Redemption: Another View of the Jesus Story

My UU Christian Fellowship is currently reading Krista Tippett's book Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living. This is the second time I'm reading it, and there is so much  to ponder that I will be riffing on it for a while here at Lifting the Spirit. 

In the chapter on Faith, in Krista's interview with Margaret Wertheim, the subject of redemption comes up, and Margaret, a science writer and a woman who holds a unique image of God as Love, comments an how we humans speak of redemption.

First, a quick review of the definition of "redemption" as provided by Google AI.

Key Meanings of Redemption:

• Theology/Religion: 

  Deliverance from sin, spiritual bondage, or evil, often through a sacrificial act (like Christ's sacrifice in Christianity).
• Finance/Business: 

  Repaying or buying back debts, bonds, stocks, or property, like redeeming a mortgage or shares.
• General/Personal: 

  Rescuing something lost, making amends for past mistakes, or achieving a triumphant comeback after failure or adversity.

I've highlighted "making amends for past mistakes" because this phrase, among the "personal definitions," hints at how we can be redeemed, possibly without direct Divine Intervention. Ms. Wertheim offers that we humans don't seem to be able to discuss the concept of redemption in a personal context, but only within theological circles. She goes on to say:

I don't think that humans are innately sinful, but I think we all make mistakes. Every single one of us. And collectively, we're making massive mistakes. And the question is, How can we redeem ourselves, in the sense of making amends? (Tippett, pg. 215-216)

I am like Ms. Wertheim. The concept of original sin has never made any sense to me. In my Catholic faith, I was taught that infants who died went to purgatory, not to Heaven, so they could be cleansed of their sin before sharing the glory of God. What sin? Where in an infant's short existence can they sin? 

But I'm also skeptical of the dogma that Jesus died for our sins so we are all cleansed. But Baptism is still needed, so the church says, so maybe Jesus' death wasn't completely effective?

I believe that Jesus had a more important gift of redemption to give. In the atonement dogma, the emphasis is placed on the death of Jesus - that horrid, politically motivated, tortuous death that played out over a few days. The Nicene Creed says "...he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man...he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried."

Where does the creed acknowledge the power of his life and ministry? Three years of traveling, preaching, molding a group of followers to help reform Judaism and to bring people to redemption. Not through his death, but through each person reviewing their life, putting Love/God at the center of living, and making amends for each mistake and error where they can, and therefore redeeming themselves. 

I believe that's the additional power of the redemption message. Repent! Turn Around! Everyday choose the Way of Love, Gratitude, Surprise and Awe, and Essential Goodness. And when you falter, when you err, make amends. Turn around, make better choices. Jesus showed us throughout his brief ministry how to live and how to claim our own redemption here on earth. 

Jesus may have died for our sins to give us eternal life (for future discussion). If you believe that, I respect that choice. But also consider that the cleansing didn't stop there, for we were also given the guidelines for redeeming ourselves daily through our acts of kindness, loving our neighbors, and making amends. 

What do you think about this personal view of redemption? Possible? Not in line with dogma? Worth pondering? Let me know in the comments. 

And remember that Kindness and Deep Listening are what we do here at Lifting the Spirit.

May you always walk the Way of Jesus.

Blessings,

LaVerne

Living From the Soul - A Book Review

 Living From the Soul: The Seven Spiritual Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Sam Torode. Sam Torode Book Arts, 2020.

"The Soul is the highest conception of excellence and truth we can bring forth."

~Elbert Hubbard

In September 1833, Ralph Waldo Emerson embarked on a ship headed to Europe. He left behind three deaths in his life - that of his wife, his beliefs, and his career. Over the course of that journey over the wide ocean, Emerson laid out seven core principles that would guide him throughout his life.

1. Trust Yourself
2. As You Sow, You Will Reap
3. Nothing Outside Can Harm You
4. The Universe Is Inside You
5. Identify With The Infinite
6. Live in the Present
7. Seek God Within

Sam Torode, the author, takes us on a short (79 pages) but deep exploration of the Soul and how it might answer some of Life's BIG questions:

• What do you do when your world falls apart?
• Where can you find peace in the midst of uncertainty?
• Who can you turn to for guidance?

In seven chapters plus a forward, introduction, and appendix, Torode riffs on these principles and questions, supported by some of the world's greatest minds - Joseph Campbell, Lao Tzu, Shakespeare, Dickenson, Jesus, and more. 

