|
WUMFSA Devotionals for Advent to Epiphany, 2003 - 2004 Friday, January 2, 2004 In the Colossians passage Paul reminds us, as persons of faith, that wisdom includes some putting on of new clothes. I fear our current American "emperor," like the one in the old story, has no clothes and doesn't know it. That's true of many emperor wannabees who have too much power and not enough wisdom. The majority of people wander around confused because they follow Conventional Wisdom which has enough truth in it to get by, but has just as much error or obsolete matter to confuse and cause them to lose the way. On the other hand, people in power either come to power with an ideology or they develop one which is the antithesis to wisdom. The dictionary defines ideology as a closely organized system of beliefs, values, and ideas forming the basis of a social, economic, or political philosophy or program. I'd add "religious" to that list. All "funda-mentalisms" are ideologies. Highly developed ideologies become set in concrete and attempt to rule everyone and everything from the standpoint of having the only Truth. We live in a time of warring ideologies and fundamentalisms of all kinds that are wreaking havoc on human life and the health of this planet. Paul was clear that those who follow Christ do not follow doctrines of ideology, they behave differently and see the world differently from all the swirling conventional and ideological "wisdoms." The "strange land" where we are trying to sing today is not the exotic place of exile as it was for the Israelites, or as it is today for the followers of Osama Bin Laden. Today's strange land includes what is familiar to us as we are ruled by the ideology of the materialistic American Dream and absolute faith in the god-like hidden hand of the market. Everywhere the strange land beckons for us to follow its siren songs. In light of this, Paul says we have to equip ourselves for going into this strange land and singing the new song that was sung by the prophets and sages down through the ages. This song was proclaimed in all its glory by the Christmas angels who sang to this unlikely sovereign born in a remote stable to usher in God's realm. We have to put on new clothes, new behaviors and actions to live now in this new realm even though it's not really here yet. Paul says we should clothe ourselves with
the opposite yard goods from what the conventional and ideologues
put on. We are called to wear counter-culture duds to be
unlike the rest not in trying to be more weird than anyone
else but by putting on compassion, kindness, humility,
meekness, and patience; bearing each others burdens and forgiving
one another just as God in Christ forgave us. These are the clothes
of practical wisdom. |