Just 26 hours (or so) until the Sabbatical begins. ALMOST there. But there's a whole lot between here and there. A qualitative difference. ALMOST, but decidedly not yet.
Talked this morning about Paul in Athens, talking to the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in the Areopagus. I said the Stoics were the egg-heads and the Epicureans were the gym-rats. Of course, there is a lot more nuance than that, but the analogy helps. The Stoics were much more than egg-heads, they sought virtue at every turn, loved wisdom and knowledge. Today we would find them at the library, but also in the halls of Queens Park, seeking to help the entire province be virtuous, fiscally responsible, socially benevolent, and welcoming the free-flow of ideas. The Epicureans, who tend to get a bad rap by history which seems to paint them as party-poopers, were just trying to control the passions of the flesh; they were more than just gym-rats. I'd guess that today they would buy a lot of outdoor equipment -- mountain bikes, running shoes, paddles, and backpacks. But those are just my characterizations, and as such, each is 'almost.'
When we 'walk around and look carefully at the objects of worship' of our fellow citizens, there is always a sense of 'almost.' From far away, outside of actual relationships with our neighbours, we use broad brushes so that we can tell their story quickly and not get into detail (since we don't know it anyway). I remember when we moved back to Canada from the U.S. (and I have Linda to thank for helping me remember this, thanks!), that many times when we told Canadians that we had lived in the U.S. for eleven years, we would receive a response which included being told 'what Americans were like.' I remembered using some of the same characterizations myself, before living amoung our neighbours to the south (notice how I used the Canadian spelling?), but that eleven years of friendships and life-sharing had cured me of some of those inaccuracies.
Over the last three years, as we have been introduced to new friends from a variety of cultures and religious perspectives, I have begun to see that the broad brush used from afar had painted many inaccuracies in my 'knowledge' of who others were. So I am thankful to draw close now and see things more clearly.
That's my hope over the next four months, to draw closer and see more clearly, to get closer than 'almost' in understanding what makes my fellow Cambridge residents tick, and sing, and dance, and cry. Paul did that 2000 years ago in Athens, and because he did, he helped a faith community speak intelligibly to the culture in which it found itself. Some sneered, but some wanted to hear more.
Until Jesus comes back, people will sneer at the church's message -- and some of that is deserved. We don't always deliver our precious cargo with care. However, with God's help, and the Spirit's preparation, and prayer, and love, some will want to hear, and see, and know more.
And let's hope they do. Because Jesus is coming back. He's almost here.