You might read this book in one gulp, but I guarantee you'll eventually read it again slowly, maybe journaling and highlighting along the way, and then re-read it as you experience more of life and need the foundation and solace these thoughts and ideas can provide. 5 Stars plus! This is a keeper.

Blessed Reading!

PURCHASE or KU LOAN AT AMAZON: 

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Use a Card Deck to Examine Your Life

Disclosure: The links below (whether the link is associated with an image or text) are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you in advance for your support.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates

Recently, I have been facing an overwhelming set of decisions and tasks in a variety of areas of my life: health, my writing career, an aging house, friends and family struggling with life-altering issues. Some people thrive under that variety and pressure, but at this point, I have trouble answering the questions "What is most important? What do I focus on first?"  Stephen Covey's quote floats in my mind:  "I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions." 

So I've been re-exploring HOW to make decisions and create a satisfying, fulfilling life. In my reading, inspiring experts suggest:

"Have your outer world reflect your inner world." - Lisa Congdon and Andreea Niculescu 

         "Follow Your Bliss." - Joseph Campbell 

"Men are not moved by things, but by the view they take of them." - Epictetus

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." - James Allen

Even the Bible has suggestions:

⦁ Philippians 4:8 (NIV): "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

⦁ Romans 12:2 (NIV): "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

⦁ Proverbs 4:23 (NIV): "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Okay, I got it. What's inside determines your behavior. How do I discern what's actually inside?  A friend's recommendation to the rescue! 

THE LIVE YOUR VALUES DECK 

Click Image to Purchase

VALUES. A DEFINITION... OR TWO  

⦁ Underlying principles or standards, as of behavior, that are considered important or desirable and/or are regarded  highly or esteemed. Each person holds a unique set of values.

⦁ Personal Values: These are principles that an individual holds dear, such as honesty, compassion, integrity, or ambition. They help a person determine their priorities and what they consider to be a fulfilling life.

⦁ Cultural Values: These are shared beliefs within a society or community about what is good, right, or important. They can include things like respect for elders, community solidarity, or individualism, and they often shape social norms and expectations.

⦁ Ethically, values are used to define what is morally right or wrong.

To figure out what's going on inside me, I have tried questionnaires and personality tests and church sermons. 

But this is the first time I have in my hand, in physical form, my 12 Core Values.

I don't usually pitch products in this space, but THIS REALLY HELPED.

⦁ I chose my 12 Values from a very large selection of 73 values, one on the front of each card of the deck, along with a short description of that value.

⦁ On the back of each card is a list of ideas for how to think about the value and suggestions for actions to bring this value more deeply into your life.

⦁ There are two blank cards if you need to add a value that you don't find in the deck. (I did  use one of those.)

⦁ There are three cards that are the "sorting cards": Matters Most, Matters Some, Doesn't Matter

⦁ There's a little booklet that describes how to use the cards, determine your core values, and how to study each in more depth to give you more insight. 

Click to Buy The Card Deck Now

Each card has a lovely illustration to represent the value. The definitions are concise and clear, the ideas and suggestions will give you abundant food for thought. I keep my 12 core values close by so I can use them for meditation, calming my monkey mind, and decision-making. They are a steadying influence in my chaotic world. 

I'm sure that whatever your circumstances, this deck of Values will guide you to become "a product of your decisions" in a positive way with decisions based on a firm foundation of personal and cultural values. With that foundation, you have every chance to live a satisfying and fulfilling life. 

Blessings on Your Day!

              

     Click to Buy The Card Deck Now

 

Taking in the Good

 I've heard several comments about hope over the years: 

• Hope is the most dangerous thing in a human; 
• Hope can be a driving force, a source of strength, and a beacon of light in the darkest times; 
• People with higher levels of hope tend to have better mental health outcomes and a higher quality of life.

The American Heritge Dictionary defines HOPE as "The longing or desire for something accompanied by the belief in the possibility of its occurrence."

One of the books my therapist recently gave me to study was Krista Tippett's Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living. She has a whole chapter on Hope as one of five virtues-- raw materials we humans can use to become wise. Here is something I learned for Krista's book to help me escape the "breaking news" and fill it with "fixing news."

