Sunday, September 24, 2017

TALES OF THE MYSTIC JOURNEY - ABRAHAM - Part II



ABRAM

Hebrew scripture presents a picture of genealogical continuity from our mythic first parents to the arrival of Abram.  Doing so affords the prophetic promise of paradise regained a traceable linear path from prehistory to history, from a mythic past to an identifiable present.  With Abram, Hebrew scriptures enters into an identifiable and verifiable present.  We are presented geographical data that has its own history:  Ur of the Chaldees located in southern Iraq and the city of Haran near Turkey's southern border with Syria.

My intent in these posts on the mystic journey is not to review every aspect of a particular mystic's life as recorded in scripture, but rather to highlight certain events or experiences that reflect that nature of mysticism.  If unfamiliar with the story of any of the people I write about, I will cite the place in scripture where their story is found.  In the case of Abraham, his story is found in Genesis 11 through Genesis 25.

What must be kept in mind is that any discussion of scriptural mysticism is, like most of scripture, unable to be treated as history even when it references history.  While there is a likely oral tradition upon which these accounts are based, there is a stronger likelihood that they were written with a theological agenda in mind.  In other words there is no way of knowing whether the experiences that the patriarchs, like Abraham, actually occurred or what, if any, actual experiences they might have had.

What I find relevant in a discussion of the mystical journey in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures is that the authors of these writings deliberately or intuitively included mystical experiences which can help one understand mysticism as a whole .

SPEAKING OF GOD SPEAKING

What is given as motivation for Abram to complete to go to Canaan is  God telling him that once there, God will make of him a great nation by which all the families of the earth will be blessed. He is also told he will  have God's protection; that those who bless him will be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed.

We are not told in what manner God spoke to Abram; if this was the first time God spoke to him directly.  We have no idea what is meant by God speaking.  Did Abram hear a voice? Was the message delivered in a dream?

When God speaks or appears to Abraham, the scriptures treat those experiences as real time events.  What I would add is that while these are events that to the mystic would feel in every sense real, the notion of time frequently is missing (as if it gets lost); that there is an other worldliness to these experiences that defies rational explanation in terms of our shared, common world.

What is crucial to remember when discussing the mystic journey as described in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures is the promise of paradise restored as mentioned in my last post.  The journey, in many ways, is connected first to the notion of a promised land and later to a promised messiah.  By the time Genesis is being written, both notions are well established in the minds of its writers and readers.

The journey that Abraham and Sarah undertake is about the transformation of identity, from being a Chaldean to the founder of a Hebrew nation.  There is great paradox in the story of Abraham and Sarah.  According to Genesis, they reach what will become the geographic Promised Land in short order, but its not technically theirs during their lifetime nor during the life time of their progeny.  It doesn't take shape until long after the Exodus event, which will be the subject of a future post. Even then, it's existence proves tentative.

The entire nomadic journey of Abraham and Sarah can be cast in mystical terms, but there are four events that I feel can give us a feel for their mystical experience.  The first is the covenant story that is actually played out in two events.
 IN GOD'S GOOD TIME

With regard to Abraham, in particular, we are constantly being informed of his age.  I find this significant and unique to Abraham's journey, which he doesn't start until he is a childless seventy-five year-old.  It is at an age in which most people experiencing hearing voices and seeing visions would be suspected of being on the verge of dementia, especially, if pulling up stakes and starting a whole new life in a distant land.

What is unique about Abraham is that, as Abram, he doesn't question God's promise, but he begins to wonder how he will ever have descendants.  He rationalizes that his slave/servant, Eliezer will end up being his heir and descendant; as slaves often became close and viewed their masters as their parents and masters viewing favored slaves as family.  This possibility saddens him as "reality" sets in and he sees no possible way for him and Sarai to have children of their own. It is at such a moment that he has a vision in which God tells him he will have a son coming from his own body.

THE FATHER OF FAITH

Abraham does not question or argue this and as a result he is credited with being righteous in God's sight, but then comes the thought about the land he was promised - the ability to be the father of civilized nation.  While these may seem like questions, Abram does not doubt God, but rather is doubting his ability.   Abram is feeling his age and is thinking of his role in seeing God's promise come to fruition.   In language reminiscent of the Exodus, God says that he called Abraham from the land of Ur of the Chaldeans to be in the Promised Land.  This is about God-time, not human-time.

So that Abram "knows" that God will fulfill God's promises, God requires that Abram perform a ritual sacrifice of a heifer, a goat, and ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.  Abram divides each of the mammals in two placing their pieces opposite each other, but he does not divide the birds. There is no direct explanation as to the meaning of this sacrifice, but it appears to have a numerological significance with regard to the age of the mammals, their being divided and the two birds.

