Just when we think we’ve got God figured out, with our theological systems in place and our interpretative frameworks constructed (somewhat like the Tower of Babel) we find our speech becomes confused, we find ourselves repenting of what we once confessed and searching for a God who is even bigger than we had thought. I find myself humbling myself at the doors of the artists, story tellers, dancers, poets, and music makers hungry and thirsty for fresh images to widen the apertures of my vision of life, God’s reign, creation, and God in Godself.
It should be of no surprise (yet it is) that we, as beings created imago Dei, surprise ourselves. Genuine difference and otherness carries the gift of marveling and wonderment. Yet, all too often in the face of this gift-of-otherness we work to minimize surprise, reduce difference and control outcomes.
Please, if you are a poem, if you are a dance, if you are art, if you are story help expand my vision. I stand in need of fresh images and metaphors of a God engendering marvel. I want to see and I want to hear . . . but find that all too often I settle for fear. Without you I am blind and dead, without you my God is small.
I fear we may we often choose to think of the Christian story as a tragedy – in the Greek sense. And although there is great tragedy in our world the Christian story creation is a comedy. Tragedy does not have the final word. Surprise, marvel, wonder, paradox, astonishment, shock, and longing all signal a desire for a comedic resolution – this is Advent – a resolution where tragedy does not have own the final scene but redemption does.
It feels important to stress that the “final scene” is unlike any final scene that we can conceive of for it is a dénouement in the fullest sense of the word – an ending which truly is a beginning.
Here are a few of the texts that my friend Ronna brought this morning . . . rarely what we expect.
“If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.” Ec 5:8
“And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” Mr 5:20
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” Joh 3:7
“For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.” Joh 5:20
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,” Joh 5:28
“Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel.” Joh 7:21
“And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye people of , why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?” Ac 3:12
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2Co 11:14
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:” Ga 1:6
“Marvel not, my friends, if the world hate you.” 1Jo 3:13
“And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.” Re 17:7
Peace, dwight
Hey, great post! I have been thinking a lot about that recently, seeing God in places I had never recognized him in before. It’s something I must work on, but it is a beautiful journey.
I have emailed MHGS, and I wanted to just talk to someone about it; what is it like, what is the price, etc.. Just general stuff. If you know anyone who could help me out, that would be awesome.
Thanks
Mike
I’ve been realizing some of the same things lately. A God in which we do not marvel at and are surprised by is not a God at all. This summer I did ministry for a week in San Francisco and I found that I could not change San Francisco, because the god that I served was a god that I brought with me. I realized that I had to let the homeless, the poor, and the lame teach me what it means to follow God, only then could I share the gospel with these people. I’m surprised again and again by God.
As I was reading your post, I was thinking of a book that works along the same lines of tragedy and comedy. "Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale" by Frederick Buechner. It’s a great read.
Hi Dwight. I have you linked to my site, but I came back to you via that wonderful "You Might Be Emergent If" post over at Purgatorio. It’s been too long! I need to be back here more often.
Your heart and reflections remind me of a simpler, less reactionary time in our corner of the Body of Christ, when folks like you and me shared from our hearts without looking over our shoulder at what the self-appointed guardians of "orthodoxy" might think…this rich time, probably between ’90-whenever and 2003 when most of our brothers and sisters who woudl take umbrage at us had no clue we really even existed.
I particularly loved when you said "I find myself humbling myself at the doors of the artists, story tellers, dancers, poets, and music makers hungry and thirsty for fresh images to widen the apertures of my vision of life, God’s reign, creation, and God in Godself." And yet, it was that very sentiment that gave me pause: If Marc’s pictorial prophecy really will prove to work in our midst, then we have to resist the trapping, maybe, that "art is God" in a way that the "mundane" is not. I have a church full of housewives and blue collar workers who would feel totally left out of the widening and deepening process that you describe–we’re not in California, we’re in the South, and even talking about "Godself" might be greeted with a bit of an incredulous snicker!
And yet. Yet I hope there is a place where we can realize our real creativity in the midst of the everyday, the artist in all of us–and I hope that we can cultivate soil where the artist and the single parent can alike be enriched by the astonishing, paradigm-breaking fellowship of the Godhead.
Let’s hope.
I remember the time we spent the night looking at the moon and then wondering what mooning meant. Well, this article has answered that 25 year question for me. I may now die a full filled man.
Mike, the best person to talk with about Mars Hill Graduate School is Zach Brittle. He’s been around the place from very early in the school’s history and now directs the admissions department. 1.888.977.2002.
Much to think on – thank you.
Dwight: Thanks for your words – beautifully considered, articulated, and yes, marvelous! I’m awed at the opportunity to hang out and have such conversations with you – over and over again. What a marvel! What a God.
i guess i understand of your "insecurity" .. sorry my english limited. my opnion whether you realized it or not .. human admited the exsistance of God in any form it may be .. every human will face the step of their disbelive for God exsistance .. one thing’s for sure .. God just too almighty to be described because of the hollyness. just be faith in what you believe in to. God even closer than your own blood vessel
Zack is a scary guy. Let the buyer Beware!
Hey, this has nothing to do with your post, sorry. I just thought you might be amused/repulsed by checking out this blog of a guy I know a little bit from Mars Hill. If you”re bored.
Dwight,
When we were talking about communion the other night and I talked about wanting something "new", this is what I was talking about… a marveling, a surprising, a festive inspriration. Thanks for passing on a word that that expresses so much for me.
Marvelous