The Seduction of Taking Charge

Poverty and justice were the focus today. Did Jesus really condone fasting? From what should poor people fast? Does it make sense or is it fair to ask poor people to fast? Our presenters suggested that action can be more important than ritual or rules that confine. The rich are the ones who need to fast because they distracted from doing good by earthly treasures. Oppression keeps people focused on survival and not on advancement. When basic needs are met, people are able to flourish and be fruitful.

It is hard to sit with those who have little. We ate lunch at a very poor church and the church members were the ones giving us presents. They gifted us and we simply showed up for food. Granted we were there for conversation and fellowship. I am always blown away by how generous or other focused people with limited resources are (be it money, status political say or the like). Perhaps I focus too much on the details and not the larger story. I see the trees, but not the forest. Jesus, are you still in the business of corrective vision eye surgery??

Control is seductive. It’s everything we humans want: to know what is next, to know who is in charge, to know what you can get away with, to know when you have accomplished enough to earn your own position or items. Perhaps it’s not so strange that the highlighted object of trouble in the Garden of Eden is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After all, knowledge is power. It is authority. Even knowledge we think of as good can lead to trouble and misfortune when achieved outside of God's means and time line. Certainly the view from up top (higher up on the ladder of knowledge or power) has a unique perspective greater visibility of the surrounding land. Yet heavy hangs the head that wears the crown--and we're back into the tension of life.