God in Flush
“How can we thank you enough for coming to us as God in flush?”
Every head was bowed, every eye closed at Anchor of Hope yesterday morning. Good thing, because maybe nobody saw me stifle a laugh during the “prayer of invocation.” Did he really say God in flush? Plagued by a graphic imagination even in church, I envisioned human waste circling the bowl, struggled briefly with the word “God” swirling in the same context, and pulled myself together again in time for the amen. Ok, it was just a waver of the tongue… or the rich Arkansas accent of an older man greatly respected and dear to me.
But it wasn’t that easy to get out of my head. I have to admit it kept intruding on the rest of what I heard about advent throughout the worship service. God in flush. It certainly puts a new, imagistic spin on Philippians 2, that ancient hymn about God emptying himself.
I do not want to want to be sacrilegious here. When speaking of God I am trembling on holy ground, tinkering with dynamite, squinting at mystery. But the mystery I am most drawn to tinker with and squint at is the extraordinary notion that God did in fact empty himself, taking on of all things the form of a human being. And not just any human being, but a servant-human being, so that God not only had the experience of producing excrement but got treated like it.
If this is good news, it’s shocking and scandalous good news, which might be why shortly thereafter Paul called it a stumbling-block (skandalon) to Jews and foolishness to Greeks. “God in flush”—it’s either sacrilegious, or a foolish bad-taste pun, but even the way he came in flesh was hardly what might be expected as Israel’s long-awaited champion or the fulfillment of humankind’s yearning. O come let us adore him, born the king of angels? “God in flush” —if anyone cares to check, he’s outside the camp (Hebrews 13:13) where they empty out the buckets.
If this is good news, it would probably only be good news to those already outside the camp, “bearing the disgrace he bore.” Good news to the poor, if at all. Good news to the disgraced and wasted people in Sam’s and Robbie’s posts from last week, or to those out pushing shopping carts and picking through dumpsters. Because he himself has been shamed and crushed, “Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). For those of us trying to keep our dignity, it’s just kind of disgusting.
This disgusting good news for the poor, announced to herders in their fields by night, could it possibly be the same news of great joy that will be for ALL people? If so, we who would come adore him might have to look in some disgraceful places.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing
O come let us adore him
O come let us adore him
O come let us adore him
Christ the Lord.
Comments
Scott...thanks for the heads up on this blog. I look forward to seeing what all is flushed out.
Posted by: Wes Roberts | December 20, 2005 10:57 PM