A few weeks ago when our daughter Abby and husband Stephen were over from Ireland vacationing with us they said they would like to project us into the twenty first century…..and so the new web site that they put together, with the news that our music is now “on Spotify”, has just gone live!
I have to admit I’m a little nervous of a higher profile. The reason is because of the crab in the pot of water phenomena. You remember the story of the crab put into a pot of room temperature water, which is slowly brought to the boil so that the crab oblivious to the creeping danger, ends up – as DINNER!
When we first arrived in America it hit me like a ton of bricks (or should that be ‘ice’…to continue the crab analogy?) that a principle spirit at work in the culture here (and engulfing the rest of the world) is the spirit of “Show Business” i.e. It’s all about “image” – looking good….. in order to “turn a profit.” I remember a few months later a young man in Holland I was talking to making the off hand comment, “Americans seem so fake”
Sadly we in Christ’s church are not immune from this “Show Business” culture which is why some end up leaving when they see through “the act”.
The opposite of this spirit is “Authentic Love” which Jesus said would charcterise his true disciples. (Jn. 13:34,35) What does that look like? Unsolicited Kindness? Unheralded Helpfulness? (un)Common Decency? Unpretentious brotherhood?
The story in Genesis 24 illustrates it beautifully when Eliezer (the Holy Spirit) on behalf of Abraham (The Father) goes in search of a wife (The bride of Christ- the church) for his son Issac (Jesus). Rebecca demonstrates true altruism as she gives Eliezer a drink and then spontaneously ‘runs’ to draw water for all his camels, totally unaware that there would be any ‘profit’ in it for her. Eliezer concluded he had found “the real deal’
I was in a church service recently when by mistake a commercial for parental software came on the screen. It said, “Parents can track all the ‘devices’ their kids are on” I smiled. Our Father is fully aware of our ‘devices’ and sees through all our religious posturing and pretense which many of us crabs in the pews or at the front are oblivious too, while others who feel “Something’s just not right here!” jump ship, afraid of becoming part of a “religious” stew.
When Jesus was pursued by two of John’s disciples he said, “Come and see where I live!” not “Come and join me on my stage.” He invites us to walk with Him in scrutiny at the most fundamental level of life……come and see what my most intimate relationships are like, how I handle my finances, how I respond when trouble hits, who I am when the crowds have gone home. I ‘m sure Jesus’ three years of this 24/7 open life together with His ragtag bunch of 12 regular blokes made for some honest and amusing dinner conversation! Consider, “When the ten heard about this they were indignant (with the other two)” (Matt.20:24)
We have been clearing out our son’s house because of a bad case of mold. Mold corresponds to Mortality in Leviticus 14. I was ‘cleansing’ one of the stools, thought I had finished and then realized there was a whole other ‘hidden underbelly’ of the stool that also needed attention. There, attached to the bottom along with the mold, was a piece of paper with some scribbled words in my son’s handwriting ……the forgotten beginnings of another song.
“There Goes the Heart of Another Believer”
I was relieved to discover,
that Christians had only uncovered
half of the truth.
I awoke in a fever
And told the church I couldn’t believe her
And that was the truth
I guess disillusionment is good if it leads to us seeking the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth – a thoroughly clean stool that we can confidently rest the full weight of our faith on!
Hilary and I sometimes listen to an album called “A Perfect World” In the title track there is a line, “transparent, weightless, luminous”
I suppose that is the journey we each need to go on to become part of that perfect world. Firstly to be transparent by coming out from behind our false coverings. I don’t mean letting it all hang out on Facebook…I mean “truthing it in love”(Eph.4:13) with a few others we are genuinely accountable to, who are committed to going with us on the same journey of integrity.
Becoming transparent with some true friends gives us the help we need to do the real ‘ heart work’. “Let us strip off every weight(less) that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” (Heb.12:1 NLT)
As we do this then our hope is that God’s luminous glory will be revealed at His appointed time through TRUTHFUL and TRUE Sons. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Our website describes this desire as the basis of our “Fellowship at Rivendell.”…..the desire to be thoroughly cleansed, ready when the time comes, to put off Mortality and put on Immortality
Maybe the Beatles were more prophetic than they realized when they sang, “I get high with a little help from my friends”
…….so help US God!
P.S. I came across this confirmatory scripture this week from the Message, “I’m doing the very best I can, and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.” (Ps.101:2)
P.P.S. Oh yes the website address is https://www.paulkyle.org