Podcast Summary

I don’t know if the news is getting weirder or with the change of seasons and setting the clocks back if I am just watching different types of shows than normal. It has me thinking a lot about motive.

Giving money to Mega-Star’s legal funds. When it comes to motive and especially the to the human propensity toward helpfulness, I have had to learn that there in no sense in being Logic-Tron 4000. Motive doesn’t work that way.

Tow-Truck Drivers, Emergency Responders and Professional Ministers: sometimes people in an industry can get so used to an interaction that they have over and over again  feeling that they have seen this thing a thousand times before. For the person on the receiving end, it is a significant, once in a lifetime or at least exceptional experience. There can be a real misinterpretation of motives.

\Some people have asked me “ when it comes to matters of gender &  race --why do you care so much?”   If we only do things or care about things that impact us directly, we might be missing two important things:

- It is that type of Ego-centric thing that Jesus came to turn upside down and inside out.  Not just to care fro those who don’t care for you and maybe don’t care for themselves, but sometimes even to the neglect of those that the ‘world’ says are our first priority.  This is a move away from the system of the world that says “I will take care of me and mine first and everyone else can fend for themselves and fight of the leftovers”    This type of Partisan division has plagued humanity and is part of what the Peace Kingdom was to overturn. That this Shalom restoration and Kingdom connectedness would re-align us all.

- The second is that I would object to the initial supposition that this doesn’t impact me.   I wonder if when I don’t receive from another, value someone’s otherness and receive something from someone else’s perspective, If I am less human. We were made for relationship - designed for connectedness.  Our origin story is in this context and says ‘let us make man in our image’.  This is why we have a triune god  and three fold picture of the godhead.  ‘It’s not good for a man to be alone’ and the story of the fall is about a breaking of fellowship - a separation : us from God, separation of the genders from each other and in family relationship in an archetypal sense.  (siblings).

It is this the Incarnation was to repair and restore that brokenness. We who are part of that kingdom get to participate in Christ’s way.  So, in a selfish sense - I get to add to myself and improve myself and care for myself by recognizing the value in another and by acknowledging what comes from someone’s otherness.  I am a fuller person with a fuller experience and a grander perspective when I am allowed in and trusted with another’s view. So to say that it doesn’t impact me is not right - it impacts me deeply. When we live in mono-cultures we are less than we are capable of and designed for as humanity, let alone in the Peace Kingdom and Shalom restoration of the Lord’s prayer “may it be on earth as it is in heaven”.

I had an interesting conversation with a very good friend of mine about Christopher Reeves.  as you may remember the rich movie star Reeves  was tossed from his show horse and broke his neck resulting in paralysis.  some months later he began a campaign to bring awareness for the cause of such things as paralysis.  I was talking to this friend of mine who subscribes to the idea that  everything is in God’s hands and everything happens for a reason ( since God is in control).  I was making the point that since Mr. Reeves did not care about such things as paralysis before he fell off a horse, it calls into question whether he is doing his now benevolent work for an egotistical reason since he is campaigning for the very condition from which he suffers.  my point was that it would have been remarkable if some superstar, megastar or famous person cared about something before  it impacted them personally.  My friend thought that this was ridiculous. And said that there is a divine plan in such matters and that the proud will be humbled so that they can do this kind of work.

     Well,  when it comes to matters of race, gender and sexuality I think that  we should not neglect and default to those that have something at stake in the conversation. I think, that those who are in positions of acceptance or promotion or privilege should be used those in order to instigate the conversation that does not profit them directly. This is a very simple litmus test to demonstrate that we are not simply engaging in conversations that profit us directly.

Walking a mile in their shoes is nearly impossible - the closest we can get doesn’t even happen unless someone trusts us and tell us the truth. 

Maybe this is why we are not to judge.

It’s like when Jesus said in the sermon on the mount “ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?”

(in Luke 14) Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

It’s probably the same thing that James was talking about when he said “If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? in the second chapter of his letter

I am sort of thinking out loud here and clearly learning on the job.  I like the conversation though and I love listening to and learning from others.

May the peace of God guard your heart as Christ restores us to full connectedness by the power of the Spirit.