I won't speculate about those meanings here, but rather to say that the whole experience of the sacrifice and the vision seem to be one experience; that the lines between the mundane and mystical experience are blurred. That Abram actually sacrificed the animals and chased away the carrion birds seems plausible, but there is an other worldliness to the whole experience that says otherwise; that it is part of a greater vision.  Abram falling asleep as the sun sets is significant because he enters into the realm of darkness that is described as "a thick dreadful darkness" coming over him. 
This is a feeling that is recognizable as a hallmark of the mystical experience.  It is when the sun sets and Abraham is in the physical darkness of the planet that he see a vision of a smoking fire pot and blazing torch pass between the pieces of the his sacrifice with God informing him of the proximity of the land that his descendants will have.   In this state, God prophesies to Abram so that Abram will know. 

What about this extremely mysterious course of events give Abram a sense of knowing?  What has he learned?  What does he know?   There is no explanation given as to what these visions mean.

What I believe the writers of Genesis capture in their telling of this account is something indicative of the mystic experience.  While they set the stage for the yet-to-be telling of the Exodus story (God's informing Abram of the fate of his yet-to-be progeny), Abram is depicted as having a full sensory experience that leaves an indelible psychic mark on him which confirms his sense of knowing without explanation.  This is the birth of faith.

That is part one of the covenant story.  The second part occurs after Sarai gives Hagar to Abram to bear him a son of his own body, which she does.  The problem is that Hagar's relationship to Abram is that of his wife's slave and even though she bears him Ishmael, there is a sense that Ishmael is not a legitimate heir that a son born of Sarai would be, an heir produced by love, not command.

A LIFE PUT ON PAUSE

Abram is eighty-six years old when Ishmael is born and it is thirteen years after this that the second part of the covenant story unfolds when Sarai is 90.  During vision, God says that he will keep his promise of a legitimate heir and as a sign of their mutual covenant, Abram and every male in his household will undergo circumcision.

Then God changes the name of Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah to signify their chosen identity by God. In essence they are permanently transfigured into the bearers of a chosen people.  God tells Abraham that Sarah will bear him a son, which makes Abraham laugh because Sarah is ninety years old by that time.  Abraham is too old to laugh at God out of mockery, but rather to laugh at the timing of all of this - as if the whole of his life to this point was nothing more than a waiting period - a life put on pause until this moment.  We also see Abraham's great affection for Ishmael, in his desire that he would be his heir.  Interestingly, God acknowledges this with a "Yes" on God's part but makes it clear that Sarah will bear him a legitimate heir. 

 THE THREE VISITORS AND THE ONE

Speaking of transfiguration, the story of the three visitors to Abraham's tent (Genesis 18) is a prototype to the story of the Transfiguration in the New Testament synoptic gospels.  This is one of most unique visionary moments in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.  It is not presented as a vision, but its feel is visionary and it is reported as a shared experience by both Abraham and Sarah.  Visions have a reality about them that cannot be explained in rational terms.[1]  Abraham sees three men approach his tent and he immediately perceives "them" as God.  He addresses them in the singular and is responded by "them" in unison. 

Abraham's reaction is to invite them in (much like Peter's wanting to build three tabernacles).  He orders a feast. After they had eaten the three ask in unison where Sarah is and Abraham says the tent. then "one" of them said he will return to visit her when the time right and she will have a son.  Sarah listening to all of this laughed and the One asked why she laughed  and Sarah denied that she did, but the One said, "Yes, you did."  What is significant is that God in this little aside to the story is that God does not react to her lying about laughing.  God is not capricious, but rather possesses a determined will.

Then the One informs Abraham about the One's intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.  In this account we see Abraham take on the prophetic mantel by appealing for justice.  In essence he becomes an advocate for the righteous.  He appeals to the One - to God - to spare these cities if there fifty righteous and then whittles the number down to ten. To which the One replies that he will and then this vision comes to an end. 

One could spend a great deal of time on this one experience of Abraham and Sarah.  It serves as a prototype for the Christian story of Transfiguration and the Annunciation of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.  It is not coincidental that Luke, a disciple of Paul, casts these two events, the birth and transfiguration of Jesus, in terms that resonate with this story.  Paul constantly refers to Abraham in his letters and demonstrates shared a mystic bond with Abraham.  As tempting as it is to get into the theological meanings of that, I won't except to say that I have always found it odd that most Christian theologians have missed or ignored the obvious parallels between this story and the Transfiguration of Jesus.

SACRIFICE AND HOPE

One of the most poignant and hard to fathom stories in the Bible is the near sacrifice of Isaac.  Abraham is very old and Isaac is a young child who is able to walk and talk.  Genesis twenty-two says that God tested Abraham by commanding that he sacrifice Isaac to him as a burnt offering.  The thought of this to the modern ear is horrific to say the least.  Yet, child sacrifice, in ancient times was viewed as  reminder that humans were part of a greater food chain - that human survival was dependent on forces that cannot be seen but which must be sated from time to time.  Abraham comes from a culture where such extreme measures would have been accepted as a given. 

