{"id":1111,"date":"2015-08-24T15:36:03","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T15:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/24\/john-wesley-v-amazoncom-blessing-based\/"},"modified":"2020-02-15T19:32:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T19:32:40","slug":"john-wesley-v-amazoncom-blessing-based","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2015\/08\/24\/john-wesley-v-amazoncom-blessing-based\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cJohn Wesley v. Amazon.com: Blessing\u201d based on\u00a0Genesis 12:1-4 and Mark 14:22-24"},"content":{"rendered":"

If
\nyou spend too much time thinking about blessing, as I have done this
\nweek, it becomes clear why there is a book called, \u201cWhen Bad Things
\nHappen to Good People.\u201d1<\/sup><\/a>
\n(Which, if you haven’t read it, is a great book.) \u00a0By dictionary
\ndefinitions, a blessing is \u201cGod’s favor and protection.\u201d2<\/sup><\/a>
\n There are actually a whole bunch more definitions, as it is a noun
\nand a verb, used both for what we do and say and what God does… but
\nthat’s the important definition from which all the others flow.
\n\u201cGod’s favor and protection,\u201d or if you’d like, \u00a0Wikipedia adds a
\nbit of nuance when it defines it this way, \u201cA blessing is the
\ninfusion of something with holiness, spiritual redemption, divine
\nwill, or one’s hope or approval.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a>
\n The root words that became \u201cblessing\u201d in English were the words
\nfor \u201cblood\u201d\/\u201dmark or consecrate with blood\u201d that eventually
\ngot influenced in meaning because it was used to translated the Latin
\nword benedicere ‘to praise or worship.\u201d4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This
\nseemingly sweet, gentle, kind, inoffensive little word has a lot
\ngoing on. \u00a0It is reasonable to assume, including from Biblical
\nstories themselves that from ancient times, the concept of blessing
\nhad a lot to do with: fertility (of animals, crops and people) and
\nwinning at battle. \u00a0All of which were life or death issues, to large
\ndegree out of control of the people participating in them.
\nTherefore, they were looking for supernatural help along the way
\nto stay alive.<\/i> \u00a0Those who had many children, or got rich, or won
\nin battle were thought to be blessed. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The
\nBible also contains a counter-narrative. \u00a0While much of the Bible
\nsays that God’s favor and protection made people healthy, wealthy,
\nand happy while God’s disfavor and lack of protection made people \u2026
\nsick, poor, or dead… it isn’t the only perspective. \u00a0The book of
\nJob offers a strong objection! \u00a0So does Jesus. \u00a0The Sermon on the
\nMount claims that the poor, the hungry, and the mourning (etc) are
\nthe blessed people. \u00a0That’s counter to the basic understanding of
\n\u201cGod’s favor and protection.\u201d \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It
\nseems like there is a big debate happening, even within the Bible
\nitself, about the nature of God. \u00a0One side is reflected in our
\ndictionary definitions, and it is far and away the more popular side.
\n It is the side of traditional theology, where God is understood as
\nbeing like a supernatural parent \u2013 punishing and rewarding children
\nas God sees fit. \u00a0Many people will talk about things that happen in
\nlife saying, \u201ceverything happens for a reason\u201d or \u201cGod has a
\nplan\u201d and when the things that happen are terrible things, they
\nexplain that \u201cGod is teaching a lesson.\u201d \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But
\nalong with Job, and the Sermon on the Mount, and the rest of the
\nminority report, I think these concepts of God are outdated and
\nunhelpful. \u00a0Spong names it this way, \u201cWe once saw God as the prime
\nmover in the issues of sickness and health.\u201d5<\/sup><\/a>
\n \u201cWe once saw God as the source of the weather, and we interpreted
\ndrought, floods, storms, hurricanes and tornadoes as expressions of
\nthe divine will.\u201d6<\/sup><\/a>
\n \u201cWe once thought that God led our nation into battle, defeating
\nour enemies or, if our faithfulness to this God had been badly
\ncompromised, allowing us to taste the Divine wrath in defeat.\u201d7<\/sup><\/a>
\n \u201cYet I do not define God as a supernatural being. \u00a0I do not
\nbelieve in a deity who can help a nation win a war, intervene to cure
\na loved one’s sickness, allow a particular athletic team to defeat
\nits opponent, or affect the weather for anyone’s benefit.\u201d8<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That
\nseems to reflect the beatitudes and Job in terms of understanding
\nGod. \u00a0In this conception, God’s favor or protection aren’t
\nparticularly meaningful concepts. \u00a0That’s good news! \u00a0If God plays
\nfavorites, I’m not impressed. \u00a0If God protects only some, I’m not
\nimpressed, and if God is protecting all of us, God is a lousy
\nprotector. \u00a0I’d like to propose an alternative definition for
\nblessing, one that I think fits the Hebrew Bible lesson today. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Abraham
\nis told he is chosen, favored, uniquely blessed. \u00a0But in the same
\nthought he is told that the reason he is blessed is so that he can be
\na blessing. \u00a0It is through him that all people in the world will be
\nblessed! Blessing, then is a useful sort of thing. <\/i> It is a
\ncontribution to the goodness of life, not just for one’s self, but
\nfor the good of the whole.<\/p>\n

