The Examen

We missed Greer this week, but Carol did a fine job holding down the fort by herself--with the help of a wonderful discussion by the class, of course.

She introduced The Examen to us, which is an old "tradition within the church of reviewing the day and reflecting on that which has not brought wholeness."

A little history is that it is actually called The Examen of Consciousness and comes from the Jesuit (or, Society of Jesus) tradition founded by St Ignatius of Loyola in the sixteenth century.

Examining the Examen

The Examen has no formal rules, per se, but it is recommended to be done twice each day. Additionally, there are five basic guidlines:

1. Recall/acknowledge that you are in the presence of God. You are creature, surrounded by creation, in the presence of the Creator. Feel the presence of God around you and within you. Reflect on the creating, sustaining, redeeming, and re-creating presence of God.
2. Think back on your day with gratitude. In you is the Breath of Life, the holy ruach (Hebrew for wind, breath, spirit) that gives life to your body and you soul. Be thankful for for this, but also look for specific things from the day. Think of the small and simple things that often go overlooked as we await the next big thing. Remember the aroma of your morning coffee, the look on your child's face in the morning when s/he first sees you. Recall the person who smiled at you, who held the door for you, who prepared a meal for you, who helped you with a project, who said a nice word to you. And reflect on the grace that has allowed you to extend an act of kindness to another.
3. Ask the Spirit to enter you and help you to honestly examine your day. This is not an exercise meant to beat yourself up. After all, it is possible that, through the grace of God, you have been pretty faithful. At any rate, though, this is a time for growth, a time to learn from mistakes, a time to become more conscious of God's presence in our lives. Be grateful for the good done, but be mindful of the wrongs. Reflect on the context: who was around, what time of day was it, what as happening at the time? Also, try to recall your thoughts: did the act occur in an instant, or was there premeditation involved? Were you conflicted as to what to do? If so, where did the conflict lie? Be challenged, but also be encouraged and learn how to be more faithful to the God that is Love.
4. With those things that have not brought wholeness in mind, ask for forgiveness. Be honest with yourself and with God. Be aware of God's loving and redeeming presence even in our sinfulness. As Brother Will Campbell summarizes the gospel: We're all bastards, but God loves us anyway. Be grateful for that love, a love not only because of, but also in spite of.
5. Now, offer yourself to God again. This is a time to reflect on your status as one created in the image of God, as a Christ-follower, as one filled with the Spirit. Ask for the gift of sight, that you will be better able to see opportunities for the good, to see the needs of our neighbors, whether at home or at work or at church or on the street corner or on the other side of the Earth. Ask for the gift of discernment, that you may be better able to make wise and loving choices. Ask for the gift of love, so that love will guide all that you do.
6. Close, if you like (you don't have to), with the Lord's Prayer.

Thank you Carol, for reminding us of this venerable tradition of the church, one of the traditions of the Catholic Church we Protestants left in what is we like to call the Reformation, but which could also be called the Second Great Schism, the first having split the church into East (Greek/Orthodox) and West (Latin/Catholic). There are many such traditions out there still. May we learn from our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers some of these ancient ways.

Identity?

Over the past couple of weeks, our pastor has been dancing around a topic that is very interesting, but also possibly controversial.

And maybe that's why he hasn't dealt with it head-on, which is not a criticism; it may, in fact, show great wisdom. There are some issues that may be better suited for a discussion than a sermon. Plus, we must keep in mind that the sermon is for the Body.

At any rate, we can think about and discuss such topics here.

By now, you may be thinking: What is this topic?

The topic is the knowledge Jesus had of himself and his identity. More specifically, the topic is whether Jesus had to grow into this knowledge.

Last week, the sermon dealt with the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7). It is a troubling story because Jesus calls this woman a dog, denying her request for a healing. She then responds that even the dogs get the crumbs from the table. And, as a result, Jesus has a change of heart and provides the healing.

There's no getting around the fact that, in Scripture, Jesus calls a woman a dog. And it seems as if he calls her such because of her race (e.g., her non-Jewish, or Gentile, status). As our pastor noted, many commentators try to soften this fact. But that's because they read the story from a post-Easter perspective.

Although our pastor was critical of such interpretations, he was nonetheless uncomfortable accepting the interpretation that Jesus experienced a conversion, a change of attitude, as a result of being confronted by this woman. He compared it to the baptism of Jesus, which he said was not necessary.

I happen to disagree on both points, but that's not the issue. The issue is that these are things we should be discussing in (and out of) church.

