Pastor's Pen -September 2020

During our Tour of the Bible someone asked me to write about human potential. What are we capable of? I could write a book on the topic. (Come to think of it, I have written a book on that topic.) I’m going to lay my cards on the table and say what I think on the subject. I’m hoping to do it in a way that opens conversation. Seriously, you don’t have to agree with me on this. I have reasons for what I think, but I don’t have any need to insist I’m right.

I get the clearest answer to that question from the first chapter of the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel was written to reveal what it should look like when Logos, “the Word,” the pattern and driving force of creation’s evolving story, interpenetrates creation in a human being. That is the story of Jesus, the Christ. For a long time now the church has read those stories and said, in effect, “Wow, he’s amazing! It’s a shame we can’t be like him.” Talk about missing the point!! The story wasn’t told so you would think Jesus was amazing, or so you would think that you are, by comparison, worthless, helpless, unable to play a role in moving creation forward. The story was told so that you would come to realize that in the same way Logos interpenetrates Jesus, Logos interpenetrates you and interpenetrates me!!! That’s what John is getting at when he says, “But to all who received him, (“him” is the Logos, the Word, the pattern and force unfolding creation’s evolving story), who trust in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” Talk about human potential. YOU have the power to become children of God. YOU are called to become a full and complete expression of the love intelligence unfolding creation’s evolving story. (Note 1)

Now, I can almost hear someone objecting in the back of my head saying, “Yeah, but Jesus could walk on water; we can’t.” Mmmm . . . for what it’s worth, I don’t think Jesus actually walked on water. That said, IF Jesus walked on water, I believe you and I have the capacity to do so as well. (If Jesus did, then Peter did; that’s how the story goes after all.) Jesus seems to agree for he says, (again in John), “Very truly, I tell you, the one who trusts in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these.” Greater works than those that Jesus did? You bet, because we are made of the same stuff – Logos interpenetrates us just as Logos interpenetrated Jesus. Like him, we are expressions of the love intelligence, the Logos, unfolding creation’s evolving story.

Consider that at this point in our development, human beings are coming to understand the evolutionary process driving creation forward. That means we are self-conscious of our own evolution. The universe has created a mind, the universe has created eyes, the universe has created a heart to know and to feel and to understand itself. We are an expression of it. Logos, which interpenetrates the whole of reality, is now not so much acting upon us as it is being expressed through us. Did you hear that? Logos is not so much acting upon us as it is being expressed through us. This is what it means to be children of God.

Do we live into that reality as well as we would hope? No, but creation is not static. We are evolving to become more perfect expressions of the love of God. Evolution moves forward when the current order frays and dissolves. It moves to a more perfect expression of the peace and harmony that God intends. And it will always surprise us to see what God does in the moment.

Sometimes I get a little critical of the church, because there are times when our faith seems based on the notion that “Jesus was nice so we should be nice too . . . (but really, we can’t live up to that so we’ll just have to muddle through.”) OK, we should be nice; we should work towards the fruition of God’s wonderful creative work!! But the only way that’s going to happen is if we recognize who we are, then connect to and be formed by the Spirit driving creation’s story forward towards the moment when “all things come together in perfect harmony.” Each of us has a role in that work – an indispensable role. We need to live like it.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Sam

1. I should say as a footnote that I’m sure Jesus of Nazareth was an absolutely amazing human being, but I also think the Gospel accounts are idealized stories that show us what it will look for a human being to fully and completely express the love of God