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Rev. Dr. Christy Thomas
Pastor, Krum United
Methodist Church |
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See other thoughts here.
Thank Goodness for Chocolate!
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| Imagine, just
for a moment |
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where sacred knowledge was written in a sacred book, but in a language
not your own. |
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where you had access to the sacred knowledge when others, not like
you, had already done all the translation, all the interpretation.
You were given only the results of that interpretation. |
| ,
if you will, that such translation, such interpretation gave the others,
the ones not like you, precedence and priority over all learning,
all power and all leadership with the sacred rituals. |
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if you will, that you were repeatedly told by the others, the ones
not like you, that they were doing you a favor by holding all that
sacred power. They told you that they gave great privilege when they
let you come into the outer rings of that power, when they permitted
you to wash their sacred garments and polish their sacred instruments
and caring for their sacred bodies. They said that would give you
such a feeling of privilege that you should be fully satisfied. |
| e,
if you will, that you discovered you were not fully satisfied. You,
too, wanted access to the sacred knowledge. And so you, after all
your work was done washing the sacred garments and polishing the sacred
instruments and caring for the sacred bodies of the ones not like
you, began quietly to learn the languages in which the words of sacred
knowledge were written. |
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if you possibly can, how horrifying it was to discover that the understanding
given to you by the others, the ones not like you, didn't fit with
the words you now read in the sacred books. |
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perhaps, that you rush to tell the others, the ones not like you,
of your fear of a terrible mistake. Imagine that you told them of
your discovery: all the sacred power and leadership and learning were
supposed to be shared, to be given not only to the ones not like you,
but also to the ones like you. How glorious, you say. Look, you say,
we can share the sacred work; we can share the sacred power; we can
multiply the influence of these sacred words. You tell them: You don't
have to be alone any longer, you can have a partner. |
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if you can, that they, the ones not like you, turn to you and say,
You are wrong. The power of the sacred knowledge is mine, for That
One whom the sacred words reveal is like me, not like you. You are
only partial. I am whole. Since you cannot be like me, you cannot
be like That One. And since you cannot be like That One, you must
come no closer to these sacred things. |
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that you respond with tears of sorrow, with pleadings to look again
at the sacred words, with entreaties to examine the new understanding.
But the others, the ones not like you, say: See, I told you that you
are not like That One. Mop up those silly tears. If you were like
That One, you would put those emotional outbursts away, and leave
them behind as I have. |
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that you say, But That One, That One also had tears, That One also
spoke of sorrow and grief. Why are mine different? |
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that the others, the ones not like you, say: Because you are not like
me, you do not have the capabilities to understand. Because I am not
like you, I can see clearly. Because you are not like me, you can't.
Besides, why are you complaining? I let you wash the sacred garments,
don't I? I let you polish the sacred instruments, don't I? I let you
care for my sacred body, don't I? What more can you possibly want?
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| . Imagine
whether you would want to worship That One, That One who is not like
you, That One who says only others, the ones not like you, are fully
worthy. |
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| I left it, finally, and discovered
a Christian world of grace and hope, a place where God calls us to
holy living and holy action, a place where all are welcomed, not just
the self-described select few. Part of my journey can be found here. |
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