A More Expansive God
Yesterday I wrote about some of what Father Gregory Boyle believes about kinship and God’s “boundless” compassion.
Later in the day I spend some of the afternoon reading one of Father Boyle’s books, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. Much of what he has written resonates with what has always seemed true to me. I recall reading many years ago Mark Twain saying in Letters from Earth we humans have a narrow, restrictive, joyless concept of heaven and the Divinity. It has seemed to me we humans often conceptualize a God who, to me, is not at all kind, attractive, or someone I would choose as a friend. He is often conceptualized as this revengeful, egotistical, jealous, unforgiving God. While depending on which interpretation of the New Testament one believes, one might find a concept of Jesus as part of the trinity, as one who is more forgiving and accepting of our humanness even this concept is very restrictive. We are admonished to believe in Jesus as our savior who requires us to acknowledge him as such. If we do not ask for forgiveness from Christ we are doomed for all eternity. We are told we must accept Christ in order to be “saved”; that we must “go and sin no more.”
God does not fare well any better in any of the other religious frameworks. Often He is envisioned as a God who requires great sacrifice, even martyrdom. He may ask us to denounce alcohol, sex outside of procreation, equality of men and women and much else that we humans often find desirable and enjoyable.
Historically, as a young man, I tried to be this perfect person who renounced all “sin”. Naturally I daily failed. Even when I did manage to be “good” it was often because I was so fearful of God’s wrath and not because I really believed in being “good”.
It was only later that I came to believe that God’s was love and that love knew no bounds. I figured that God knew we are human; that we do hurtful things to each other, Mother Nature and ourselves. My understanding of Jesus became one of a man who just hangs out with “the least of them”. He does not say I will love you if you beg for forgiveness, if you are truly sorry for your terrible, sinful behavior. He simply, in my mind and reading of some of the the New Testament says, “Oh come here. Let me give you a hug and a kiss.” Even with Judas he opens his arms and holds him close to his bosom. He does not say, “Bad boy. After all I have done for you. How could you? You best get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. I may or may not grant it or ask my father to grant it. “ No, he basically says, “Oh come here. Quit acting shameful. I knew you were human for goodness sake. Let me hug and give you a kiss.”
Father Boyne says on page 27 of the Kindle edition, “The desire of God’s heart is immeasurably larger than our imagination can conjure. This longing of God’s to give us peace and assurance and a sense of well being only awaits our willingness to cooperate with God’s limitedness magnanimity. “ In other words, as I understand Father Boyce, all we have to do is to say to ourselves “left foot, right foot, left foot…” until we reach Her open arms and allow ourselves to be embraced.
The very next paragraph on pages 27 and 28 of Father Boyle’s book says:
“Behold the one holding you and smiling.” It is precisely because we have such an overactive disapproval gland ourselves that we tend to create God in our own image. It is truly hard for us to see the truth that disapproval does not seem to be a part of God’s DNA. God is just too busy loving us to have any time left for disappointment.”
Now I realized that many in the Christian Church including the minister I just heard when I attended Easter Service do not present God as this available and accepting. I also know that with the exception of the Buddhist philosophy or the principles of the 12-step program that there are often many rules and conditions to be met before God opens Her arms.
Just recently, for example the Presbyterian Church approved the marriage of it as well as opposite sex couples, but stopped short of requiring all ministers in their church to perform marriages of same sex couples. The interim pastor of the church I have been attending would not commit from the pulpit where he stood. I do know that when the city in which I am living invited local ministers to participate in performing marriage ceremonies for folks who had been waiting years to be married, this minister stated that the rules of the church requires all couple to go through premarital counseling prior to a ceremony being performed. Really! Many of these couples had been together for many years. Once again I know that I would have said that in these circumstances the rules were silly. Let’s represent the loving, compassionate God and welcome these couples into God’s
Earthly committee. Of course, that might have resulted in a call from my church superiors on Monday morning. I recall receiving many such calls when I was an ordained minister. My superiors would get a call stating that the Reverend Pickett did such and such. I would then get a call saying that I was accused of doing such and such. Almost always I respond with a non-shameful, “Yup, I did that.” For example when I married the daughter of a woman who had been thrown out of the church when she had her current “husband” began living together and taking care of her former husband who was in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. This couple treated this man with enormous love. I was very impressed. Of course, I welcomed them home to the church.
Yet, the God that I envision will welcome home those church elders who kicked out this family. He will welcome home the minister who refuses to marry same sex couples. He will welcome home all those who got remarried without having their first marriage declared non-valid in the eyes of the church. He will welcome home al the men and women on the sexual offenders list just as She will welcome home all those gang violent gang members who Father Boyle embraces as servants of God.
The teacher, Ram Dass, is often quoted as saying that “We are all just walking each other home.” I love that quote because, for me, it implies that (1) we are all walking side by side and (2) we will be welcomed when we arrive home
It is paradoxical that treating “sinners” with loving kindness, offering them hope and a sense of purpose accomplished more than all the jails and prisons we have erected, more than the harsh lectures of rebuke we have delivered; more than the reminders to confess their sins even while we are kicking them.
Meister Eckhart, the theologian who lived from 1260 to 1328 wrote, “God is greater than God.” Perhaps more accurately, God (capital G) is greater than god (lower case meaning our human concept of Her).