Now,
\nthe good of the whole is something called the Kin-dom, and most
\nscholars agree it is the whole point of Jesus’ ministry and the
\nministry of the followers of Jesus since his death. \u00a0The Kin-dom is
\nthe time when all people will have enough to thrive! \u00a0There will be
\ndeep peace, and wholeness, cooperation, connection and love. \u00a0The
\nKin-dom is when all the people treat each other as kin, and no one is
\noutside the circle. \u00a0 (If you haven’t heard about this before, you
\nmay be more familiar with the words \u201ckingdom\u201d or \u201crealm of
\nGod\u201d, the choice to just use kin-dom is the choice to take out the
\nhierarchy from the old language. \u00a0It may also be important to note
\nthat the traditional language is that the kin-dom is \u201cbreaking into
\nthe world\u201d meaning that it is here in moments and in parts, but
\ncoming in completion.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

My
\nproposal is that a blessing is anything that is being used for
\nbuilding up the kin-dom. <\/i> So a blessing might be a great book or
\na wise teacher, a profound work of art, a gentle smile in the midst
\nof a hard day, a fantastically fun song, a time of prayer, \u00a0a
\nchallenge, a coat, or a cup of coffee \u2013 for example. \u00a0That is, many
\nof the things that have traditionally gotten labeled blessings still
\nget to be under the new definition. \u00a0It is just that we don’t think
\nwe have \u201cblessings\u201d because God loves use more, or protects us
\nuniquely or functions like punishing and rewarding parent. \u00a0Instead
\nwe are freed to pay attention to the many wonderful things in life
\nthat can be profoundly useful for ourselves and others in making the
\nworld more fair, equitable, just, wonderful, joyful, healed, and
\nwhole.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now,
\nit seems like time to get around to John Wesley, who is quite famous
\nfor getting into a huge fight over blessing. \u00a0I’m amazed, frankly,
\nthat enough people cared about this to make an international argument
\nhappen, but I apparently lack sufficient angst over it. \u00a0John Wesley
\ndeveloped a concept of \u201csecond blessing.\u201d \u00a0It worked like this:
\nthe process of coming into relationship with God is a blessing itself
\nbut the process of becoming loving like God is was a SECOND blessing.
\n Wesley suggested that these could be instantaneous experiences or
\nlong-term growth experiences. \u00a0The first was justification, the
\nsecond sanctification. \u00a0If I’m being honest, he thought of the first
\npart as coming to know your sinfulness and experiencing forgiveness
\nfor sin and the second as learning to sin no more. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

