Gospel Truths

So this is the gospel: that people are uniquely good and redeemable, whether enemy or friend, gay or straight, male or female, Afghani or American, Democrat or Republican, capitalist or communist, homeless or billionaire, and that the Spirit is in the business of reconciling all of us (and all of creation) to each other and to the Spirit-self. That there is an alternate Way of living—an abundant Way of peace, justice, love, grace, generosity, community, respect, simplicity, humility, and joy—that has been alongside us all the time, an alternative to our violence and oppression and manipulation and hatred and arrogance and greed and lust—and that this “alternative universe” is now crashing into ours through the work of Jesus, his Spirit, and the followers of his Way, heaven colliding with earth, the Spirit’s one Will overcoming our many, duplicitous wills. That the Spirit is a practitioner of restorative and not retributive justice, perceiving both the justice and injustice within all of us and transforming all of us into innocent children and just citizens of his Kingdom, by flood or by flame. Yes, yes, yes, the Spirit is reconciling all things to the Spirit-self! All things, all people, all nations, all creatures, every tree and flower and blade of grass! That the Spirit is a Spirit of endless Love, that he adores us, is enchanted by us, that he pursues us like a Wild Lover and soothes us as a Wizened Guardian (all wisdom and wrinkles and wizardry). That all people (all things, in fact) are worthy of love, respect, joy, and adoration, that all people are a unique and irreplaceable Imago Dei; we are a scattered, dazzling jigsaw puzzle of which the Spirit is vigilantly and affectionately gathering in the pieces and putting them flawlessly together. When we overlook our sister or brother, when we treat her or him with contempt or disinterest, we are missing a unique and divine opportunity: to sneak a peek into the very face of YHWH. And this: that we have an essential and irreplaceable part to play, that we are agents, ambassadors, activists, messengers, students of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are the Roman messenger-runners sent directly into the field of battle to declare a ceasefire. “Peace be with you!” we scream and wince and pray they don’t shoot. We are activists using civil disobedience in the long, infamous line of Elijah, Elisha, Moses, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Samuel, Esther, Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Daniel, Jesus, Stephen, Peter, Paul, Silas, and John. We are actively dismantling the broken structures of this civilization and building new ones, restoring, rebuilding, renewing. We are actively working to be agents of restorative justice and reconciliation in our relationships and our communities. We are actively becoming conscious of social, cultural, and political issues at the relational, neighborhood, city, state, national, and international level—and we are becoming agents of peace, justice, grace, and love within these issues. Spirit-through-Us is bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth bit by bit by bit. We are the Spirit’s great and only plan of Redemption and Reconciliation, as we always have been. And this, this is the soul of the gospel: that the Spirit is reconciling all things to each other and to the Spirit-self, through us.