Category: Ragamuffin Gospel

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #4 – Tilted Halos

Chapterย 4

Saved Sinners

The subtitle for this chapter should be Saved Sinners as Manning uses this term several times directly and indirectly. The emphasis makes sense: we are all sinners, the distinction is only between those who haveย accepted Christ and those who have not.

One of my goals in life is to be an encourager, one who lifts others up when they’re down. I can only do this if I’m willing to accept that I am nothing without the saving grace of Jesus Christ. My aim is to listen well and be sincere–nothing contrive, no check marks on a list or notches in my belt, simply authentic.

In conversation, the disciple who is truly poor in spirit always leaves the other person feeling, My life has been enriched by talking with you.p.81

As we come to trust Jesus completely, we stop judging others because we understand our own position in this world–we are all saved sinners! This allows us to relate with everyone. The key is not to put ourselves first, but to always put Christ first, trusting that He will span the gap between us. Those who are truly humble “do not pretend to be anything but what they are: sinners saved by grace.”

I really appreciate Manning’s confession about his six weeklong Lenten “renewals” where he was called out by someone who acted as his “mirror.” Whether or not we have valid excuses for our actions, we need to remember that “to whom much is given, much is required”Luke 12:48.

  1. The foremost characteristic of living by grace is trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
  2. Second characteristic is Poverty of Spirit: Blessed are the poor in spirit.
  3. The third characteristic is honesty.

The discussion of honesty reminds me of a Billy Joel song. Though distinctly not a Christian song, sometimes we can (and should) learn from the world (see Luke 16:1-15). From the song, “honesty is such a lonely word, everyone is so untrue.” We all think we need to wear masks, to put on our church face, to be something someone expects. The play Manning mentioned in the beginning of the book, The Great God Brown, was all about masks that allowed the actors to pretend to be someone else, to gain an advantage that ultimately was all vanity.

Yet honesty doesn’t mean being a tyrant! We can be honest and caring at the same time. The key is to be more concerned about our brother or sister than we are about ourselves.

The question the gospel of grace puts to us is simply this: Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? What are you afraid of?

Honesty is so important. We raised our girls with this truth: lies will always come back and bite you. I think this is quite true, but what we like to do is mask something as truth that is in fact a lie. We’re bombarded with political correctness, social expectations and other artificial pressures that all attempt to teach us that truth isn’t always the right thing. We know this isn’t right, but it’s so easy to just accept that we’re often afraid to speak the truth, even in love, because of the potential side effects.

Perhaps the term transparency is better at encapsulating honesty. I can be honest, but not say what I’m thinking. Whenย I’m transparent, I don’t hide behind excuses like, “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” I’m not suggesting we be insensitive because transparency works both ways! In any case, if we assume we’re on #3 because we have fully accepted #1 and #2 above, this should be a natural next step. On the contrary, if I’m wrapped up in my own little world, overly concerned about me, then I can’t possibly be honest with someone, let alone transparent.

All in all, our shiny little halos that we tend to polish as if we’re people that are just a little bit better than others need to disappear. We are given the gift of grace to share with others. Only then will we see what grace is all about!

From the Chapter

  • The tilted halo of the saved sinner is worn loosely and with easy grace. We have discovered that the cross accomplished far more than revealing the love of God.
  • The saved sinner is prostrate in adoration, lost in wonder and praise.
  • Thus the sequence of forgiveness and then repentance, rather than repentance and then forgiveness, is crucial for understanding the gospel of grace.
  • Do you really believe that:
    • the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is gracious
    • He cares about you?
    • He is always, unfailingly present to you as companion and support?
    • God is love?
  • You are wrong if
    • you have learned to fear this loving and gracious Father
    • you have learned to think of the Father as the judge, the spy, the disciplinarian, the punisher
    • you think Abba is our enemy
    • you believe Abba is intent on trying, tempting or testing us
    • you think Abba prefers and promotes suffering and pain
  • Trust defines the meaning of living by grace rather than works.
  • The deeper we grow in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the poorer we become–the more we realize that everything in life is a gift.
  • Honesty is such a precious commodity that it is seldom found in the world or the church.

ยซ Chapter 3

Chapter 5 ยป

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #3 – The Ragamuffin Gospel

Chapterย 3

This chapter explores the love Jesus showed to the least in society as demonstrated by his actions. Much of the chapter focuses on the lowly position of children and the assertion that we must be like children when we approach Christ. Jesus taught this by His daily actions where he never held back from embracing those that were considered outcasts by the Jewish elite. The lowly status of children and the importance of dining with someone was very interesting to consider. We’ve talked a lot about children, but the cultural significance of having someone over for dinner provides aย key insight into the Pharisees hatred of Jesus.

