Sunday Evening Triage

The evening began with tacos and ended with a triage.  Everyone was scattered everywhere for the evening meal.  Some were at the table, others in the living room, all were enjoying the Diana’s homemade taco salad.  After clean up, some creative seating arrangement and brewing the coffee, we were ready for the discussion part of our evening. 

During the morning communion service I had talked about our commonness in Christ, and now I hoped to linger over the idea.  We came at it from a number of angles.  One of my last questions was, “Our commonness is not in the nuances of our beliefs.  What do you think about that statement?” 

“I think we need to view beliefs through a theological triage,” Nate commented.  That intrigued me.  I had never heard of such a thing.

I learned that a triage is the protocol an emergency room uses to determine priority of care.  As Josh, who is a nurse, pointed out, “It assures that the person who has a broken leg doesn’t get treated before the person who had a heart attack.” 

Theological triage is the idea that just like an emergency room there are there are levels of priority in biblical doctrines. 

Nate went on to explain along these lines, “The first level is doctrines that are most central and essential to the Christian faith.  Without them the gospel would be compromised.  Second level is doctrines that create significant disagreement among believing Christians and that cause them to set up boundaries between themselves.  When believers organize themselves in congregations and denominations, these doctrines became distinguishing factors.  And third level is doctrines in which Christians may disagree but feel comfortable remaining in the same fellowship.” 

His comments gave me pause to consider and wonder which doctrines fit into which levels.  They also brought some clarity to a statement I have heard from Augustine.  He said just about four hundred years after Christ, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Photos taken at the Beckley Art Center where the group met one Sunday evening to enjoy art and a concert 

Easter Memories

It was most unusual – a high pitched whistling sound with a droning background.  I lingered between sleep and being awake.   The sound continued but louder, clearer and with a recognized melody.  Just across the road people had gathered around a churchyard cross as a bagpipe played Amazing Grace.  I had awakened to Resurrection morning. 

Another favorite memory was our first Easter morning in Mexico.  We were up before dawn and headed out to the welcoming home of our friends Toby and Marilyn.  There chairs were arranged on the patio beside their pool facing toward the eastern sky.  In the distance Popo silhouetted the gray-blue and peach sky finally giving way to the full sunrise. We sang worship.  It was a remembrance of mercy.

We had our first of many Easter luncheons in 2002.  We felt as though the day often passed us by without significant recognition.  So we decided to keep it simple with sandwiches and load up on friends who would celebrate with us.  It was a beautiful day.  People were spread out through the doublewide.  As I look over the photo album, it remains a special memory.

All these memories pale as we ponder and treasure the main event. 

In the cold, dark, secured tomb lays a deceased figure.  Dried blood from multiple wounds stuck to the clean linen strips that wrapped the body.  Death came three days earlier at the insistence of a frenzied crowd and at the manipulation of religious leaders.  The torturous cursed death on a cross. 

Outside hardened, rugged soldiers were posted to guard against body snatchers.  Inside there is the absolute stillness of a cold lifeless body.  Then without warning…….omnipotent power floods and surges into the limbs and organs bringing energy and life.  There is movement.  Vitality.  Resurrection.  Death has lost its prey and sting.  Jesus lives! 

For this we are very happy!

Growing Through Diversity

The rock-paved street was rough and narrow.  Ivy covered the walls that closed in on us as we made our way to the Molino Hotel where a bi-lingual international church met.  This particular day our family was the first to arrive and climb the steps at this peacefully picturesque location.  Little did we know the diversity that awaited us.

Steve, a Canadian, grew up in China until his family was expelled during the communist takeover.  Hector and Anna were Mexicans who spent most of their lives smuggling Bibles into closed countries.  Keith and Ruth Ann were Mennonite missionaries who had previously lived in Ecuador.  Cornelia was of German heritage and grew up in Chili.  We lived in her family’s home when her husband took a year off from Campus Crusade for Christ to attend seminary in the U.S.  Each of these folk and many others made a huge contribution to our lives. 

Before this we had always congregated in with those who made us feel comfortable.  That is to say with those who were most like us - the same in educational level, biblical background, race, financial status and political views. 

We slowly learned however that having a common identity in Christ does not mean sameness.  In fact when all of our views and tastes, our likes and dislikes are the same our breadth of understanding is narrowed.  Insight is reduced.  Perspective is constricted.  Diversity on the other hand is expanding. 

It is consistent with the biblical narrative as well.  Early on the first three thousand converts of the church were made up of those from Asia, Egypt, Rome, Crete and Turkey.  Then there were also Jewish and non-Jewish, insiders and outsiders, slaves like Onesimus and free merchants like Lydia, the uncivilized and the uncouth.   

The infinitude of God is not explored one dimensionally.  The depths and nuances of Scripture cannot be uncovered by one person. 

We need poets and story tellers, women and men, immigrants and travelers, seniors with wisdom and youth who question to enhance our understanding, to challenge our thinking.   Otherwise we fall into a rut and fail to grow in our understanding of God and ourselves.  

Living the Common Life

If you are a Christian believer, you and I have much in common.  And we have much in common with others around the world and throughout history. 

Our commonness is not something shallow like sports teams, food preferences, clothing styles or schooling choices.  Nor is it of a more serious nature such as parenting style, Christian liberty or the way we conduct church.  It’s not even in the finer points of our beliefs. 

No, our commonness lies at a much deeper level than any of these.  We all have a common inheritance of fullness, completeness, restoration and spiritual blessing in Christ.  This common identity is with close friends and with those with whom we sense a strained relationship.  Whether we happen to like them or not has nothing to do with it.  Whether we realize it or not we are in this together. 

We have a common purpose with those in our church community and with those among the world church community.  This common purpose is with the colorfully dressed Kenyan lady whose arms are filled with bracelets as she strings green saplings for a hut.  It’s with the Irishmen dressed in his wool turtleneck and raincoat as he repairs his fishing nets, and it’s with the Vietnamese family who wear their straw conical hats and sell vegetables from their traditional wooden boats.  As Christian believers we all assemble to respectfully honor and worshipfully exalt God.  Just as the Westminster shorter catechism reminds us, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”   

Our common foundation is solidly and solely, Jesus Christ.  Throughout history Moravians, early Church Fathers and the relatives we see on tin type photos have had this same foundation.  Christ has always been, remains and will always be our King and Brother, Lord and Friend, Master and Mediator, Savior.

 

The Apostle Paul accentuates this common unity in his correspondence with some Asian believers, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

This, my friend, is a common life worth the living.