no such thing as a little death
it's strong as snake
catches you by the throat
shakes everything hard
til all that's left
is the good
leaking out of you
all over the people
all over the bread you give away
all over the thirsty world
To add to this, there is sect (or line of thought) out there of Jews that have "converted" to Christianity, or in the context of this article have bloomed into it. However, in doing so they straddle the fence and try to blend the practices of the Old Law and the New Law. I found out about this when I went with a friend to her congregation a few years ago. They had a guest speaker that morning who was in some form of a Christian-Rabbi position. His whole talk was about detailing they rituals of passover and a number of other things they practiced... While I'm sure the intent was mean to be good, it didn't serve to uplift, preach, or otherwise the Christians that were present. But more importantly, it showed that in their blooming into the "fullness of the Tree" that they were still very largely remaining under the old Law. Matthew 5, Romans 8, and countless other comments by Jesus and Paul point to keeping the core spirit of the principles of the Law while leaving behind of the code and legality of the Law. Suffice it to point out the importance of the blooming of that one tree. In my mind, I see this idea of straddling both laws as a natural branch growing a bud while failing to let it bloom.
...appreciate your observations and although you have extended meaning in a direction I hadn't intended, I understand your point. I believe there is such a broad continuum of beliefs out there across so many sectarian and non-sectarian lines that we could never comprehend the fullness of it...and whether people are straddling fences or picnicking under the Tree I am more interested in how they are able to live out the core tenet of what I believe is the sum of Jesus' life/message/meaning, which is, simply, to love all of the people, all of the time, in whatever way love can be shown and lived.
2 comments:
To add to this, there is sect (or line of thought) out there of Jews that have "converted" to Christianity, or in the context of this article have bloomed into it. However, in doing so they straddle the fence and try to blend the practices of the Old Law and the New Law. I found out about this when I went with a friend to her congregation a few years ago. They had a guest speaker that morning who was in some form of a Christian-Rabbi position. His whole talk was about detailing they rituals of passover and a number of other things they practiced... While I'm sure the intent was mean to be good, it didn't serve to uplift, preach, or otherwise the Christians that were present. But more importantly, it showed that in their blooming into the "fullness of the Tree" that they were still very largely remaining under the old Law. Matthew 5, Romans 8, and countless other comments by Jesus and Paul point to keeping the core spirit of the principles of the Law while leaving behind of the code and legality of the Law. Suffice it to point out the importance of the blooming of that one tree. In my mind, I see this idea of straddling both laws as a natural branch growing a bud while failing to let it bloom.
Thoughts? Comments?
...appreciate your observations and although you have extended meaning in a direction I hadn't intended, I understand your point. I believe there is such a broad continuum of beliefs out there across so many sectarian and non-sectarian lines that we could never comprehend the fullness of it...and whether people are straddling fences or picnicking under the Tree I am more interested in how they are able to live out the core tenet of what I believe is the sum of Jesus' life/message/meaning, which is, simply, to love all of the people, all of the time, in whatever way love can be shown and lived.
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