People
\nwere SERIOUSLY upset by this. \u00a0Having done the research on their
\narguments, I’ve concluded that it REALLY doesn’t matter. \u00a0While
\nbelieving in the capacity of people to grow deeper into love and let
\nlove and grace define their lives is important, defining how and when
\nthis process happens just \u2026 doesn’t.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I’m
\nmore interesting in examining if the word \u201cblessing\u201d here. \u00a0If we
\nuse the traditional language, if blessing is God’s favor, and coming
\ninto relationship with God is a blessing, then only those whom God
\nfavors are in relationship with God? \u00a0(And God has favorites, and you
\ncan identify them because they’re the ones who proclaim a
\nrelationship with God.) That’s circular argument spun so tightly as
\nto make my head spin.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What
\nwould it mean if God chose some people to have faith and others not
\nto? \u00a0What would it mean if only some of us were favored with the
\nchance to become more loving? God’s protection and favor equate to
\nfavoritism, and in essence blaming the victim!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To
\nmake it worse, there are supposed to be two blessings in this. \u00a0OYE.
\nBut, if we remove the bad theology from the definition of blessing,
\nand try out the new definition, things change. \u00a0If blessings are
\nanything being used for the building up of the kin-dom, then
\ncertainly relationships with God and deepening love are blessings.
\nIt doesn’t make the argument about the timing and order matter, but
\nit does justify the use of the word!<\/p>\n

The
\nnew definition also makes space for the ritual of the shared
\ncommunion table as a potential blessing. \u00a0It seems obvious to me that
\nthe sacraments are meant to be blessings that build us up so that we
\nare blessings in the world. \u00a0That is, they remind us of our identity
\nand purpose so that we can be useful for the building of the kin-dom.
\n I recognize that this is how things are \u201cmeant to be\u201d and saying
\nthat communion is a \u201cpotential blessing\u201d was intentional. \u00a0There
\nhave been times in my life when receiving a little portion of a loaf
\nof bread and a sip of grape juice has filled my entire being with
\nwonder, connection, and grace. \u00a0There have been a whole lot more
\ntimes, though, when bread and cup have been perfunctory. \u00a0Most of the
\ntime, the actual elements of communion pale in comparison the feeding
\nI get from being with the people I receive the gifts with. \u00a0People,
\nit is clear, can be blessings. \u00a0(And you don’t have to be perfect to
\nbe one!) \u00a0We are useful in building each other up, we contribute
\ntoward the kin-dom when we treat each other as kin. \u00a0This is a place
\npotential can become reality.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So,
\nAmazon.com, you ask? \u00a0Well, I’ve heard people call it a blessing
\nbecause they really like getting things they order quickly. \u00a0If they
\nare referring to \u201cGod’s favor and protection\u201d in enabling
\nconsumerism, that’s terrible! \u00a0I’ll concede, though, at times, that
\nphysical items can be useful for building up the kin-dom. \u00a0John
\nWesley’s second blessing versus amazon.com? \u00a0I’m not willing to give
\neither one the win. \u00a0But redefining blessing to empower us and
\nrelieve God of undue insults? \u00a0I’m giving that the win! \u00a0Thanks be to
\nGod for our blessings!! \u00a0Amen \u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1<\/a>\u00a0Rabbi
\n\tHarold Kushner.
2<\/a>\u00a0Apple
\n\tdictionary. \u00a0\u201cBlessing.
3<\/a>\u00a0Wikipedia
\n\t\u201cBlessing\u201d accessed on August 20, 2015.
4<\/a>\u00a0Apple
\n\tdictionary. \u00a0\u201cBlessing.\u201d
5<\/a>\u00a0John
\n\tShelby Spong A New Christianity for a New World: Why Traditional
\n\tFaith is Dying and How a New Faith is Being Born
\n\t(HarperSanFrancisco, 2001) page \u00a022.
6<\/a>\u00a0Spong,
\n\t 22.
7<\/a>\u00a0Spong,
\n\t22.
8<\/a>\u00a0Spong,
\n\t3.<\/p>\n

—————–<\/p>\n

Rev. Sara E. Baron
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/
<\/a>https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

August 23, 2015<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you spend too much time thinking about blessing, as I have done this week, it becomes clear why there … Continue reading \u201cJohn Wesley v. Amazon.com: Blessing\u201d based on\u00a0Genesis 12:1-4 and Mark 14:22-24<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[33,1244,75,1240,1243,940,56,831,1241],"class_list":["post-1111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","tag-umc","tag-blessing","tag-fumcschenectady","tag-johnshelbyspong","tag-johnwesley","tag-progressivechristianity","tag-schenectady","tag-thinkingchurch","tag-wouldjohnwesleydriveaprius"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1306,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions\/1306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}