Shadow Boxing
"Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!" Jesus (Matthew 23)
When George Carey was Archbishop of Canterbury, he would frequently remind leaders that the whole Jesus demands the whole person. A good reminder in this presidential election year, not only for those who are seeking election but for all who seek to lead. The challenge, of course, is that bringing the whole person before Jesus involves acknowledging our shadow sides... something we Americans shy away from at great cost not only to ourselves, but our country.
In large part, I think that shame that holds us back. The shame of being less than perfect. In a culture where mistakes are not allowed, we tend to deny and even hide our shadow sides. After all, hiding from ourselves has been modeled from the beginning by Adam and Eve in the Fall.
Most of us from early on are trained to share only our "good" sides, those parts of ourselves that make us and others look good. In many instances, we are rewarded for hiding our shadow sides. But, the cost is great. Bit by bit our souls shrivel and die within us. And, in Jesus' words, we become hypocrites (literally, in the Greek, "actors") who deny our very humanity. We become people who play roles, rather than live lives.
There not only is a place, but a need for healthy shame. Not one of us will make it through this life without making mistakes and even failing. Healthy shame lets us know that we are human and keeps us grounded in Christ. As John Bradshaw writes in Healing the Shame that Binds You: "Healthy shame... is the emotional energy that signals us that we are not God, that we will make mistakes, that we need help. Healthy shame gives us permission to be human."
A key meaning by which we come to experience and grow from healthy shame is through what Richard Rohr calls "shadow boxing." Shadow boxing involves bringing the messiness, the pain and brokenness of our lives, into the light. It involves examination of motives and confession. It involves exposure. For only as we bring our whole selves before Jesus can we be set free to walk in the light without fear of exposure.
To be sure, there will be moments of humiliation. But humiliation is the means by which we come to practice kenosis, that emptying of self that we might be filled with the glory of God. Shadow boxing becomes the means by which we come to know what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
Are you ready to do some shadow boxing?
Debbie Rundlett, general presbyter |
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Holy Habit from Pastor Barbara Morrison...
IT'S CHRISTMAS
Take a few deep breaths and get comfortable. Settle in to receive what God wants to give.
IT'S CHRISTMAS. Where are you? Look around. What do you see, hear, and smell?
IT'S CHRISTMAS. Are you ready? How have you prepared? How are you unprepared? How do you feel about your state of preparedness?
IT'S CHRISTMAS. What do you expect? What are your hopes?
IT'S CHRISTMAS. People are arriving. Who comes? What is their mood? What do they bring, if anything? Who does not come? How do these presences and absences affect you?
Imagine that one last guest arrives. It's Jesus! Does anything change? He sees you right away. What's that like for you? What goes through your mind and heart?
Jesus is carrying a package. He comes to you and puts it in your lap. How do you respond?
He sits down. Where does he sit? What message does he give you through attitude, expression, touch, or speech? How do you react?
He's inviting you to open the gift. Take a good look at it. What are its dimensions and weight? How is it wrapped? What is the texture and color? Does it have any sound or scent? Savor the experience of receiving this gift.
In your own time, open the gift. What is Jesus giving you? Use all your senses to appreciate it. What does it prompt in you or from you? How does it change you?
IT'S CHRISTMAS. What will you do with this gift? How will you care for it?
Gradually become aware of your surroundings. What has happened around you? What have others observed? How has it affected them?
Talk with God about this encounter. And listen. What is God's message for you?
When you are ready, and if you are willing, share something of your experience with others. |
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January 12, 2012
Two notes from the Transitional Stated Clerk, Paula Lane
At Tuesday's special presbytery meeting the overture from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wooster was approved. The overture calls upon the 220th General Assembly, meeting this summer in Pittsburgh, to recognize "...that Israel's laws, policies, and practices constitute apartheid against the Palestinian people" and urge its members, congregations, presbyteries, synods, and national staff, including the Office of Interfaith Relations "...to study this matter and to seek appropriate ways to bring an end to Israeli apartheid." The overture was presented for its first reading at the stated meeting of the presbytery on December 6, 2011, and resource materials from a variety of viewpoints were made available on the presbytery's web site.
In accordance with denominational policy, the overture will be submitted to the Office of the General Assembly along with certification of the overture's authenticity as an action of Muskingum Valley Presbytery. A letter acknowledging receipt of the overture will be sent to the presbytery and will be posted on the MVP web site. The presbytery may name an overture advocate to attend the General Assembly meeting and provide information on the background and intent of the overture to the assembly committee to which the overture is referred. That committee will make a recommendation for action on the overture when the General Assembly meets in plenary session.
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Within the next week, the pastor and clerk of session of each congregation in Muskingum Valley Presbytery will receive the annual statistical report form for 2011, instructions for completion and the deadline for filing the completed report with MVP's Transitional Stated Clerk. These reports provide essential information for our presbytery and national staff for an accurate picture of how Christ's mission has been carried out in 2011. |
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Our new website address:
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All year-end donations must be in by January 15th, 2012
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