The Cross and Control

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Confessions

For approximately the past three years I have spent countless hours researching, reading, and writing concerning the powerful systems in our society which have slowly and insidiously enslaved numerous Americans. At the center of this American system is the ability of humans to believe that they can 'control' everything. This system, mainly based upon economics has slowly distanced human beings from other people, since other people are really the one aspect of life that will never be completely controllable. And that which is not controllable is not commodifiable and therefore will not produce wealth. In essence it is an unproductive aspect of our daily living. Yet, I want to say that these supposed "unproductive" aspects of life are most valuable within the scope of the kingdom of God. The problem though is that they won't give us the value which our society demands.

These systems have appeared to benefit some people to a great degree, with the appropriate term being "appeared". While it appears that the people have gained prestige, status, and wealth in our society, their children have subsequently grown up isolated in rooms playing by themselves. Many of their relationships never gain depth, because of the idea that each individual is responsible for themselves, therefore contributing to divorce rates which never need to be so dramatic. People that have grown up in American culture over the past fifty years have some serious identity issues, mainly because, "Identity is formed in the midst of communities." (Stanley Grenz, Theology for the Community of God) Without these communities, people are limited in human to human contact, making it appear as though the world is very controllable. It is only through our human contacts that our understanding of the world is formed. As God has given the earth food and water to nourish humans, the human brain also needs the nourishment of diversity in order to grow. Our brains are constantly forming memories and as we grow older, we are making it continually more difficult to make change if we are not willing to live in and among difference.

Difference also allows humans to offer that wonderful gift of forgiveness for the offenses that will come and the hope of being reconciled. It will allow human beings to actually participate with the ministry of reconciliation. We have the option of distancing ourselves from difference, but this may be the option of "losing one's life" that Jesus speaks about. In the midst of "losing one's life for the sake of the gospel of reconciliation, we will find our life." (My paraphrase)

Now as a Christian, I believe in God asking humans to participate in the renewal of creation, which is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This participation can manifest itself in numerous ways and the formation of relationships should be the primary aspect to our commitment to this "good news". Yes, it is good news that God does not want us to live our lives separate from each other. But, here is the deeper call to the gospel. God wants us to live our lives completely connected to those to whom we can not control.

In my opinion, the thought of controlling our world actually usurps the rightful place of God. When the Israelites were called out of Egypt in Exodus 32 and came to Mt. Sinai, they formed a 'golden calf', because the 'golden calf' was something which they could control. The 'golden calf' had no real power outside of the value which the Israelites placed upon it, but idolatry always gives the facade of control. Life was not turning out how the Israelites had envisioned and they wanted to gain some control over this adventure. We human beings really believe that we can control everything, but in reality much of life will simply happen, because in essence we can not control the world. This facade of control is indirectly related to the fear of death. But what happens in the end if I really can't control other people? What if those people really are as dangerous as I initially believed?

The control that Jesus exhibited before the Romans and the Jews was that he had the ability to control life, but faced the power of those systems, and defeated this evil power contained within the fear of death. This power was the driving force behind his crucifixion, from the cosmic and earthly level. Jesus was faced with the alluring premise of controlling everything in his life, yet refused to succumb to this powerful idea. Why did Jesus refuse?

Without reading the idea of the modern 'autonomous individual' back into the text, I think that Jesus refused because his trust was completely in God final deliverance. Much of what control is based upon is fear of the unknown and the anxiety that can cause. Trust though should reconfigure our default positions. A default position is something we need to fall back upon. I believe that Jesus' default position in "God's final deliverance" was the resurrection from the dead. The resurrection from the dead defeated the fear of death and brought humans into the fulfillment of God's new creation.

I confess that fear has gripped my life for so long and has slowly squashed so much of my faith and trust in God's final deliverance. Amen.