It’s funny how most church activities revolve around food (at least they did when I grew up), breaking bread together involves being vulnerable. In Jesus’ time on earth, sharing a meal with someone was more than just having some food, it was sharing life together. It was a process to have a meal. I remember being invited to dinner in England (our neighbors) for the first time. What I learned quickly was this had little to do with the food, though it was fine, it had much more to do with getting to know one another. I don’t remember when the dinner started, but I do remember that it wasn’t officially over until 11pm! ย This makes me want to have people over more often, to spend time sharing a meal, cleaning the dishes, just hanging out, with people who are in our local church as well as those who are not part of any church. It seems my life has become too compartmentalized, too structured and scheduled. I pray that God opens these doors as I begin to get more involved in our community.

The last part of this chapter was really significant in my mind. The Alcoholics Anonymous buzzword: H.A.L.T. is significant. Too many times poor decisions are madeย when we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired.

  • Hungry: Most of the time we can fix the hungry problem by going to the fridge or pantry…most of us don’t have to worry about where the next meal is coming from.
  • Angry: The problem of anger is generally the result of not getting what we want or feel entitled to receive. It doesn’t really matter why we’re angry, what matters is how we deal with that. We need someone to confide in, someone who will listen without judging — and yes, we need to be that kind of person as well.
  • Lonely: I think we’re lonely a lot more than we realize. The “I can do it myself” mentality often leads to loneliness because we think we need to do it by ourselves. We think that asking others for help is a sign of weakness, something that reveals our inability. We really were meant to be a community of believers doing life together. The more we share the ups and downs of life together the more we avoid being lonely.
  • Tired: Oh my are we ever a tired people! Go, go, go! Where’s my list of things todo…rush, rush, rush! I’m tired just typing that! We will be tired because of the expectations and responsibilities. As parents this never ends. As employers, employees, pastors or parishioners, life makes us tired. What we do when we’re tired makes all the difference in the world. There’s no surprise that the 4th commandment is there for a reason. God knows we’re going to be tired. Plan on it and take a Sabbath weekly.

All kinds of problems happen when H.A.L.T. is violated. Lord I pray that we become a community that recognizes our weaknesses and learns to live together. Help us to turn to you in these times, for sure, but to learn to turn to each other, to be the cord of three strands that cannot be easily broken.

Jesus spent a disproportionate amount of time with Ragamuffins

  1. The least, the last, the lost and the lonely
  2. He related to the upper class as well, but not to gain clout or position

The kingdom belongs to
people who aren’t trying to look good
or impress anybody,
even themselves.

The Kingdom belongs to those who come like children

  • Odd story about a Zen monk, a tiger, some mice and a strawberry. The point is to focus on the here and now, but it’s a bit odd.
  • The past is crucified with Christ, victories and disgraces, all now have a new focus
  • Children in ancient Jewish society “had no status at all–they did not count.”
  • “Jesus gave these scorned little ones a privileged place in the kingdom”
  • The napioi were Jesus’ image for the uneducated and ignorant

Jesus deals the death blow to any distinction between the elite and the ordinary in the Christian community.

  • There is nothing we can do to earn any position in the Kingdom, it is all by the grace of Christ.

Sharing a Meal

  • “In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity and forgiveness–the shared table symbolizes a shared life.”
  • When Jesus met Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), He was judged by the Pharisees immediately–he broke their law.
  • By dining with these “sinners” Jesus took away their shame, humiliation and guilt–He restored their dignity.

Jesus feasted while John fasted Mark 2:18-19

  • Jesus demonstrated what it meant to live with joy
  • He laughed, cried, smiled — he lived on earth like a real human

H.A.L.T.

  • Hungry, angry, lonely or tired. An AA buzzword: “Don’t let yourself get H.A.L.T.”

 

ยซ Chapter 2

Chapter 4 ยป

ย 

Notes:

1ย napioi, nฤ“pioi. ย Used 15 times in the New Testament in various forms. From Mounce: “an infant, babe, child, Matthew 21:16, 1 Corinthians 13:11; one below the age of manhood, a minor, Galatians 4:1; met. a babe in knowledge, unlearned, simple, Matthew 11:25; Romans 2:20.”

2ย eudokia. From Mounce:ย good will, favor, Luke 2:14; good pleasure, purpose, intention, Matthew 11:26; Luke 10:21; Ephesians 1:5, 9; Philippians 2:13; by impl. desire, Romans 10:1; Philippians 1:15; 2โ€ฏThessalonians 1:11.

