[Oe List ...] MORE on From Bach to Borg

Sun Mar 23 23:58:51 EDT 2008

Colleagues on the Journey--
    In her recent "Earthrise" on her 77th birthday, Priscilla Wilson gave us a testimony to stir the deeps. For what it is worth, after reading it the following is some of the theological mud that rose up from the deeps of my being. For the last 20 years I've been involved in a project to secularize our Old Christian Code Words, after all the Incarnation is a metaphor through which we pull the image of the Divine (The Awakened) becoming Secular (our human experience.)
    Pricella's image of Jesus planning to meet the boys and girls in Galilee was helpful. In the Bible all geographical words I transliterate as theological geography. Unlike Priscilla, I've not thought of "Galilee" as the place of ministry, but I do transliterate Galilee as the place of "going home, or returning to our awakened roots; a sense of place such as our authentic relationship to the humane and gracious life working for justice and mercy. 
    Like Priscilla, substitutionary sacrifice bothers a lot of people, however she hit the nail on the head (an Easter expression?) by re-imaging this theological phrase as living the sacrificial life; something all of us in the Order know something about. The angle I like to work in this area is to think of Jesus death and resurrection as the demonstration of how we need to abandon--to die to--the barriers preventing us from living the humane and gracious life. Just as we all are victimized, Jesus was victimized by the religious and political institutions of his day. When Pilate confronts Jesus about being a king (one who lives the awakened life), he tells him, "I have the power of life and death over you." In effect, Jesus replies, "No you do'nt because I choose to die." How can you kill someone who is already dead? Isn't this the experience of the phrase, "To die is to live?"
    By-the-way, baptized Christians are already dead too. When we live as the intentionally dead we already experience our resurrection. In this same way we affirm that while victimized we choose either to be victims or victors. Jesus is the demonstration for what is possible for each and every human being on the face of the earth; we can choose to live the victorious (awakened) humane and gracious life working for justice and mercy. 
    Pricilla, thanks for sharing. You inspired me more than probably was necessary. 
    I'm deep into "Brother Joe." With his wonderful writing style, Bishop Jim put me in contact with grand memories that make me miss my brother Joe. I was privileged to be the first ever to sing a solo for Joe (et.al.), "Life beckons me to wonder and humility, to journey into deep reality. . . " (My Consummation). What a fortaste of what the Ordered life has since meant to me. 
    Happy Awakening Day!
    Bill Salmon

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Wilson Priscilla 
  To: earthrise 
  Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 5:34 PM
  Subject: [earthrise] Witness – From Bach to Borg

  From Bach to Borg

  Sometimes the stars align to knock some new understandings into my head. For over 100 years we’ve never had a time like this. March Madness, spring break, Holy Week and Easter, the beginning of spring (therefore, my birthday) all happening at once.

  Accompanying all of this – I have participated in a woman’s book club studying The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan. Our pastor, Tom Are, has led five sessions entitled, “If I Understand the Text” which was a look at scripture from – ‘What Kind of Writing is This’ to ‘Seeing the World Anew.’ Perhaps most incredibly, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion on Palm Sunday weekend (two performances) was a deeply moving event for me and all who participated.

  When we began learning Bach’s music and those impossible German words (how many weeks ago?) I came close to dropping out. But my self-story at that point was – ‘I’m turning 77 the day before Easter and research says this learning is very good for my brain.’ About three weeks before the concert I changed my story to – ‘I need to put in enough time working on this so I can truly enjoy singing it.’ And what happened? Dr. Andrew McGill, who is with Westminster Choir College of Rider University, came to conduct. His first emphasis in rehearsal was, “What is this saying? How can you convey agitation (or humbleness or whatever emotion was being portrayed at the moment.)

  I’ve been a Christian all my life, which means a lot of Holy Weeks have come and gone (76 to be exact), I realized this year that I’ve never spent this much time and reflection getting inside of the passion story. I have sensed that I vaguely disagreed with much of the popular portrayal of this story.

  I’m relieved to read Biblical scholarship saying “participation in” not “substitute for”. That image of Jesus’s death being a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world always bothered me. To think of sacrificing one’s life for a cause seemed to speak to me – “Jesus sacrificing his life for his passion  – the advocacy of God’s Kingdom.” (Borg/Crossan) To die is to live – to give oneself on behalf of the broader good – Jesus telling his disciples to meet him in Galilee. If I translate ‘Galilee’ into a metaphoric term for ‘ministry’ then it begins to make sense. Life happens as I engage in ministry of compassion, love, justice. The struggle comes as I look at my life and ask myself, “where am I engaging my time and energies? Are they ‘me’ directed or ‘compassion, love and justice’ directed.

  I’m grateful for Borg, Crossan and other scholars who push for theological understanding and meaning that relate to life today. But I also want to keep the beauty of Bach’s music, even when his text comes in words I not only have to translate from the German, but also from 18th Century theology.

  ________________________

  Priscilla and Rod Wilson have been involved in one way or another with the spirit movement since the early 60's. We were part of the North Shore Cadre ... and have continued to share what we learned from our many colleagues at every opportunity in the church and in the community. 

  Priscilla Wilson
  TeamTech Press
  Mission Hills, KS 66208
  pwilson at teamtechinc.com

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