Forms of Love

Yesterday we were at Green Lakes, one of the prettiest of parks in Upstate New York. Neighbors on our street were holding a birthday bash. Tom is lucky enough to have been born in late summer so he can throw a party at picnic tables next to open water with a sandy beach and swimming safe for kids. Every year. Yesterday was pitch-perfect August. Hazy warm sun and a steady breeze off the water; it felt a continuous caress. The lakes were formed at the end of the last ice age, fifteen thousand years ago a melting glacier gouging two enormously deep basins in the earth. Then all these years later we sit around and talk, marriage and politics, work and friends, books and TV. In the middle there is the usual lost child, the scary announcement followed by mass exodus from the bathing area. Then after a tense minute or so a glad reunion somewhere and permission to re-enter the water. Meanwhile the breeze continues to play on shoulders and backs, arms and legs, an enormously generous lover.

Paul in the New Testament tells us that the form of this world is passing away. But that’s so it can be replaced by another. It took thousands and thousands of years of geology to produce the form of Green Lakes. And all the weather that’s ever been, the sun, the air, the water, to spring that delightful wind off the lake into our faces. But human time is quicker than geological and climate time, especially lately. We’ve sped things up considerably. It is logical then to believe that Paul’s prediction is being fulfilled even as we speak. As we sat around at Green Lakes yesterday we enjoyed a particular form of the earth that had been prepared for us over eons and we were largely unconscious of its huge labor as we enjoyed its blessing. The form of the cross—its forgiveness, compassion and nonviolence—is growing in the world every day of our lives, and the job of contemporary Christians is to understand what that means and proclaim it. It’s nothing to do with that old tired, wretched business transaction between the sacrificial victim Jesus and God, paying the divinity off in a manner worthy of the most awful underworld (o.k paesan, kill my only son for his assets, and I’ll consider us quits!). No, it’s the infinite wisdom of the Eternal Lover translating the violent form of humanity into something almost inconceivable but which we know by the names of peace and love.

Incidentally, there were quite a few Wood Hath Hopers there at Green Lakes enjoying the sunshine. Heather, Dana, Linda and me at the party. And as I was heading home I saw Sue and John there too.

Virtual Truth

The website will be going live in the next couple of days, and I'm very excited. In the meantime I can write some more. I am so happy about the site. Our Web designer did a great job. A site is a virtual world, but we humans are all virtual anyway. When we wake up we decide what clothes to wear or the first words we'll say that day. It's basically a virtual me, a version or design of myself just for now and for today. We're always making up who we're going to be.

Jesus did the biggest virtual design ever: he said the kingdom of God is close, so get ready! A kingdom is supposed to arrive with big thumping armies and crushing power. Jesus didn't try to force "reality" like that. He said it will happen if you act like it. Or like Alcholics Anonymous say, "fake it until you make it." That's the only way to make a nonviolent world arrive, by acting "as if" it's already here. Despite all contrary evidence. The Cruxifixion is the biggest virtuality imaginable. Acting as if forgiveness and life are possible in the middle of the most acute violence. But then this virtuality became an even greater virtuality: Resurrection. Only a few disciples saw it, believed it, got it... It was not like it was plastered over the front page of the Jerusalem Times or the Roman Telegraph. But then--the most amazing thing--these people started also acting "as if."

So finally today, all these centuries later, we're really getting down to really serious as iffing...

Tony

First From WoodHathHope

This is a hello! A first post for the website that's coming up shortly. You may get this as a past post, or something. Anyway it's the first. Thousands of people have blogs, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions. Why read this one? Because in some way you're in community with Wood Hath Hope. Probably you're local and have attended WHH meetings. On the other hand because of the WWW you might be on the other side of the world and reading about WHH. In which case you and me and others are connected in this strange worldwide electronic community.

Does that mean I/we love you? Yes, if the love I and others in WHH have for those physically proximate us is real. Then you will share in that. Love is indivisible in the world.

Tony