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #2 – Magnificent Monotony

Chapterย 2

An intriguing title for a chapter that forced me to look for an appropriate definition. It seems that Manning wants to help us focus on the constant, consistent, even monotonous theme we find throughout the Bible: God’s love. He loves us through creation, through the Fall, in our sinful nature, in our best and at our worst.

Another recurring theme in this chapter is the call to prayer. From Isaiah’s paean of praise1 to the call to be men and women of prayer, Manning implores us to see the God of compassion, to stop blaming and see the love of God woven in the Gospel of grace and understand that grace is the active expression of his love.

Yet if we were truly men and women of prayer,
our faces set like flint
and our hearts laid waste by passion,
we would discard our excuses.

Manning provides several examples of how the legalistic interpretation of sin leads us nowhere. “If your God is an impersonal cosmic force, your religion will be noncommittal and vague…but trust in the God who loves consistently…a loving God fosters a loving people.” I love the example of Jonah’s reluctant call as a prophet and how his desire for God to fit his definition is completely ignored by God (funny how that works!). As kids, we recall the story of Jonahย as the man in the whale saved by God, but this misses the point. I am Jonah, the man who wants God to listen to me. I’m the hothead that calls God to strike down those who are worse sinners than myself! Thankfully God doesn’t react to my selfishness or that of billions of other people. God is love.

It’s interesting how we quickly read beyond the first three commandments, how we have convinced ourselves that we are not like the Hebrews that Moses led. When we shape God into the image we demand we are guilty right out of the gate. When we stop reading the Bible in Exodus because of guilt that we are reminded of by the legalists, we miss the point — God is the God of grace — read the whole story!

The Word we study has to be the Word we pray…from sitting still in the presence of the living Word and beseeching Him to help me understand with my head and heart His written Word.

Manning implores us to accept ourselves so we can begin to grow. There is some tension here, especially in our culture, because we tend to define success in terms of wealth and position, of power and popularity. There is no support for this notion in the Bible at all. Our call in this life is to “go and make disciples” not become wealthy and popular. We need to be attractive magnets to those who are far from Christ. The key ingredient is love. “Love is a far better stimulus than threat or pressure.”

I’ve told my wife, “I love you” a thousand times and I will likely tell her another thousand times. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t think that’s boring or monotonous. ๐Ÿ™‚ God tells us over and over again He loves us. This is a Magnificent Monotony. Thank you God!

ยซ Chapter 1

Chapter 3 ยป

ย 

Notes:

1ย Paean, as in Isaiah’s paen of praise to the all-powerful Creator: song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving.

 

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Ragamuffin Gospel: #1 – Something is Radically Wrong

Chapter 1

In this chapter Manning provides a strong argument that the institutional church in America is moving in the wrong direction, with the wrong message and misguided leadership. “The institutional church has become a wounder of the healers rather than a healer of the wounded.” Far too much emphasis is being placed on “what I do rather than on what God is doing.”

“At the heart we are practicing Pelagians.” (seeย definition)2 We’ve bought into the notion that we can do it ourselves! As a parent, I’ve heard this phrase so many times and yes, I’ve even encouraged our children to “do it themselves.” At its worst, this very typical behavior can lead to the unintended consequence of instilling a value system that suggests God is not required. Pelagius committed himself to this idea in the 5th Century and was ultimately excommunicated.

In our thirst to handle things ourselves we’re faced with the harsh reality that ultimately we are not in control. ย Manning quotes Eugene O’Neill’s play, The Great God Brown, so I checked out a book of his plays get the full grasp of the example. What intrigues me most is the concept of fabricating masks to portray who we want people to think we are and how this warps our reality into the form we want rather than being the creation God desires. A rather depressing play, perhaps, because it paints an authentic picture for many.

What we need to wrestle with is the concept that “God made sinners righteous through the forgiveness of sins in justification.” When we dwell on this notion, we simply must tell the world! God “has a single relentless stance toward us: He love us.” We can’t fix ourselves, God doesn’t expect that at all. He does expect us to understand our sinful nature and come to him.

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, โ€œWhy does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?โ€ย On hearing this, Jesus said, โ€œIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: โ€˜I desire mercy, not sacrifice.aโ€™ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.โ€ Matthew 9:11-13

The words of Christ are more important than anything we can write. Of all the scripture Jesus could draw upon, He chooses to quote Hosea when confronting the Pharisees. Hosea? Really? The guy God told to marry a prostitute? Through it all, God shows his unquenched desire and love for His people. That’s the theme of this chapter. ย Manning points out the Greek work kalein or kaleรณ in the text, to call, to summon, to invite. This word is found 148 times in the New Testament Greek. Maybe we should pay attention to the invitation??

