Belonging and not belonging

He came to his own and his own people did not receive him John 1:11

Sometimes our search for belonging ends up empty because we do not realize that life as a believer is always full of paradox and tension. Why? It is because our Lord and Master is full of paradox and tension. Fully God and fully man. Poor and rich. Weak and powerful. One of the most striking paradoxes is that he belonged and did not belong. As a jew he belonged to the jewish nation. As a human he belonged to humankind. He was naturally connected to these groups and had an affinity for them. We also are connected to many groups and affinities. I myself belong to African Americans. I also belong to the hip hop nation. I belong to Fuller Seminary as well. On and on it goes until finally there is the tension of not belonging. When we side with Jesus we find ourselves in the predicament of not belonging to this world. We are then called to not only be accepted but to be rejected. The call of God demands this of us because it is the path that God chose as he became man and walked this earth. It is a call to be marginalized and rejected; to be on the outside. This is where our true calling lies. It is in belonging so much that we are touched with the infirmities and weaknesses of others. It is in not belonging so much that we can speak up for those who are oppressed. You will never be a part of the "in" crowd because Jesus wasn't a part of the "in" crowd. He was ghetto and the people in the ghetto of galilee and judea rejected and despised him to the point of consenting to his death. When we belong and do not belong we are bound to encounter the cross and inevitable death. If this is the case then our only consolation is the resurrection where we will most certainly see that all along and throughout eternity we belong to God.

The Ghetto as part of Seminary Curriculum

It has been a few years since I have been around the place where I grew up-Lynwood, CA. Just recently I had to stop by the So Cal Gas Company's Compton base which is right next to Lynwood and I saw so much poverty and darkness that I couldn't believe my eyes. It was hard to imagine that just a little over ten years ago I was walking these same streets. As much as it was hard to look at it did me good. For one thing it reminded me of where I am from and who I am and where I've come from. Sometimes after we get into our christian bubble we forget what God has even done for us and end up being distant from God even though we use his name for everything and do all of this religious stuff. The next good thing that came of it was that it grounded my ministry and especially this stage of my journey in seminary. As much as we can sit and talk about God in the cloistered halls of academia we really do not know him until we have his compassion and serve others. I actually would recommend that all seminary students do some time in the hood as part of the required curriculum. You can definitely learn a lot!

The End of a Quarter at Seminary

I am grateful to God for the opportunity to go to seminary. I never was that motivated in school even though I aced every exam (I didn't do the homework so I got by with C's). Now I am motivated and energized and acing everything. It is clear that I am supposed to be here and this is where my heart fully comes alive. After the first quarter is over I have ended up with more questions than answers about God and his ways. Things that I assumed are now being questioned and refined. Here are a few of those things some of which are very general and vague to specific:

1. What is original sin and does it make you guilty even before you have done anything?

2. Do we as humans have souls or are we spirited bodies? (Swallow that one)

3. If God is a spirit and spirits do not have bodies can we call God a he or a she?

4. If Christ suffered and Christ is God does God suffer?

5. Is Christianity compatible with evolutionism in any form?

6. What do I mean when I say the word "God"?

7. How does homosexuality relate to the concept of human beings as the image of God?

8. Is the Bible inerrant (without error) in all of its words and letters?

These questions are the beginning of a long journey through the depths of a neverending attempt at proclaiming a faithful yet not final word about God and his ways with man which some people call theology.