Comments on: SAVED? 5/22/08 http://www.ugumc.com/blog/index.php/2008/05/22/saved-52208/ An Ongoing Conversation with the Pastor (Please click on "Comments" to leave yours) Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:10:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: steve http://www.ugumc.com/blog/index.php/2008/05/22/saved-52208/comment-page-1/#comment-2315 steve Sun, 25 May 2008 02:10:07 +0000 http://www.ugumc.com/blog/?p=131#comment-2315 Good job, Berry...and great stories. What many people do not realize is that the popular conception of "saved" really means "saved from God, who is so angry because you are a sinner that he wants to punish you forever in the flames of hell!" So...Jesus' job is to save us from God. How weird is that? Although there should be some separation in our thinking regarding Jesus and God, their attitudes must always be the same! One cannot want to kill us, and the other want to save us.... Good job, Berry…and great stories. What many people do not realize is that the popular conception of “saved” really means “saved from God, who is so angry because you are a sinner that he wants to punish you forever in the flames of hell!” So…Jesus’ job is to save us from God. How weird is that? Although there should be some separation in our thinking regarding Jesus and God, their attitudes must always be the same! One cannot want to kill us, and the other want to save us….

]]> By: Berry http://www.ugumc.com/blog/index.php/2008/05/22/saved-52208/comment-page-1/#comment-2312 Berry Fri, 23 May 2008 23:08:35 +0000 http://www.ugumc.com/blog/?p=131#comment-2312 Years ago, on a random overpass (like so many throughout the country), someone had painted "Jesus Saves". Underneath it, someone else had added, "S&H Green Stamps". Although I found this hilarious, it was outdone by a non-Christian friend who said, "Jesus saves sinners" - dramatic pause - "and redeems them for valuable prizes!" To this day, those are the first two things that come to mind, instantly, on hearing the word 'saved' used in any religious context. Although some 'christian' folk would be offended by this bit of humor, I make no apologies. 'Saved' has been so over-used - I'll go so far as to say abused - that it's lost any meaning other than it's relationship to a particular type of person/people who call themselves 'Christian'. Unlike 'Band Aid' and 'Kleenex', which lost their status as brand names to become the ubiquitous terms for bandage and tissue, 'saved' has become the calling card for street preachers and door-to-door religion peddlers. One of these days I'm *not* going to bite my tongue when someone asks, "...have you been saved?", and I'll reply "No, my doctor assures me that I will, to spite my best efforts, die." or, "No, the bank wouldn't accept me for deposit." You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, where things are going the instant the air passes the vocal cords forming the word 'saved'. It's so cliche as to invite this sort of humor. Then, more recently, I mentioned the 'valuable prizes' quip at a breakfast of community priests/pastors (I was with my parents). After a couple giggles around the table, one said, "That'll preach!". I can't say if it inspired a sermon, but it did give me pause to consider it, to think about the words outside of the cliche, and the conclusion was startling. The problem is - saved from what? The street preachers, etc., will all say 'damnation', or 'hell', if they bother to acknowledge the question at all, but this falls short. If we read the Gospels with a critical eye on Jesus' actions, what was he saving anyone from? What is it that this man, who wouldn't even save his own life, wanted to save us from? Simply, ourselves. So many of his followers, in his own time, were looking for salvation from Rome, and we're still missing the point today - Jesus' simple lessons show him saving people from themselves, not others. Not at some future time or place, but now. *We* create our own hell, *we* damn ourselves with our own behavior, no differently than the Jews of Israel in Jesus' time. If we take Jesus' lessons to heart, he can save us - from ourselves. And redeem us for a valuable prize - a life lived in the spirit of Christ. Why do so many insist on making it more complicated? Bj Years ago, on a random overpass (like so many throughout the country), someone had painted “Jesus Saves”. Underneath it, someone else had added, “S&H Green Stamps”. Although I found this hilarious, it was outdone by a non-Christian friend who said, “Jesus saves sinners” – dramatic pause – “and redeems them for valuable prizes!” To this day, those are the first two things that come to mind, instantly, on hearing the word ‘saved’ used in any religious context. Although some ‘christian’ folk would be offended by this bit of humor, I make no apologies. ‘Saved’ has been so over-used – I’ll go so far as to say abused – that it’s lost any meaning other than it’s relationship to a particular type of person/people who call themselves ‘Christian’. Unlike ‘Band Aid’ and ‘Kleenex’, which lost their status as brand names to become the ubiquitous terms for bandage and tissue, ‘saved’ has become the calling card for street preachers and door-to-door religion peddlers. One of these days I’m *not* going to bite my tongue when someone asks, “…have you been saved?”, and I’ll reply “No, my doctor assures me that I will, to spite my best efforts, die.” or, “No, the bank wouldn’t accept me for deposit.” You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, where things are going the instant the air passes the vocal cords forming the word ‘saved’. It’s so cliche as to invite this sort of humor. Then, more recently, I mentioned the ‘valuable prizes’ quip at a breakfast of community priests/pastors (I was with my parents). After a couple giggles around the table, one said, “That’ll preach!”. I can’t say if it inspired a sermon, but it did give me pause to consider it, to think about the words outside of the cliche, and the conclusion was startling. The problem is – saved from what? The street preachers, etc., will all say ‘damnation’, or ‘hell’, if they bother to acknowledge the question at all, but this falls short. If we read the Gospels with a critical eye on Jesus’ actions, what was he saving anyone from? What is it that this man, who wouldn’t even save his own life, wanted to save us from? Simply, ourselves. So many of his followers, in his own time, were looking for salvation from Rome, and we’re still missing the point today – Jesus’ simple lessons show him saving people from themselves, not others. Not at some future time or place, but now. *We* create our own hell, *we* damn ourselves with our own behavior, no differently than the Jews of Israel in Jesus’ time. If we take Jesus’ lessons to heart, he can save us – from ourselves. And redeem us for a valuable prize – a life lived in the spirit of Christ. Why do so many insist on making it more complicated?

Bj

]]> By: Steve http://www.ugumc.com/blog/index.php/2008/05/22/saved-52208/comment-page-1/#comment-2311 Steve Fri, 23 May 2008 20:02:41 +0000 http://www.ugumc.com/blog/?p=131#comment-2311 Thanks, Anthony...I really appreciate regulars readers like you! Judy said she really enjoyed talking with Tammy earlier this week. Ya'll coming this way during the summer? Thanks, Anthony…I really appreciate regulars readers like you! Judy said she really enjoyed talking with Tammy earlier this week. Ya’ll coming this way during the summer?

]]> By: Anthony http://www.ugumc.com/blog/index.php/2008/05/22/saved-52208/comment-page-1/#comment-2310 Anthony Fri, 23 May 2008 19:38:12 +0000 http://www.ugumc.com/blog/?p=131#comment-2310 Steve, I agree totally with you on this one, great thought. Steve,

I agree totally with you on this one, great thought.

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