It’s all a gift. Grace.

We have been given God in our souls and Christ in our flesh. We have the power to believe where others deny, to hope where others despair, to love where others hurt.

I really appreciate Manning’s description of how Luke paintsย a pictureย of children being worthy for the kingdom of God while the rich young ruler is found wanting and unable to comprehend the words of Christ (Luke 18:15-30). There is nothing we can do to inherit the kingdom. Children cannot because they are….children!ย Once we get this thought through our heads we must realize we can no longer โ€œdo it ourselves,โ€ we must surrender, submit, confess and accept Christ. But thereโ€™s more, we need to share that with others.

After reading this chapter the most recent version of It Is Well began to play in my mind, especially the reprise:

through it all, through it all,
my eyes are on you
through it all, through it all
it is well.
through it all, through it all,
my eyes are on you
it is well with me.

Not by anything I have said or done, but by the almighty grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

ยซ Intro

 

Notes:

1 Penitential Seasons include Advent, Lent, etc.

2 Pelagianism views humanity as basically good and morally unaffected by the Fall. It denies the imputation of Adam’s sin, original sin, total depravity, and substitutionary atonement. It simultaneously views man as fundamentally good and in possession of libertarian free will. With regards to salvation, it teaches that man has the ability in and of himself (apart from divine aid) to obey God and earn eternal salvation. Pelagianism is overwhelmingly incompatible with the Bible and was historically opposed by Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo, leading to its condemnation as a heresy at Council of Carthage in 418 A.D. These condemnations were summarily ratified at the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431).

3 The Great God Brown, Eugene O’Neill. See link. Throughout the play, these characters wear masks that serve several purposes. They help the characters hide and thus protect their vulnerable inner selves while, at the same time, allowing them to project pleasing public images in an attempt to restore their confidence in themselves. Yet, ultimately, the tensions that result from not being able to reveal their true selves cause the characters to suffer and further isolate themselves from each other. The Great God Brown presents a penetrating study of the inner workings of the human psyche as it struggles to cope with betrayal, failure, and a search for identity.

4 joie de vivre: exuberant enjoyment of life

5 Laicization is a process which takes from a priest or other cleric the licit use of his powers, rights, and authority. Laicization occurs automatically when a priest, deacon, or monk marries or joins the military without permission. Major clerics (priests and deacons) are directly laicized through their superiors by the penalty of degradation.

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The Ragamuffin Gospel: Intro

The Ragamuffin Gospel - coverMy first post of 2016 comes at a moment where I have very little understanding of what this year will bring (I could never have predicted 2015!). God is amazingly awesome and ever in the center of my thoughts, though I’ve been more human lately than I want to admit. In addition to reading the Bible this year, I have several books that will provide different perspectives on particular topics.

As I begin, let me say thanks to the super talented Beth Ehlert, Worship Pastor at Hope Fellowship, for the gift and challenge of Brennan Manning’s, The Ragamuffin Gospel. With all the blessings that God continues to pour on me and my family, I have to admit I feel more like a ragamuffin today than I have in a long while. At times it seems like to world is winning, but this is not reality and I know that without a doubt.

Michael W. Smith’s foreword reminds us that “grace abounded more because I could find it in the darkness as much as in the light.”

Grace Abounds More

Reading the brief testimony of Rich Mullins reminded me of Psalm 144:3, of the awesome, radical and absurd love that God has for us! If we can stop for just a minute and think of how ridiculous it is to say that the creator of the universe cares about us, we should be driven to share the Good News, the Amazing News, to others so they can see your relentless pursuit of all.

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?

This past week Beth asked me to learn a song by David Moore, 139. In reference to Psalm 139 the words of the song highlight just how crazy God is about his creation, about you and me, that he would pursue us in the highest and lowest places, that he would “lead me home.” I’m an old guy who still has a song left in my heart and a desire to share music with others, but I’m not overly talented and certainly not trained. Yet I am assured by this book that the “bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out,” the ragamuffins, are loved by God. For that I am ever thankful. I confess that I am wobbly and weak-kneed, I know I don’t have it all together and perhaps I’m just too proud to accept the handout of God’s amazing grace.

So here we go 2016. Another year to ponder the amazing words of Jesus Christ and hear the voice of God through the words of Scripture and perspectives of those who have committed their lives to understanding more than I can ever imagine. Teach me Lord, open my eyes and ears, make me an instrument of your peace.

Contents

Chapter 1 ยป

 

 

p.s., Happy Birthday Cynthia! No longer a teenager, but a beautiful daughter of God that I’m proud to call my daughter. May God continue to bless you as you grow in the faith and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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