"Hope is distinct, in my mind, from optimism or idealism. It has nothing to do with wishing. It references reality at every turn and reveres truth. It lives open-eyed and wholehearted within the darkness that is woven ineluctably into the light of life and sometimes seems to overcome it. (pg.232)

Hope inspires goodness to reveal itself. Hope takes goodness seriously, treats it as a data point, takes it in. This is a virtue for living in and of itself: taking in the good… (pg.259)

Our world is abundant with quiet hidden lives of beauty and courage and goodness. There are millions of people at any given moment, young and old, giving themselves over to service, risking hope, and all the while ennobling us all. To take such goodness in and let it matter - to let it define our take on reality as much as headlines of violence - is a choice we can make to live by the light in the darkness, to be brave and free… Taking in the good whenever and wherever we find it, gives us new eyes for seeing and living.” (pg. 265)

May you take in the good today. 

Five Steps to Your Story of Now

On the first Sunday in January, our minister at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (ERUUF) gave a sermon related to the month's theme: The Practice of Story. He made the case that before one makes a resolution in the New Year, it is prudent to take a measure of where you are now. He presented this self-reflection in a very simple way: the way of five. I have used this for my own reflection as I contemplated what direction I should take this year, and I offer it to you.

Rev. Daniel explains how story helps us make sense of life, to understand it. Our own story may help us learn what we're "awake" to (or not) and what we want.   Early in the year is a good time to tell our own  "Story of Now" - how we got to this moment, what gifts we've gathered, what did we learn, and now, what is wanting to be created.

Template for Reflection

FIVE: Reflect on five key moments in your life - crossroads, enlightenment, new directions, reflection on the path not taken.

FOUR: Four Beliefs under which you operate. These are ways in which you view the world. How do you approach life? Core values. In what do you put your faith?

THREE: Three people who have most impacted your life. Why and how did they make a difference?

TWO: Two intentions for the new year. What is a gift you have that you would like to share more fully? What quality of love would you like to add to the world? Hint: Love can be manifested in many ways... listening, giving, volunteering, donating, hugging, stop doing. How can you make your part of this world a better place?

ONE: One action step you will take this week to put your intentions into practice. Every week, rinse and repeat.

I encourage you to listen to the sermon so you can pick up any nuances that speak to you. Below is the link to the full sermon on YouTube. I've bookmarked the recording so it starts at the beginning of Rev. Daniel's sermon, instead of the beginning of the service, but if you want to watch the entire service, please do.

CLICK NOW!

  STORY OF NOW SERMON.

In the comments, let us know if you thought this exercise

 was valuable for you and why.

Blessings on your day!

The Source of Your Significance

I was sharing with a friend this week that I sometimes struggle with the feeling of being overlooked in life. It comes from some childhood experiences, but remains a consistent piece of my personality. I continue to recognize this feeling and work with it. My friend asked a question that stopped me in my tracks:

What is the source of your significance?

Rephrase. What reminds you that you're important in the world? What provides a gut-deep knowledge that you are significant?

My first reaction was, "Well, God is the source." But a moment later, I wasn't sure that was true. Yes, true out in the world, but perhaps not a truthful answer to this question of my significance and what is the source in reality. We often see ourselves as sources for change, pushing change into the world through our will and perseverance. Is that our significance, our personal contribution?

The darkness of this season may keep us a little closer to home, a little less eager to rush out and be a change agent. In the dark, no longer able to see clearly, we may be more ready to stop, to receive, to listen, to wait.  To focus on our Inner Light. To let silence and meditation bring forth an understanding of our true significance. In the dark, that Inner Light can smolder, refuel, recharge. When the longer days come, we'll be ready with a better comprehension of our purpose, a way forward.

May you find your way. Amen.

Psalm 90: On Human Frailty

The Psalmist speaks of how short our time on earth is--"eighty [years] for those who are strong" (v.10). Instead of the resignation of Ecclesiastes, here the writer offers a simple prayer:

Teach us to count up the days that are ours, and we shall come to the heart of wisdom. Each morning fill us with your faithful love, we shall sing and be happy all our days; let our joy be as long as the time that you [God, life] afflicted us, the years when we experienced disaster.  ~Psalm 90: 12, 14-15

 May it be so. Amen.

"Almost Heaven..."

