What is the Church? Naked and unashamed...

What is the church?  And what can i liken it to?

It is like when, Yahweh God said, “it is not good that the man is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart."

Despite present day thought and structure, you cannot be the church by yourself.  You are literally not in the church.  You are deliberately cutting yourself off from the church.  You don't ALWAYS need the church around you, Jesus got off by himself to pray but even to do the work of the church, Jesus never divided his boys up in groups of less than two.  Even, as we pointed out yesterday, God refers to himself in the plural.  

The church is relationship.  Defined by a group of people in relationship with God through Jesus Christ who made it possible.  But it doesn't end there.  The first commandment is Love God.  Relationship with God.  The first four commandments of the ten were vertical.  Love God, don't love some other god which is not a god.  Don't make gods for yourself.  Don't abuse or malign God's reputation.  Set apart a day to remember that you are not God and who is.  

But the next major commandment, the next six of the ten are all horizontal.  They deal with us being naked, known, vulnerable with each other and unashamed, not fearful, not defensive, in truth.  This is why we must have the first relationship.  You cannot be naked with everyone.  i hope i don't have to explain why.  But even in the church it is dangerous and excruciatingly difficult.  It is easier for a rich man to go through the eye of a camel than for two people to be in true relationship and love with each other under the best of conditions in this world.  But that's the job and only by the power of the Holy Spirit can we do it and we'd better, because it's how the church will be known and therefore, how those who don't yet know God will know him.“A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another—just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”   John 13

Make Slogans Great and Stronger Together Again

Used with permission of the artist, Rod Gillies
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24681250@N07/30756737366

Taking a break from the Four Needs for a brief acknowledgment of the imminent Black Tuesday, a date which will live in infamy.  The day we decide if we want to be ruled by a ruthless sociopath or a megalomaniacal one.  If we want the devil we know or the one hiding behind the door on the right.  But this is not a negative post.  i'm not bashing anyone more than they bash themselves.  That would be whipping an octopus which is busily flogging itself with all eight limbs.  It just wouldn't notice.

What i would like to talk about are slogans.

Mr. Trump says he would like to Make America Great Again.  i am all for that.  i would like America to be what it was when i last thought it was great.  When i was taught civics by idealists from the forties, fifties and sixties who came from both the left and the right and still shared the same ideals.  The same belief that we could do anything as a country.  That despite our foibles and faults and faux pas we were still the greatest country on earth.  When i played with white and black and filipino and vietnamese and hispanic kids and never thought a bit about what made us different.  Before i new the N word.  Heck, i may not have even known the F word.  Because those words weren't allowed on tv.  Back when stores were closed on Sundays and holidays.  Back when i thought everyone went to church except that one or two neighbor of mine who still fought and put out a fire in our house one Sunday before we got home from church.  Back before i knew the word "corporate" as a slur.  When i thought my money was safer in a bank.  i would love for America to be all the things i thought it was when i was young and naive.  What it was before i new what naive meant.  When i believed leaders when they spoke.  When i teared up for patriotic speeches.  When i wanted to stand at attention when i saw a marine walk by.  When i believed in just wars and liberations and the defeat of actual tyrannies by citizen soldiers.  When i thought America would never ever but never flirt with electing a tyrant ourselves.

Mrs. Clinton says we are Stronger Together.  And i completely agree.  Which is why as the most despicably divisive candidate to ever be put up against the most dispicably mad one we've ever had, if she actually believed what she says, she would step aside and let someone run who could actually have a prayer of uniting this country.

Mr. Johnson, i'm sorry, sir, i have no idea what your slogan is, which is really all i need to know about you and your chances.

So if i may, i'd like to propose a new slogan:
God save America.