perspectives
I stumbled upon Amy-Jill Levine years ago at the public library after a church service where Ron had, for the third time, asked for volunteers to lead new small groups. Feeling burnt out on that model of ministry, I couldn’t imagine what might inspire me to say yes. The book that caught my eye was The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus. It was 2006, and I would have scoffed at the idea that ten years later I would be a pastor at New Covenant. I was intrigued enough to try a different kind of gathering, modeled loosely on Friday night Shabbat meals, which evolved into a staple of our family social life.
Nowadays, I rely on you all to point me to resources that inspire and inform us. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Daily Meditation emails from Richard Rohr don’t always get opened; I often play catchup. I appreciate their recent focus on the Core Principles of the Center for Action and Contemplation, starting with
1. The teaching of Jesus is our central reference point.
I find myself reassured. Yes, the teaching of Jesus. And, I am challenged by the complexity of understanding what he said and the difficulty of allowing Jesus’ words to change me. Parables, Amy-Jill Levine reminds us, are designed to provoke, refine, confront, disturb… Her introduction to Short Stories by Jesus is about how we domesticate Jesus’ provocative stories; her book is my go-to when a parable from the lectionary beckons me.
4. Practical truth is more likely found at the bottom and the edges than at the top or the center of most groups, institutions, and cultures.
Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, I am not at the bottom. It is probably a stretch to believe that I am at the edge. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus accepts a dinner invitation from a religious leader. That would be me. And perhaps you. Culturally, they were similar. They studied the Law, observed the same feasts, spoke the same language. But Jesus had a different perspective.
We are looking for Jesus’ perspective on our own culture. And so we seek insights from those at the margins. This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley was loaned to me weeks ago, but I needed the time and space of an airplane to read. I am not quite finished, and I expect to return to re-read it, a chapter at a time, whose titles are helpfully descriptive:
1. Dignity
2. Place
3. Wonder
4. Calling
5. Body
6. Belonging
7. Fear
8. Lament
9. Rage
10. Justice
11. Repair
12. Rest
13. Joy
14. Memory
15. Liberation
I ordered a copy for NCF. I appreciate reading, watching, and discussing different perspectives. I invite you, as you have invited me. Contemplating the teachings of Jesus is never boring. His advice to his dinner host is challenging to us as well.
Therefore, give to those in need from the core of who you are and you will be clean all over. Luke 11:41 (CEB)
May we not be satisfied with simple interpretations, but be inspired by perspectives from the edge, and so seek to learn and follow our Teacher. -Renée