Is Jesus a static person who never changes? (Hebrews 13.8)

Or, does Jesus grow and mature over time? (Luke 2.52)

Connected to this discussion, this week the sermon dealt with the extent to which Jesus knew who he was/is, if he had doubts or questions, and how he handled this.

It revolves around a question Jesus asks: Who do you say I am?

An interesting point raised in the sermon is that Jesus may not have known, or may not have been sure, or may have been sure but had doubts, or was seeking an outside opinion. This is an interpretation Nikos Kazantzakis offers in his novel, The Last Temptation of Christ. And it is suggested again later when Jesus prays in the Garden before his execution.

Are you comfortable with a Jesus who has questions, who has doubts? Are you comfortable, in short, with a Jesus like you and me? Why, or why not?

Who am I?

The sermon this past Sunday raised several questions about identity, from the most basic to the most complex. And it is not always easy to distinguish basic and complex, especially when dealing with identity.

In Mark 8, Jesus asks, Who Do You Say I Am?

From this one question, David drew several questions for us:

• What is he asking?
• Is it a rhetorical question?
• Is Jesus seeking a second opinion?
• Is Jesus questioning himself?
• Is he assessing the disciples?
• Is Jesus assessing us?

These are all interesting questions. And who's to say that any one of these is correct. Why can't all of these questions apply? Scripture often works at different levels simultaneously. Narratives, stories like this one in Mark, especially operate that way. Any good story has more than one meaning.

Take some time to ask these questions and think about some possible answers.

Upgrades!

We have a few upgrades here at First Responses.

(#1) Some of you have already noticed the 'Social Vibe' gadget on the right column (under the reading list). This is a way for us to raise money for a designated non-profit. All you have to do is click on the gadget and view a short ad. The sponsor whose ad you viewed then donates money to your cause. You can add 'Social Vibe' to your blog, your Facebook, etc.

Children's Miracle Network was chosen for the First Responses site for several reasons. First, many of us have children. Secondly, many of us work or have ties to the medical profession. Thirdly, Memphis is known for the quality of medical care it provides to children. In other words, it just seemed like the most appropriate from the list.

Take a minute to raise money for a good cause whenever you visit First Responses, even if you don't care for the sponsor. And thanks to those who already have. We've already earned 188 baloons over the past week or so without asking.

(#2) First Responses now has its own email address. So, if you have any questions, or a comment you would rather not post on the blog, just shoot a message over to firstresponses@gmail.com and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

(#3) As many of you know, a Gmail account provides you Google Calendar. And that is a great thing, making it easy to share dates and information. So, First Responses now has a Calendar up and open to the public. Just let us know and we can share it with you.

Upcoming events include Soccer at Evergreen Pres, the Men's Retreat, Trunk-or-Treat, and the concerts at the Levitt Shell.

Monkin' It Up!

We had a great time at the Levitt Shell last night. If you missed it, that's too bad. But you'll have to join us for some of the upcoming shows.

Last night, Lily Afshar opened on the classical guitar, setting the contempletive mood for the Tibetan monks who followed. The monks were great, beginning their set meditatively with some multiphonic chanting...

...and then increasing their energy as the sun went down. By nightfall, they were performing traditional dances, including the Dance of the Black Hat Masters and, everyone's favorite, the Snow Lion Dance (the last couple minutes are the best):

They took a break for intermission and picked right up where they left off, with more sacred music and sacred dance. The Dance of the Skeleton Lords and the Dance of the Space Travellers were fun, but our family had to get our (sleeping) son home and missed the Yak Dance. I did find a video, though:

All in all, a great time for all! Come out and join us next time, won't you?

Here's some extra video of the Mystical Arts of Tibet:

Spit!

In Mark 7.31-37, half of our sermon text this morning, Jesus uses his spit to heal a man. He does this elsewhere as well.

That's pretty gross, right?

Well, does spit offend you? If spit is gross, does Jesus gross you out? What if the spit belongs to Jesus, is being used by Jesus to provide healing? If that changes things, why? And, what would you think of someone today walking around and doing the same?

Just asking.

PR?

Sometimes Jesus was great at promoting his ministry, like when he fed the multitude. If you were his PR rep, moments like that would have made your job a breeze. He had a large and hungry crowd, but he takes care of them. A PR rep wouldn't have to spin that or seek the attention of the people.

On the other hand, there were other moments that would just drive you mad. Take today's sermon text, Mark 7.24-37, where Jesus tries to hide his healings. That's when a PR rep would take Jesus out back and give him a good talking-to.

What do we make of this? Do we promote the good things our church is doing? Or do we let our deeds speak for themselves and spread through word of mouth?

I really don't know--and it's rare for me not to have a hard opinion.

So, what do you think?