Pond ripples

Tuesday 21 April 2009

I love thinking about the whole Jesus incarnating thang happening in one place and culture, from within one womb, and then from there radiating out to other people beyond the Jewish borders. And wouldn't it be a real doozie if we were in the same place again, with Him radiating out beyond the Christian borders?

The cosmic Christ. I love the heresy. It's where the juiciest joys live :) I imagine the Jews were just as horrified at the thought of non-Jews believing in their Messiah. Perhaps the pond keeps rippling outwards.

The Cosmic Christ is what Paul is talking about when he goes to such great lengths to describe the Body of Christ (See 1 Corinthians 12:12ff) and "all of creation longing to give birth" (Romans 8:22). He is the head; we are the members.

The hymns at the beginning of Colossians and at the beginning of Ephesians say he is "the image of the invisible God" and we are "chosen in him.” Read them anew, and see how this image of Christ is beyond any one religion or any age. He "holds together and reconciles all things within himself, everything in heaven and everything on earth" (Colossians 1:15-20).

This is not the historical Jesus anymore. It’s what the historical Jesus has morphed into, which thank God, includes you and me and all material reality in its victorious sweep and triumphal procession (2 Corinthians 2:14). Even the animals and even the earth itself (Revelation 21:1). Alleluia!

Richard Rohr

Now, call me a stinking hippy, but sometimes I feel stoned on the prospects, of the future, of every knee bowing because everything has been made new. It is so far beyond the bounds of what I know, and yet somehow, my hippy cosmic heart knows it. It changes the view.

Some may liken me to pond scum rather than joining me for the view of the pond ripples. That's okay. But leave me be, brothers and sisters. I ain't hurting nobody over here in my little cosmic christ corner :)

Peace.

6 comments

  1. Nor do I worry that you'll fall off the edge, because we have GRAVITY, man. Groovy!

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  2. OK, you're a stinking hippy. That's what I love about you!

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  3. i think more and more that this reality extends beyond the borders of religion, culture, and even moreso, beyond our planet. cosmic indeed. i think there is far more to this than we can conceive just yet because we're so damn earth-centric in our thinking, and earth-laden in our beings. we can't really escape just yet.

    i've thought that if life is indeed forever, and we have some sort of individuality left afterwards, we would get awfully bored being limited to one planet for eternity.

    now if we can just get that "travel by thought" thing down...

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  4. Erin - maybe there's no edge to fall off. Or do you mean the Jesus edge in our heads? It's funny, sometimes I ask myself that, when I'm checking in on myself, you know? Just casting my eye around and checking out the lay of whatever land I'm in at the moment. And occasionally I say to myself, "Ooh, you're getting so heretical, are you going to cast Jesus out next?" But no, he is more central to everything than ever. Even more so than when I was less heretical. Just more ... cosmic. Man :)

    On a selfish note, I miss your not blogging as much but I understand you have a life :)

    Tess - oh, THANKS! Yay for being dirty and stinking! It's the new black

    jON - hello there buddy. How are you going? I miss your blogging too, but you know. Gotta do what gotta do and all that.

    I agree we can't really escape just yet. It boggles and biggles my brain to think of all the possibilities. The more than one planet thing is an interesting ponderance. To traverse the universe :) Nice :) I look forward to experiencing more dimensions than this one too. And taking a trip down a black hole :)

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  5. Sue, I'm sitting in that little cosmic christ corner with you.

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  6. Aww thanks hon. I'm busy working my ass off, though only time will tell if my ass actually leaves. :)

    I'll tell you though, yeah, I meant the Jesus edge in our heads. Like, if we get to the point where we let go of him and we float off into space, helplessly. But he's not something we have to be hanging onto with all our grip, because he has us in his orbit...like.

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