First Millennium Historical and
Theological Reflections:
Words from Joyce Sasse's Gleanings from a Prairie Pastor, (pub. 2021) as she reflects on Rural networks. UCRMN has arisen from the networks here described, as well as the Alex Sim Symposium (1996 to 2016 in Ontario).
(This EBook can be downloaded at the CIRCLe M website www.circle-m.ca)
This article was originally written for April 3, 2021.
(Joyce wrote these words as the Introductory Notes gathered from “Saving Paradise” Prologue pages.
These last few years, as Aboriginal Christians are giving public voice to their spiritual understandings, I am feeling a kinship with how I’m trying to express my own faith-formation.
Not only have I been privileged to be in touch with a couple of special Indigenous friends as they were formalizing the Indigenous Anglican Church of Canada, but I was very aware that these mentors were working with spiritual-cultural roots that came from several previous generations.
Along the way I was also introduced to the book “Saving Paradise” – which in many ways is like an encyclopedia of Christian Church history, theology and politics.
It is in the very first pages of the book’s Prologue that we read of spirituality fundamentals that, for me, connect Aboriginal Christian Spirituality with my understanding of Rural Church Cultural Spirituality and the many facets of spirituality that are basic with the theology of the United Church of Canada.
Although Rita Brock and Rebecca Parker set out on a sabbatical study tour to find evidence of Jesus' death … early in their tour they admitted their basic presupposition was flawed. The Luke Gospel writer couldn’t have said it more clearly to the women looking for Jesus in his tomb. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? … He’s not here!”
They acknowledged their mistake. Their research revealed that Jesus’ corpse did not appear until the tenth century. The first sentence in the Prologue summarized what became obvious. “It took Jesus 1000 years to die!”
Their on-the-ground observations gave them a totally different perspective from what they expected. By studying the early visual Christian art in their tour through Roman, Turkey and the Ancient Middle East they saw how the spiritual lives of the people was shaped and sustained and made vital by a living presence of Christ’s Spirit. In the sanctuaries and synagogues, and expressed through the poetic and narrative literature their new understanding became apparent.
The faithful in their sanctuaries were initiated into a lush paradise. They celebrated the belief their home was on earth and it was permeated and blessed by God.
“The Christ they saw was the incarnate, risen Christ, the child of baptism, the healer of the sick, the teacher of his friends, and the one who defeated death and transfigured the world with the Spirit of life.”
Regardless of the struggles they faced, these early believers were given the capacity “to stay grounded in love, in justice, in non-violence, in wisdom and freedom”. Their experience of the presence of the Spirit of God was revealed to them in this world.
THINGS CHANGED
- The oldest crucifix to survive was found in 965 AD.
- Between the 9th and the 14th century in the Roman world the mystery of Paradise was expelled from the world.
- Holy War was declared. The penalty for “non-believers” and Jews and Muslims was violence and death.
- God became human in Jesus in order to die on the cross and pay the penalty for humanity’s sins. The death of Jesus was, therefore, seen to be pleasing to God.
- (All Indigenous people were known to be “savages”.)
LEADING QUESTIONS
- This study helps me look at why so many of the Biblical and theological understandings I was taught were actually mis-understandings. How did so much of early Christianity get distorted?
- What will life in the 21st century require of Christians?
(Written by Joyce Sasse) - shared by Catherine Christie