Yesterday I wrote about some of what Father Gregory Boyle believes about kinship and God’s “boundless” compassion.
Later in the day I spend some of the afternoon reading one of Father Boyle’s books, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. Much of what he has written resonates with what has always seemed true to me. I recall reading many years ago Mark Twain saying in Letters from Earth we humans have a narrow, restrictive, joyless concept of heaven and the Divinity. It has seemed to me we humans often conceptualize a God who, to me, is not at all kind, attractive, or someone I would choose as a friend. He is often conceptualized as this revengeful, egotistical, jealous, unforgiving God. While depending on which interpretation of the New Testament one believes, one might find a concept of Jesus as part of the trinity, as one who is more forgiving and accepting of our humanness even this concept is very restrictive. We are admonished to believe in Jesus as our savior who requires us to acknowledge him as such. If we do not ask for forgiveness from Christ we are doomed for all eternity. We are told we must accept Christ in order to be “saved”; that we must “go and sin no more.”
God does not fare well any better in any of the other religious frameworks. Often He is envisioned as a God who requires great sacrifice, even martyrdom. He may ask us to denounce alcohol, sex outside of procreation, equality of men and women and much else that we humans often find desirable and enjoyable.
Historically, as a young man, I tried to be this perfect person who renounced all “sin”. Naturally I daily failed. Even when I did manage to be “good” it was often because I was so fearful of God’s wrath and not because I really believed in being “good”.
It was only later that I came to believe that God’s was love and that love knew no bounds. I figured that God knew we are human; that we do hurtful things to each other, Mother Nature and ourselves. My understanding of Jesus became one of a man who just hangs out with “the least of them”. He does not say I will love you if you beg for forgiveness, if you are truly sorry for your terrible, sinful behavior. He simply, in my mind and reading of some of the the New Testament says, “Oh come here. Let me give you a hug and a kiss.” Even with Judas he opens his arms and holds him close to his bosom. He does not say, “Bad boy. After all I have done for you. How could you? You best get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. I may or may not grant it or ask my father to grant it. “ No, he basically says, “Oh come here. Quit acting shameful. I knew you were human for goodness sake. Let me hug and give you a kiss.”
Father Boyne says on page 27 of the Kindle edition, “The desire of God’s heart is immeasurably larger than our imagination can conjure. This longing of God’s to give us peace and assurance and a sense of well being only awaits our willingness to cooperate with God’s limitedness magnanimity. “ In other words, as I understand Father Boyce, all we have to do is to say to ourselves “left foot, right foot, left foot…” until we reach Her open arms and allow ourselves to be embraced.
The very next paragraph on pages 27 and 28 of Father Boyle’s book says:
“Behold the one holding you and smiling.” It is precisely because we have such an overactive disapproval gland ourselves that we tend to create God in our own image. It is truly hard for us to see the truth that disapproval does not seem to be a part of God’s DNA. God is just too busy loving us to have any time left for disappointment.”
Now I realized that many in the Christian Church including the minister I just heard when I attended Easter Service do not present God as this available and accepting. I also know that with the exception of the Buddhist philosophy or the principles of the 12-step program that there are often many rules and conditions to be met before God opens Her arms.
Just recently, for example the Presbyterian Church approved the marriage of it as well as opposite sex couples, but stopped short of requiring all ministers in their church to perform marriages of same sex couples. The interim pastor of the church I have been attending would not commit from the pulpit where he stood. I do know that when the city in which I am living invited local ministers to participate in performing marriage ceremonies for folks who had been waiting years to be married, this minister stated that the rules of the church requires all couple to go through premarital counseling prior to a ceremony being performed. Really! Many of these couples had been together for many years. Once again I know that I would have said that in these circumstances the rules were silly. Let’s represent the loving, compassionate God and welcome these couples into God’s
Earthly committee. Of course, that might have resulted in a call from my church superiors on Monday morning. I recall receiving many such calls when I was an ordained minister. My superiors would get a call stating that the Reverend Pickett did such and such. I would then get a call saying that I was accused of doing such and such. Almost always I respond with a non-shameful, “Yup, I did that.” For example when I married the daughter of a woman who had been thrown out of the church when she had her current “husband” began living together and taking care of her former husband who was in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. This couple treated this man with enormous love. I was very impressed. Of course, I welcomed them home to the church.
Yet, the God that I envision will welcome home those church elders who kicked out this family. He will welcome home the minister who refuses to marry same sex couples. He will welcome home all those who got remarried without having their first marriage declared non-valid in the eyes of the church. He will welcome home al the men and women on the sexual offenders list just as She will welcome home all those gang violent gang members who Father Boyle embraces as servants of God.
The teacher, Ram Dass, is often quoted as saying that “We are all just walking each other home.” I love that quote because, for me, it implies that (1) we are all walking side by side and (2) we will be welcomed when we arrive home
It is paradoxical that treating “sinners” with loving kindness, offering them hope and a sense of purpose accomplished more than all the jails and prisons we have erected, more than the harsh lectures of rebuke we have delivered; more than the reminders to confess their sins even while we are kicking them.
Meister Eckhart, the theologian who lived from 1260 to 1328 wrote, “God is greater than God.” Perhaps more accurately, God (capital G) is greater than god (lower case meaning our human concept of Her).
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