<html><body>part 2:<div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Now you may not accept what
Stringfellow wrote. You may not accept what the commentator said that he
thought Stringfellow meant. You may not even agree that the reviewer of the
author of the second book really understood Stringfellow. But, ultimately,
whether or not you and I agree doesn’t really seem to matter. The point is that
the word “alien” has been brought up in religious thought. And the word “alien”
has been bracketed with large corporations, and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">with
film star idols, and Hallmark ® cards.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> <b>THAT’S</b>
why the book title came to my mind – because it’s forever there, challenging me
to think about how I think, and how I act, and how I interact.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Exactly as the Old Covenant stories
challenge me t do; exactly as the New Covenant stories challenge me to do, I’m
compelled now to loom at absolutely everything, without exception, and ask myself
how that fits in with God’s creation. What does this book, this piece of music,
this letter, this phone call, this visit, this just-completed Diocesan
Convention – how do any and all of these impact my being a child of God, called
to be a disciple of the Son of God?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> There’s nothing I’m supposed to do,
nothing at all, that isn’t meant to be a part of the ultimate revelation of
God’s reign throughout the entirety of the universe – aliens and all! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> I don’t know about you, but more
often than not, I’m impressed fairly easily. Oh, I have my share of cynicism.
Bumps in the road I’ve travelled so far have advised me to be a bit careful.
But a blazing sunset, a wonderfully unexpected flower, being present when a
particular piece of music is played, watching a movie that makes a great
dramatic point – all of these can move me greatly and I feel wrapped up in
things, and I may imagine that, somehow, I have “arrived” – whatever that may
mean.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> I see the disciples in this
morning’s Gospel passage reacting in somewhat the same way. They’ve been at
another barnstorming liturgy in the Temple, surrounded by all sorts of gold
ornaments, and incredible tapestries, and moving singing and, possibly both
scripture reading and a commentary on it that touched their hearts. The disciples
have come out into that clear hot sunshine and been awe-struck by the enormous
blocks of stone of which the Temple and the Square have been constructed, and
they become so enamoured with the beauty of it all that they may have become
like Little Jack Horner. “Aren’t we humans amazing?” they may have said. “Look
at this temple! It’s incredible!” And hey may even have said, “Isn’t God great
for putting the design in the minds and imaginations of the builders.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> But even giving credit to the
inspiring work of God doesn’t delude Jesus when He says, “The building is all
very well. The sunlight is glorious. The way the golden dome reflects the sun
so that it can be seen for miles certainly <b><u>DOES</u></b>
look good. But that’s not the be-all and end-all of life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Jesus wasn’t a kill-joy then and
He’s not today. <b><u>BUT</u></b>, He picks
up on what He said elsewhere that we are to be <b><u>IN</u></b> the world, but not <b><u>OF</u></b>
it. There’s an ultimate reality which allows us to enjoy the wonders of art and
architecture, and of human achievement, and yet always calls us to look and to
move beyond it to that even greater glory to which God is leading us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Jesus is so well aware that we
today, as the disciples were two thousand years ago, can get so hung up on the
externals that we don’t allow ourselves to think of where we’re going, whom
we’re supposed to be bringing with us, and how we’re to get there. And, of
course, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of becoming mesmerised by human
achievements and possessions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> God knows, every single page of papers and
magazines, every TV and radio programme, everything around us is designed to
make us want more, to copy our neighbours, to one-up them if we possibly can.
It’s incredibly difficult to stay focused on what the temple worship would have
been all about that day and not have the size, the colour and the arrangement
of the building’s stones take over all our thoughts and desires.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Think, if you will, of what remains
of that Temple out of which the disciples walked. Think of the Wailing Wall at
which faithful Jews pray for God’s intercession, just as Hannah did. Think of
the Wailing Wall, the remnant of Herod’s temple, and of the Dome of the Rock,
and of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Think of how passions boil over all
the time in that small area in the centre of Jerusalem. Think of how focused
people of different faiths are toward these sacred areas – and then think of
Jesus’ words. Of course, each of those sites is precious. But was Jesus not
pointing beyond them, to the ultimate, totally joyful worship in the Divine
Presence where all come together?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Was Jesus not pointing out that we
are aliens here, whose ties should only be tight enough to allow us to minister
to others, and not to keep us here?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> And doesn’t this apply to all of
life – everything – our hopes, our dreams, our resources, our ministry?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> With at least an internalized smile
I come back to that crazy question. “I<a href="http://click.email.bbc.com/?qs=6c604a33c76fb39897b08bd3815a9d863723f421cbdc0547a3eace565e22dd785764e1434b74a573" target="_blank"><span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">f
aliens exist, how would we know?</span></a>” <b><u>WE</u></b> are the aliens. Not aliens to God, but aliens to – to
whom? to what? Will others know that that is so? How will they know?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">NOTES:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> “</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
letter-spacing:-.15pt;mso-font-kerning:18.0pt">If alien life exists on
exoplanets, how would we know?” </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
letter-spacing:-.1pt">Astrophysicist Sara Seager believes she has a way to
reveal the biological secrets of a ‘second Earth’ – watch the video above to
see how. 9 November 2015 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"><a href="http://click.email.bbc.com/?qs=6c604a33c76fb39897b08bd3815a9d863723f421cbdc0547a3eace565e22dd785764e1434b74a573">http://click.email.bbc.com/?qs=6c604a33c76fb39897b08bd3815a9d863723f421cbdc0547a3eace565e22dd785764e1434b74a573</a></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">2</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> “<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ethic-Christians-Other-Aliens-Strange/dp/1592448747" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a
Strange Land</span></a></i>” by William Stringfellow<span style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">. Word Books, Waco, Texas. ©
1973.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; background: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">3</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> <i>“</i></span><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-font-kerning:
18.0pt">An Inconvenient Theology”</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-font-kerning:18.0pt"> by<i> </i></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""><a href="https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/users/nathan-schneider"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Nathan
Schneider</span></a> December 6, 2011 - 9:08am <i>“An Alien in a Strange Land: Theology in the Life of William
Stringfellow”</i> by Anthony Dancer Cascade Books, $31, 272 pp<span style="color:#333333">. </span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222;
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDkQFjAHahUKEwig14mq1IfJAhUU6mMKHeznBuY&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commonwealmagazine.org%2Finconvenient-theology&usg=AFQjCNH2OekKjqNz7YwXLevwtC2o5i8rng"><span style="color:#660099">An Inconvenient Theology | Commonweal Magazine</span></a> </span><cite><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#006621;font-style:normal"><a href="https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/inconvenient-theol">https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/inconvenient-theol</a></span></cite><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></body></html>