WHAT’S UP, GOD?

It has been a bit of a “religious rites blur” the last couple of months.

We’ve attended two weddings, a Baptism, a funeral, and a memorial service.

Add to that a fervent prayer to find a leftover chicken leg in the fridge, and I’ve had a lot of God contemplation lately.

I’ve written about one of the weddings, and it was very traditional. The second was very Christian – the type with the waving hands and “Jesus be praised” as the password to be served dinner. There was even a puppet show with a sinner being stoned – I swear the crowd was looking at me during the performance. 

But it was very inspiring to see young people who have made a visible commitment to their faith.

And both weddings were focused on the couples imagining their futures together, which is optimism inspiring to witness.

The baptism was also about a commitment to faith, and imagining our grandson’s future.

Fortunately, our daughter didn’t serve deviled eggs at the baptism brunch, since we had renounced Satan during the service. But she did serve burritos shaped to look like the 12 apostles, which were a big hit.

And of course, the funeral and memorial service were about lives well lived, and the completion of the journey.

So, we have experienced God – and celebrations of life – from beginning to end…

But my God contemplation is made a bit tricky by being raised Catholic – it occurred to me that based upon how God was described to us, I was afraid of Him. Very afraid.

We were taught that He would punish us for any number of rules violations, with the possibility of Mortal sin – which is sort of like the ultimate super speeder violation. All those sins confessed in a dark closet through a black screen. I hear there’s now an app for that…

The nuns reinforced our dread. Holy cards were one means: On days when we were misbehaving, they would hand out holy cards featuring damnation; on days we were behaving, they would hand out holy cards featuring damnation.

But there were good elements.

We were reassured we were praying to “the right God”, and all those other religions were barking up the wrong deity.

And when we were confirmed, we got to sing the Confirmation Song: “Soldier of Christ, Carries no gun…”

But it made me wonder, what does God make of the way we relate to Him?

He’s always being asked for things – does He find all our praise and prayer sincere?

Does it bug Him that many blame Him for the centuries of work mankind has done to destroy itself?

He has to be eternally patient, or else He’d have turned to stone all the atheists and agnostics who deny His existence.

I’m sure He(?) has no gender identity issues. Our grandson refers to Him as She in his prayers. 

He must be very humble: Can you imagine the uproar on social media if He proclaimed Himself #TheChosenOne?

And while He never ages, I think He’d look years younger if he lost that beard.

After all my contemplation, I believe He is a pretty good God. And given His patience and humility, He isn’t smirking “Gee Jim, thanks for noticing”.

But when I think of all that He has done, all the miracles and blessings, I think the most amazing thing He did was to create death.

Because without death, we’d take all of this for granted…

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TO ENHANCE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THIS POST, PAIR IT WITH THE FOLLOWING SONGS:

Dear God  XTC

Dear god, sorry to disturb you but, I feel that I should be heard loud and clear
We all need a big reduction in amount of tears
And all the people that you made in your image
See them fighting in the street, Cause they can’t make opinions meet about god
I can’t believe in you

Dear god don’t know if you noticed but Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book
And us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look
And all the people that you made in your image Still believing that junk is true
Well I know it ain’t, and so do you
I can’t believe in you, I don’t believe

I won’t believe in heaven or hell, No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown, You’re always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown, Those lost at sea and never found
And it’s the same the whole world round, The hurt I see helps to compound
The Father, son and holy ghost, Is just somebody’s unholy hoax
And if you’re up there you’ll perceive That my heart’s here upon my sleeve
If there’s one thing I don’t believe in,,, It’s you

Gloria   Patty Smith

Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine
Meltin’ in a pot of thieves, Wild card up my sleeve
Thick heart of stone, My sins my own
They belong to me, me

People say “beware!”, But I don’t care                                                                                               The words are just, Rules and regulations to me, me

The Wedding Song  Stuckey’s Restaurant

A man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now and til the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love                                                                                                                                    And if the couple is truly blessed, pecan log rolls    

If we were vampires  Jason Isbell

It’s knowing that this can’t go on forever
Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone
Maybe we’ll get forty years together
But one day I’ll be gone
Or one day you’ll be gone

If we were vampires and death was a joke
We’d go out on the sidewalk and smoke
And laugh at all the lovers and their plans
I wouldn’t feel the need to hold your hand
Maybe time running out is a gift
I’ll work hard ’til the end of my shift
And give you every second I can find
And hope it isn’t me who’s left behind

Gotta Serve Somebody  Bob Dylan

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Dweller on the threshold Van Morrison

I will walk out of the darkness
And I’ll walk into the light
And I’ll sing the song of ages
And the dawn will end the night

I’m a dweller on the threshold
And I’m waiting at the door
And I’m standing in the darkness
I don’t want to wait no more