Happy Friday! Here’s your law/gospel roundup of all the places the perpetual tension between grace and self sufficiency have shown up in my feed (and my life) recently…I didn’t have time to cover everything I wanted to expound on, but alas, there’s always next week, I suppose. As always, feel free to share your favorite places where you saw the grace of God at work in the world this week…
Grace in Hip Hop…
As Lil Nas X continues to work through the fallout and controversy provoked by his recent music video, J Christ in which he employs an abundance of religious imagery that many have deemed sacrilegious, it appears there is at least one member from both the hip hop and faith community who is willing to demonstrate the description of love Paul gives when he notes, “love believes all things”. In response to Lil Nas’ attempt at an ‘apology’ or rather an explanation of his motives (as if any of us knows our motives…ever), Christian rapper Dee-1 had this to say,
“We have to see it in his actions before we believe him, but I feel like it’s equally as important to show our love to people the same way we would want Christ to show love to us when we express sorrow or we express remorse for our actions that we may have reflected on and been like ‘that wasn’t right,’ or ‘I could have done better.’”
Flux Capacitor Righteousness…
This week, I had a Doc Brown moment…a random revelation that occurred to me upon noticing three stickers one of our kids had arranged in a perfectly triangular arrangement on our bedroom door. While I wasn’t exactly “standing on my toilet seat hanging a clock“, I did come to see the resemblance between the flux capacitor and the classic Trinity diagram that distinguishes the persons of the Godhead one from another, while maintaining the trifold unity of God. While the flux capacitor enables fourth dimensional travel, the Father, Son, and Spirit remain eternal, outside of the confines of temporality…that is, until that fateful day of the incarnation, when the Word, the eternally begotten Son ‘became flesh and lived among us’. I have sometimes wondered what kind of film we would have gotten had the DeLorean’s controls remained set at ‘Dec 25, 0000’.…
Sex After Sixty?
A New York Times article highlighted a recent trend in dating among older Americans that has possibly arisen due to the popularity of “The Golden Bachelor”, the reality spinoff show that focuses on singles age 60 and older. The article underscores the reality that geriatric stories of love and romance often remain ignored and overlooked. According to the article, older couples who have found one another via apps like Bumble and related platforms are discovering that “dating can be infinitely better when you don’t have as much to prove.” Though we live in a culture in which we tend to deny the reality of our imminent mortality, it is indeed the natural process of aging (and consequent life experiences) that can facilitate the vulnerability we seek in the context of dating and relationships. According to Janet Ha, whose late-in-life love story is profiled in the article,
I used to be afraid to show who I really was in a relationship before, because they might leave. And I don’t have that at all anymore...
Pros and cons are given equal weight throughout the piece, but I especially appreciated the closing sentiment from Mike Ecker, Ms. Ha’s love interest and partner…
I have felt that this thing has been guided and out of our control…
Indeed, the best moments in life (including finding a romantic partner) are out of our control, spontaneous, and guided…Or as the New Testament would affirm, ‘led by the Spirit’…
When ‘the Law’ Gives You Marital Advice…
In a recent People magazine article, iconic TV personality, Judge Judy reflects on the success of her 46 year marriage to Jerry Sheindlin…Honestly, this piece brought me relief as I’m glad I’m not the only who feels like too much time together is detrimental to marital (and mental) health…The venerable judge known for her snarky witticism advises against couples spending more than 24 hours together. Haha…who knew?…Her insight here actually reminds me of a quote I once read from Cosmonaut Valery Ryumin, who wrote in his journal during a tense mission aboard the Salyut 6 space station: “All the conditions necessary for murder are met if you shut two [people] in a cabin…and leave them together for two months.”
Work Out Your Own (self) Salvation…
According to Yasmin Tayag at The Atlantic, there are evidently, too many ways to exercise. The sheer task of finding the ‘right’ way to get in shape is itself an exhausting enterprise that ends up in despair. After all, “the letter killeth” – even the letter of the law that insists that we find ourselves, find our niche exercise routine, and ultimately, find our clique. Consider what Tayag indicates,
For some, fitness programs become so embedded in daily life that they begin to resemble institutionalized religion. In an extreme case of life imitating exercise, a couple who met at CrossFit got married and served a paleo cake at their wedding, which was held during a CrossFit competition. Because exercise is so good at fostering community, the search for a workout is sometimes described as finding “your tribe.”
For deeper insight into this issue, consider this insightful talk by Rina Raphael who presented at the 2023 Mockingbird Conference in New York.
Law-in-Life feature: ‘Another Gospel’ in the Place of Rest…
This week’s law in life feature is from a recent trip I took to Chicago. Upon reaching my destination, I was delighted to be checked in by none other than…Jesús. The spiritual implications were evident as this ironically named bellman literally carried my bags (i.e. burdens) and led me to my place of rest. As I often do when checking into a new hotel room, I had to verify the legitimacy of my lodging quarters by checking the night table drawer. Alas, there was no Gideon Bible…until I checked the sock drawer…and sure enough, there it was: the most signature aspect of the American lodging experience…Yet the experience of grace was short lived…as I noticed, ‘another gospel’ placed right next to it (Galatians, anyone?). So, I guess this is a thing now? Who knew?…
The Transformation of SaulPaul
As I have noted previously, I am indeed an avid fan of the PBS Newshour. Last night’s profile on musician SaulPaul was especially poignant. Having endured a life of criminal activity and incarceration, he found hope and transformation via music. Though his message literally bears a ‘be the change’ connotation that in my mind always smacks slightly of ‘law’, I was encouraged by his humble assessment that the variables of dysfunctional family dynamics, race, socio political ramifications, etc. had nothing to do with his eventual incarceration. Like the namesake of his moniker, he recognized that he alone was to blame for his own errors and problems in life. It was this low point in his life that in his own words, preceded the transformation that now marks his life as he uses music to impart grace to his hearers. That sounds a bit like St. Paul’s assessment in Romans 7, “it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me’. That sounds an awful lot like #low anthropology…
Law, Grace, & Daily Living 