Bent II

Ok. So here's the thing: I sometimes wonder if our most compelling reason for being bent is to escape being bent. Follow? We work and work and work-so we can retire. We drag ourselves through 5 days so that we can enjoy 2. Ok. That maybe embellishing a little. But for some of us, that's become our routine. And that sucks.

What about church? Has the church become our relief from bent-ed-ness? Do we go to recharge because life is grinding us down? Because the world appears to be falling apart? Because, God, if ever there could be a refuge, surely the church could do that? Surely.

And yes, I'd say it ought to. But.

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For most of my life, I understood God to be Holy. To be perfect and pure. And in his being perfect, I'd believe that he was capable of great mercy. Even compassion. But in my heart that seemed to be more an outflow of his holiness, and his perfectness, his---his totally good-ness without a hint of badness. It seemed to be more of a secondary effect of his character, rather than a primary one. You know? Almost like the kind of thing that you'd expect from a little miss-perfect pants. And it could, even as it is graciously extended to you, piss you off even more. That is SO typical! Because it just puts you at an even further distance from God, because you know, you can't measure up to that sort of ...generosity.

But.

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I often hear people talk about life as though it's a race. "It's a marathon, not a sprint," they say. Then I hear people console me, saying, "He's there at the end, waiting to crown you, good and faithful servant." Others say, "NO! He's not at the end-he's running along side!"

And that's all very good. I can remember seeing Carl Lewis, and Edwin Moses running their races, sprints in some cases, lap after tiresome legs-burning lap in others. So I have had this picture of racing in my mind. A single course, visible in it's entirity. And it's just endurance now. That is, the ability to endure utter boredom and the considerable pain of counting each miserable lap. But I've begun to understand my life a little differently lately.

The Tour de France. One of professional bicyclings most legendary and infamous races. It's composed of roughly 20 stages. It takes riders almost 3 weeks to complete. Each stage has unique characteristics, being either urban or rural, flat or devestatingly hilly. Or just plain old hilly. Weather becomes a factor when the race takes most of a month. Sickness. Psychology.
I guess my point is that completing every course, every stage of the race is dominated by unique characteristics. Having done well in this stage, or even these several stages, can still crumble in another kind of stage. Or vice versa.

My understanding of life as a race has recently changed from the former more to the latter. Stages rather than laps. My life recently turned a corner, started a new stage if you will. Really kind of revolving around my view of God. It's become defined by an altogether different trait: God's bent-ed-ness.

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God has shown himself to be bent. Can you believe that? I have come to see God as being bent on the business of repair. No. Restoration. No, not good enough. Re-creating. God is bent, myopic, obsessed, driven---totally captured by the business of re-claiming what is His, re-building what is broken, re-storing what has been lost and re-created what was once fantastic. Now, is that all he does? Is that all he cares about? No. He cares about justice, he loves obedience, and he blesses the faithful. But before any of that can be done-he cares about restoring the relationship.

The Bible says that Jesus was obedient to death, even death on a cross. Does that mean that the cross had authority over him? I don't know, but I'm inclined to thinking that he (Jesus) simply chose obedience, every time, even when the next obedient choice would mean death. Jesus was bent on obedience to His Father's will. Which he continually connected with forgiveness, with repentance, with baptism to new life.

Ok. So what's this got to do with yesterdays survey (there were no results to report). I am so pleased to be a partner in my church. We are bent on obedience. And I believe that God is bent on being a gracious repairer and provider.

Our church is eating it big time. I don't think we're special in that regard. But economical woes find their ways to non-profits and churches, and we're no exception. But God is using us to provide. Our food pantry is serving it up bigger every month. We're partnered with eight other churches. We wring our hands because our church can't grow because we don't have enough parking, and we've been moaning over attendence stuff forever. But our food pantry is kicking food out the door like doorbusters.

We recently partnered up with a group of master gardeners who are going to use our real-estate to ... plant FOOOD. We're gonna have a big ole garden in our frontyard. And then we're gonna kick out canned goods AND veggies too. That's the business. And next month we're opening a free medical clinic. We recently had an open house and had over 50 local medical professionals and doctors sign up. We are bent on making God-stuff happen in our rich little suburb. Cause people are dying here too. And if God cares enough to plant a church there, he must want something to change there. That's what I want to be bent on.