Christ Encounters of the Liturgical Kind
Community: Assembled in the Name of Jesus Christ
Gathered around the incarnate Word, we discover ourselves.
John's Apocalypse of Jesus Christ -- 19: 9 & 17 -- GreekBible -- English
Μακάριοι οἱ εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τοῦ ἀρνίου κεκλημένοι
Δεῦτε συνάχθητε εἰς τὸ δεῖπνον τὸ μέγα τοῦ θεοῦ
The Testimony of John ~ John 1: 1-18 & 1 John 1: 1-4
Today's Story ~
We are the living epistles seen and read by all. ~ 1000
words.
You
are
what
you eat!
Undoubtedly, you have heard this expression at least once in your life! It is usually said in connection with physical dietary standards, but today I am going to challenge you to consider the deeper spiritual applications of how this age-enduring observation is directly relevant to your life. This challenge will not only involve a fresh evaluation of what physical food represents, but also a deeply personal self-evaluation process that is not at all comfortable.
But first, let me introduce myself. My name is John. Several writings from the New Testament are attributed to me, but I must quickly point out something that is not entirely obvious to modern biblical readers. Some of you may already be wondering if I am the Baptist, the Evangelist, the beloved Disciple, the Apostle, or the prophetic Seer.
This question, however, illustrates my point, for I am all of the above and more. Please permit me to briefly explain.
As the Baptist, my liturgical role is to immerse the initiate into the drama that is being depicted throughout scripture. This responsibility requires that I straighten any twisted paths in order that the Way of the Lord may be discovered, for it is the narrow path which leads to age-abiding life. Truly, I must decrease that Christ may increase within.
As the Evangelist, my liturgical role is to deliver the good news that all of creation may now discover wholeness. This responsibility requires that I go out into the highways and byways of life to compel the lost, the down-trodden, and the sick to return to the House of the Lord. Truly, blessed are those who entrust themselves to the Lord.
As the beloved Disciple, my liturgical role is to be the Friend of the Bridegroom by preparing the bridal Church. This responsibility requires that I lean upon the Master's chest to inquire into the deep longings of the Lord's heart by entrusting myself to the ever-virgin Mother of God. Truly, great and marvelous is the divine exchange.
As the Apostle, my liturgical role is to be a living witness of the risen Christ dwelling within the heart of humanity.
This responsibility requires that I fully identify myself with the plight of all humanity as we collectively restore the cosmos to an adornment fit for a worthy bride. Truly, all creation groans in anticipation of the Coming One.
As the prophetic Seer, my liturgical role is to make known the Mystery of God through song and proclamation. This responsibility requires that I take the sacred scrolls and vocalize the words as the Spirit moves upon me.
Truly, blessed are the singers of the new song, for heaven and earth moves at the sound of the Lord's voice.
As a community, we have performed these liturgical roles on one another's behalf down through the centuries. While each role naturally spills over into the next, this five-fold division does capture the underlying essence of Christianity as we have experienced it. Truly, we have tasted, touched, and seen that the Lord is good to all.
Speaking of which, I promised to challenge you to a deeper self-examination when it comes to food. The modern secular world generally reduces everything to pure biology and chemistry. While there is merit to this perspective, modern quantum physics shows that consciousness affects the results of experimental processes. This means that our perception of reality is subject to both individual and collective consciousness. As such, eastern religious traditions affirm that the physical realm is essentially a dream-like illusion that doesn't actually exist. The primary objective is to escape this illusory realm by disassociating with the things that keep us karmically bound to one another. It is for this reason that great stress is placed upon meditation, self-denial, and other ascetic practices. The hope is that this will lead to enlightenment and ultimately greater control over future incarnations upon the earth.
By way of contrast, western religions affirm that the physical realm is essentially a type of computer-generated world that alludes to another realm in which all things genuinely exist and have their being. The Matrix movie trilogy or the series of Sims video games are good modern examples of this perspective, but Plato's cave is a good classical model. Additionally, the bible is full of examples. A few would include the idea that the soul is a sojourner upon the earth or that the prodigal son is squandering away his life inheritance in the far country. In each case, the soul is understood to be an eternal being that is experiencing temporal conditions in a realm that is an allusion to its true home. While western traditions also envision an "escape" from this world, it is not without first acknowledging the reason for why the soul chose to incarnate upon the earth to begin with. Soul growth is the primary objective, so this realm is understood to be a place in which the heart is converted through a series of incarnations.
Ultimately, the biblical climax is depicted - in the final pages of canonical scripture - as a great wedding feast. This apocalyptic vision is completely saturated in cultic terminology as it truly unveils the purpose of scripture. It is not enough to simply read scripture in the hope of obtaining information, knowing good doctrine, or even pleasing God. Scripture must become the food by which the mind is nourished and the body is subdued. Then and only then will all of the apparent contradictions and inconsistencies begin to reconcile themselves within one's own being. Just as a vegetarian diet embodies life while meat-consumption embodies death, so likewise are the spiritual parallels. By building up the community at the family and neighborhood level, you would be doing the one thing that few people have been willing to do. Truly, we all reap according to what we have sown. Let us therefore enflesh the word within ourselves and then offer ourselves to others so that they too may partake of age-abiding life.
Author's Note ~ The Divine
Condescension & The Economy of God ~ 300 words.
Throughout this storybook, I have sought to challenge my audience to view both life and scripture through a fresh set of eyes. There is only so much that can be said in four stories consisting of nearly four thousand words, but this final story does represent what I hope to be a solid foundation upon which others may continue to build.
In this fourth story, I have chosen to write in the name of John apart from tying myself to a specific individual identified by this name. Instead, I wanted to introduce the idea that many of the appended name titles represent liturgical roles rather than last names. Thus, Jesus is the Christ, Mary is the Magdalene, Simon is the Rock, etc.
While it is true that biblical scripture is historical in character, the historicity mostly involves communities rather than specific individuals. This is why biblical scholars and theologians speak of Pauline, Petrine, Johanine, Markan, and Lukan communities among others. Ultimately, this makes canonical scripture more reliable rather than less.
Contrary to popular belief, the disciples of Jesus are portrayed as ignorant fishermen for reasons that are radically different than most assume. Not only is scripture allegorical, but it is meant to be applied to oneself. Canonical scripture intentionally appeals to the common man on the streets and the language reflects this targeted audience.
As such, it is highly probable that additional scriptures will be unearthed in the years ahead that reflect a more advanced level of spirituality that is appropriate for mature communities. The most holy and uncorrupted set of scriptures ever written, however, is of very little use to those who fail to appropriate what has already been given.
In other words, let us dust off our bibles and put them to good use lest we should miss our time of divine visitation.
Documentation &
Additional
Resources
Image information:
Jan van Eyck "Ghent Altarpiece" painting: finished in 1432; Detail: Adoration of the Lamb; Websource: Wikipedia
Bibliography:
The Temple and the Church's Mission, by G. K. Beale; InterVarsity Press, 2004; GoogleBooks
The Drama of Doctrine, by Kevin J. Vanhoozer; Westminister John Knox Press, 2005; GoogleBooks
Eat This Book, by Eugene H. Peterson; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006; GoogleBooks
The Roots of Christian Mysticism, by Olivier Clement; New City Press, 1995; GoogleBooks
The Spirit of the Liturgy, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger; Ignatius Press, 2000; GoogleBooks
Sacred Drama, by Patricia Wilson-Kastner; Augsburg Fortress, 1999; GoogleBooks
Letter and Spirit, by Scott Hahn; Doubleday, 2005; GoogleBooks