For Thanksgiving this year, we drove to visit family in Pennsylvania. The trip takes us through the center of West Virginia, and as we drove through the "Wild and Wonderful" state, I could heard the John Denver song* loud and clear.

Another way to describe the land we crossed is "God's Country". People use this phrase for unspoiled land, a landscape untouched by humans, or one that reflects the power of God the Creator. More and more, I get the feeling that God's Country may be land that humans feel is too inhospitable for feasible economic development.

In the US, there's very little of God's Country left that doesn't have some imprint of a human hand on it. West Virginia is a state with a smaller population than its neighbors, and scenery that looks like some monster bear drew its claws through the land to create the layers of rolled hills, their outline softened by the brushy tops of leafless trees. Even here, there is the human touch. Light, perhaps, but there, nonetheless. The highway itself with its green direction signs and blue services signs cuts through with arrogant certainty. The large electric wire structures. Bare ski trails like tears on the mountainside. Cell phone tower spikes. Railroad tracks running along the bank of a creek. Billboard ads stuck on steep inclines blanketed with trees. Makes you wonder how the workers get to them. Water towers that look like one-half of a dumbbell stuck into the ground.

Driving in West Virginia is not for the faint of heart. Sitting as the state does in the Appalachian chain, there are l-o-n-g, s-l-o-w climbs up and down and long, winding curves. Guard rails are either an immovable mountain of rock or a thin ribbon of steel over which you can see nothing but the tops of trees and air. At 70 mph, the interstate demands your full driving attention.

We passed clusters of houses tucked into a holler that later became the route for the highway, miles from any sign of business, post office or general store. We saw black-faced sheep, small herds of black cattle, ponies, the occassional llama. A different lifestyle from what I'm used to. More isolated, more dependent on the land, neighbors, God.

Your description of God's Country may take a different form--rocky beaches, or vast plains or crystal blue lakes, towering mountains or endless desert--but having been born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, the "dark and dusty" vistas of West Virginia speak to me not with a joyous shout, but with a deep whisper of divine presence and praise; a low rumble of agelessness that doesn't have a source, but emanates from the Earth Mother. The ancient power here is not splashy, but simmers in the forested hills.

Where do you find God's Country?

Take moment to give thanks for the land and waters we share with all life. And pray that we take good care of it.

*"Take Me Home, Country Roads". Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. Cherry Lane Music, 1971.

Experience Vs. Belief

It's been a month since I've last shared with you. Since early October, I've attended the UUCF Revival in Dallas, visited a local United Church of Christ congregation, met with my church needlecraft ministry, spent an afternoon tending to a friend after her first colonoscopy, biked on a new walking/biking trail near my home and felt hot Summer turn to crisp Fall.

Experiences of God. Encounters with the Transcendent.

In their book "The Knitting Way: A Guide to Spiritual Self-Discovery", Linda Skolnik and Janice McDaniels write:

You don't have to believe in the Transcendent to encounter it. Ideas and beliefs don't bring understanding. Honoring and participating in the craft of life does. (pg. 51)

This is the essence of Unitarian Universalist spirituality, and it resonates deep within me.

The authors go on to share ideas surfaced at a 1995 National Institutes of Health meeting which focused on spirituality and religiousness as factors that affect an individual's health (pgs. 50-51). The first statement of the meeting included the clarification: "Spirtuality is concerned with the Transcendent, addressing ultimate questions about life's meaning, with the assumption that there is more to life than what we see or fully understand."

At the end of this chapter (pgs.51-52), the authors present a scientific research scale that can capture the depth of a person's daily connection with the Transcendent and possibly relate the results to health or treatment outcomes. The scale is called the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES). Because the scale is copyrighted, I will not copy its 16 items here, but point you to an original paper and encourage you to look it up in "The Knitting Way" to get a feel for how it might be helpful in personal spiritual practice.

How deep are your experiences, how often do you encounter the Transcendent?

Worship Is The Word

From Webster's New World Compact School and Office Dictionary, 1982:

worship n. 1. a service or rite showing reverence for a deity 2. intense love or adoration.

From "The American Heritage Dictionary", 3rd ed.:

worship n. 1a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol or a sacred object. b. The ceremonies, prayers or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. 2. Ardent devotion; adoration.

Reverence. Love. Devotion. Adoration. Worship.

