Dale Cresap's blog

Do you know the difference between ceremony and ritual? These words are often used interchangeably, but ceremonies are positive affirmations of the status quo, like parades, and rituals include a dark element. Do you see this in the sacraments of baptism and communion? Baptism is a ritual of burial, albeit in water rather than earth, but the Bible makes this plain, and communion is an invitation to identify with my death by drinking my blood and eating my flesh. If properly understood these are not things to engage in lightly.

Do you live in a classless society? Some countries are acknowledged to have a caste system and others pride themselves on not having one, but can such a thing really exist? The Bible says much about the distinction between the rich and the poor and indicates that this is enduring, for the poor you have with you always. I do not require draconian policies to put an end to this difference. You have seen failed attempts to achieve this. But don’t pretend that the difference doesn’t exist. Remember that you have a duty to the least of these.

What do Christian parents tell their children? That they must complete their education and then start a career before marrying and having children, or finding a way to serve me? This may be good advice and it is respectable in your culture, but where do you find it in my teachings or elsewhere in the Bible? Where is it written that you must take care of your own needs and secure your own future before following me? I direct my followers on many paths, and each of these is right for that person.

Do you have money? Everyone wants to. Do you find that people are treated differently depending on whether they have money or not? Do you do this? An objective reading of the Bible would suggest that it is better not to have money, for the poor are rich in faith, and how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God, harder than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

Have you heard of anything that backfired? Weapons can be dangerous to the user as well as the intended target but now this term commonly refers to a plan or action. Have you seen this happen with sarcasm, ridicule and contempt? The one who speaks in this manner intends the blow to land on his victim, but it says nothing about the person it is directed against and everything about the one who speaks it. For the words you speak are a reflection of your own character, not of anyone else’s.

Do you think that my grace is bestowed on a select few of great worthiness? If you understand the concept of grace you realize that this position doesn’t make sense, but you can hold one position as an abstract derivation of theological principles and another as a way you perceive and experience life. Will I not lavish grace on the least of these who represent me in the world?  Consider my statements that I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, and that I will leave the 99 in the fold to seek the one lost sheep.

When Peter confessed that I was the Christ, I said that he was blessed because flesh and blood had not revealed this to him, but my Father in heaven. Do you think this is a universal enduring principle? How do most people today become convinced that I am the Christ? Is it by instruction from other people, the record of history, and the Bible? Should this be considered more as flesh and blood revealing or my Father? Yet you know from the story and intuitively that the latter is better.

Have you ever visited a foreign land? Did you study in advance to know what to expect and find that it was valuable to know about local currency, language, customs, and gestures? You may not have the opportunity to travel the world that you live in, but one day you will travel to the world to come. You won’t find a tourist’s guide to heaven in your local bookstore, and even my word gives limited descriptions, but if you follow me now you will be ready for your trip.

Do you think you will have a life free from pain if you do the right things and are productive? Consider the Biblical lesson about pruning. Every branch that bears fruit is pruned that it may bring forth more fruit. This is a positive result in comparison to being cut down and cast in the fire, but it is still a painful process that no one looks forward to. Have you ever felt the snip of the pruning shears yourself?

Do you find that people are generally overconfident or underconfident? What about yourself? How would you know? Can you render objective judgment on this question? Perhaps it would help to rephrase the question. Do you normally think you are right? Do you know anyone who thinks they are wrong? Have you ever been certain of something and later found out that you were completely wrong? Could you even now hold equal certainty for something else that is wrong? It is better to hold wrong answers with a reduced degree of certainty. It can serve you to make room for mystery.