That God would demand Abraham to sacrifice his only legitimate heir after waiting a lifetime strikes us as unspeakably cruel even when we know how the story ends.  From a mystic point of view there is a side to this story that is frequently overlooked.  Life can be unspeakably cruel at times and God is in those moments, just like he was with Abraham.  Genesis call this a test,  but we need to be cautious that we do not interpret "test" as a moral examination, but rather to be better understood as an exercise of faith. 

I'm prone to think of the near sacrifice of Isaac more in terms of a rabbinical/priestly story than a retelling of an actual mystical event.  Originally, I was not going to include a discussion of it in this post, but I changed my mind; in that, this story fosters an important attribute of the mystical journey.

Although Christian theology treats this story as forerunner to Jesus being sacrificed for the sins of the world on the cross and teaches this is the reason why God delays "his hunger for human blood"  to satiate "his" needs by the death of his "only-begotten" son.  I find such a connection simply erroneous.
If anything related to human sacrifice is to be derived from this story it is  simply the God has no appetite for it. Rather, this story is about the sacrificial nature of life and the mystical role of hope that is played out in it.

A unique feature of this story is that God is telling it (not literally, but rather literarily).  It is God who confirms that Abraham loves Isaac, his only son.  To make this a poignant story, we are informed that Isaac is at an age where he understands what a sacrifice is and what it involves.  The question young child Isaac asks his father is the same type of question any four, five, or six-year old might ask.  It tears at one's heart to hear him ask it, and writers of Genesis do this to perfect effect. What is equally heart-rending is Abraham's knowing response, "God will provide the lamb," by which we led to believe he means Isaac, and yet there is an intuitive side to his statement that is played out in this story. 

Abraham's faith is far from questioning God at any level; especially at this late stage of his life.  He knows beyond explanation that God's word is solid.  As he is about to sacrifice Isaac, God's angel stops him and a ram is found caught in a thicket, which is offered in Isaac's stead.  Abraham call the place, "God will provide." 

Life, itself, is a journey into sacrifice where we are required and many times are forced to give up things we do not want to give up. Such events are transfiguring.  Even when we can see no way out, there is hope caught in the thicket of the event regardless of its outcome.  Abraham not only lived by faith, he also dwelled in hope - "God will provide the lamb." Abraham's intuitive hope sprang from a deeper, truer place than what our human senses can provide.
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In Christian mysticism, as I suspect is true of Jewish and Islamic mysticism, the mystic tale of Abraham is essential in understanding the mystic journey we are all engaged in.  The apostle Paul constantly references Abraham's faith throughout his letters and makes the point that three affectual elements are required for making this mystic journey, and they are specifically found here, faith, hope, and love.   
Love is implicitly involved throughout these stories of the mystic journey that leads us to paradise regained.  Like Abraham we may not see the full outcome of the promise that is implicit in every being.  The journey involves faith as knowing without explanation and a willingness to let go in order to dwell in hope. 
Until next time, stay faithful



[1] Mysticism can be considered irrational when defined in the sense that the early twentieth century psychiatrist, Otto Rank viewed irrationality as possessing deep intuitive meaning that also finds expression in the arts and music.   Mystical irrationality is paradoxical in that the mystic understands the irrational aspect of the experience and is eventually able to express it in rational (frequently metaphorical) terms.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

GENUINE LOVE - A Homily


“Let love be genuine.”

Romans 12:9a

When I start preparing a homily that has a smorgasbord of topics to choose from this morning’s readings, I began by identifying a line or two from each of our lessons that grab my immediate attention and then start writing. About a page into this homily, I realized a strong tug to stick with just one very short statement from today’s reading of Paul’s Letter to the Romans:  “Let love be genuine.” 
What struck me with the entire passage from Romans was how relevant its message is for us today.  There is so much happening in our nation and in our world that can be described as disingenuous that it is hard to see anything as genuine, much less, experience genuine love.

So the question I pose for our consideration this morning is what is genuine love and how do we express it in a world so divided and so desperately in need of it?  

* * * * * * * * * *

To explore an answer to that question, I want to share with you a story that I believe exemplifies genuine love in our divisive times.  After the events in Charlottesville Virginia, several news outlets interviewed a young man by the name of Arno Michaelis – You may have seen his interviews or heard him talk on the radio.

At age 17 Arno became involved in White Power movement that included skinheads and neo-Nazis. Arno knows something of genuine love because he experienced it from the very people he hated; people who showed him unbelievable compassion, in spite of knowing what he identified himself as, what he stood for, and what he believed at the core of his being at the time.  Today, Arno is a contributor to “The Forgiveness Project,” a project started in the United Kingdom that is devoted to making peacemakers in our world.  He is also the author a book, “Life after Hate.”   