Many Unitarian Universalists shy away from the word. Some feel there's nothing to worship. Others feel that the word is too...irrational, holy-roller, emotional. But UU Christians? Ah-h-h. We are more likely to use the word, act the word, at Sunday service and in our daily lives. It is the element of the UU Sunday service that we often say we miss, that we crave. I'm a strong proponent of ritual for its value in preparing us to enter a spiritual space of worship. A friend reminded me that, in general, Christian services with their visual drama, music and repeated prayers and actions provide a chance for us to encounter what Celtic language calls "thin places" where we can encounter God and can experience God's power, greatness, awesomeness. And worship with people similarly moved by the Spirit.

Some UU Christians are not Deists, do not believe in God, but they follow Jesus--Jeshua, the man, the rabbi, the moral teacher--and have an experience of his presence in their lives. I don't know how the word worship fits into their vocabulary, but I intend to ask at the UUCF Revival in October.

That's what we do as UU's--embrace the infinite colors of belief to come a little closer to the Truth. That's what we do as Christians--come together to learn how others experience the Divine, the Spirit of Life, Jesus.

I'm looking out my window at the summer sunlight filtering through the woods behind my house, the leaf green here, deep and vibrant, there, cut with patches of bright yellow green. An occasional breeze shifts the patterns. A beautiful morning full of promise, full of God's life.

A time for worship, indeed.

Jesus, Laughing

In two weeks, our Consulting Minister is leaving for a new ministry in Cape Cod. Today, she delivered her last sermon to our congregation. Among other words of wisdom and humor, she encouraged us as a congregation to play more, to laugh together. In essense, she said that, of course, our groups and teams--all poised for social action, spiritual exploration, or ministry--are wonderful and needed. But groups of people who work together, live together and love together also need to laugh together.

Immediately I thought of the DeColores Christian renewal weekend I attended 10 years ago. The leader of the weekend had picked the portrait of Jesus Laughing as the weekend's guiding image and theme. There were women at the weekend who balked at the image. To them Jesus was laughing AT them--for their faults, for their failures, for who they were. During the weekend, we supported each other to see the image as the leader intended--as Jesus laughing WITH us. In joy for our presence. In happiness for who we are and the potential of whom we can become.

I remember reading somewhere in the works about the historical Jesus, that the Bible has hints that Jesus liked a good party. He was always having a meal with friends, new and old, visiting, talking, and--I have no doubt--laughing. You do not weep at the news of a friend's death, as Jesus did for Lazarus, unless you have shared tears AND laughter with that person.

In our world, I'm sure you'll agree, we need more laughter among us, among groups, among nations.

I know some of you are facing troubles. I know some of you are celebrating joys. In troubles, find a way to laugh through the tears, not to minimize the sorrow, but to remind yourself of the sweet in life. Laugh with life's joys in full appreciation of the blessings you've been given.

Laughter strenghtens relationships. Laughter relieves stress. Laughter heals.

Today, laugh a little with Jesus. He'd have enjoyed that.

Life Is Short

"...life is never as long as we want it to be, and wasted time can never be recovered."
J.D. Robb, Divided in Death

This line from one of my favorite authors echoes a personal motto, forged at the sudden death of my father when I was 17: "Death may come when I least expect it. Let me do as much as I can."

I wondered if that echo can be found in the Bible; I had a hunch it could not. I found the following:

The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. (1 Peter 4:7)

Show me, O LORD, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Each man's life is but a breath. (Psalm 39: 5-6)

The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short
(Proverbs 10:27)

Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men! (Psalm 89:47)

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonias 5: 1-3)

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42-44)

I find these all rather depressing because the emotion surrounding each is FEAR. Watch out, be careful, be alert. That thief is out to get you.

There are many more verses that emphasize Eternal Life, the joy of it, the wonder of it, the ecstasy of it. As a UU Christian and a scientist, without hard evidence one way or the other, I don't worry so much about life after death. I worry about the here and now. "The Kingdom of God is at hand." (Mark 1:15)

But here is one of those places that quoting the Bible distorts The Way of Jesus. Because the bulk of the parables in the Gospels--the stories, not the single verses-- are Jesus' way of urging us to live in the here and now, to do as much as we can right now. Do good, we're shown, not out of fear, but out of love.

We don't need to quote the Bible as much as we need to digest it, eat it, chew on it and make it part of our very being. Otherwise, we miss the point.

Jesus rocks!