On the Forgiveness Project Website, Arno recalled the singular moment that cracked open his hate-filled heart to shed some light on his made-in-the-image-of-God origins.  It was an encounter with a black lady tending the cash register at a McDonald’s who noticing a swastika tattooed on his finger said to him, “You’re a better person than that.  I know that’s not who you are.”  Arno said of that moment, “Powerless against such compassion, I fled from her steady smile and authentic presence, never to return to that McDonald’s again.” [1]  From there he experienced a continuing flow of compassionate forgiveness from the very people he hated until he his hatred melted away and he became a zealot for forgiveness and peace.

* * * * * * * * * *

We don’t know the name of that black woman, but we know who she is – a child of God who I believe knows she’s a child of God.   And if you know you’re a child of God, you consequently know all of God’s children, including a white supremacist with swastika tattooed on his finger. 

This unnamed child of God is the one who can teach us something about genuine love and I want us to spend some time with her this morning.  Her two simple, straightforward, and heart-felt remarks to Arno exemplify what Paul means by genuine love.  So using Arno’s experience with her, we can examine what Paul gives as applicable advice for life in our times.

I think it safe to assume some things about this woman that can be garnered from Arno’s description of her; by what he described as her steady smile and her authentic presence. 

What can be assumed is a person who holds a lot of love in her heart, who values goodness over resentment, who knows what it is to be loved deeply loved by others and who feels the depth of God’s love in her life.  I do not doubt that her life is lived as a constant prayer which comes through as a subtext in her comments to Arno.  The warmth of her presence reveals her as the embodiment of hospitality.  

I think it safe to say that what lies at the core of her being is a burning light – the light we would identify as the light of Christ – a light that melts the darkness away. I can say that even though I don’t know if she identifies as a Christian, she certainly exudes the Christ I know.  She is a follower of Christ by virtue of who she is.

I also do not doubt she knows deep pain and suffering because she could so easily pick it out in Arno, but she has come at it from different place than Arno had because of the love she has experienced in her life – an experience Arno didn’t have or had forgotten about.   In two sentences, she was able to become a blessing to person who would harm and persecute her. 

In her simple approach she both rejoiced and wept with Arno through the warmth of her knowing smile that wiped away the tears he had forgotten about. She was the personification of harmony; being at peace with her true self and the world we share. 

Above all she made room for God, including God’s wrath.  

It sounds harsh, doesn’t it – God’s wrath –  but I  maintain that Arno felt the heat of God’s wrath in that short encounter with this woman because he turned and fled the scene never to return to that McDonald’s again.

As Arno said he was “Powerless against such compassion.”  Making room for God’s wrath allows us the room to be compassionate. 

Her compassion literally scared the hell out of him.  

So he ran because he was faced with a force greater than any he had ever encountered – the force of genuine love.

We must remember that God’s ways are not are ways, neither is God’s wrath our wrath. [2] The wrath of God is meted out in God’s flaming love (some might say purgatorial love) for those who incur it; a loving mercy that burns away the darkness from a soul.[3] We mortals have no such restorative wrath available in us – our wrath only knows and ends in destruction.

Scripture reminds us to never let the sun set on our anger, because our anger will consume us and those around us if allowed to continue.[4]  There comes a time, and it comes quickly for the faithfully aware, when we must stand aside and let God be God, for only God’s wrath has the capacity to restore.

In our third reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that if we are to be his disciples, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.[5]   It is the emptying of one’s self of who we think we are – as Arno did –  and recognizing our true selves as the made-in-the-image-of-God beings we are – embracing our human roots as God’s on-going creation, as works of divine art shaped from the cosmic dust found in the very humus of the earth that God shaped us from. 

This is why Paul tells us to associate with the lowly – to those nearest our common origins – to those who have no use for pretense – who know best that life is a gift not to be squandered on the glitter of the moment – to experience with them the divine image we bear which is best expressed in the humility of our common forgivable humanity.

* * * * * * * * * *

We would do well to hold in our hearts this black woman who stood behind the register of a McDonald’s and cracked open the hate filled heart of person who lost his true made-in-the image-of-God self.  It is she who teaches us the power of genuine love.  In our troubled times, we need to emulate her steady smile and authentic presence and compassionately confront  those seeking to divide and infest our world with hatred:

“You’re better than that!  We know that’s not who you are! 

Come and experience the genuine love that awaits the genuine you. 

Come, taste and see the goodness of the God.[6]


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Until next time, stay faithful.





[1] http://theforgivenessproject.com/stories/arno-michaels-usa/
[2] See Isaiah 55:8
[3] See Malachi 3:2. 
[4] See Ephesians 4:26
[5] See Matthew 16 - 28
[6] See Psalm 34:8