John 5: "I do not accept praise from men, but I know you."

As an aside, I always enjoy seeing Bible references in American culture. Sometimes they are coincidences, but they always make me wonder. The National Naval Medical Center is in Bethesda, Maryland. According to Wikipedia (which marks the extent of my research), the town came before the hospital. And here in John 5, Bethesda is a pool around which "a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed." Did FDR know the reference when he selected the site? Curious...but cool. Our country is thick with faith. The deeper you search, the more you find. It's a treasure.

Back to business. I love when the Bible, and Jesus in particular, gets aggressive. I think our modern (or rather, post-modern) Christianity is too familiar and casual with Jesus. (Spoofed well here). The personal relationship with Jesus has become too comfortable and personalized. We keep the parts of the Bible that make us feel good about ourselves, or loved, or safe, and gloss over the nasty bits about God's awesome-beyond-all-imaginable-scope power. Most importantly, we focus on the benefits, and not so much on the challenges.

It's ironic, because the Pharisees were on Jesus's case for healing and teaching on the Sabbath. Many people will focus on how they are too legalistic, and rely on the law of Moses rather than on the Messiah in front of them. What stuck me, though, is our ability to fit God and faith and obedience into our own little frame. We make God into something finite which we can understand and process and hold over others. The Pharisees reduced Him to the law. Many "Christians" (that goes for a good many "Christ followers") reduce Him to the forgiveness. We see Him as the cool guy reaching out to sinners, and end up with a casual attitude against sin. Or, more importantly, we anthropomorphize Him into something too personal. We lose sight of the powerful God and focus on the intimate God.

I often find myself missing the Catholic liturgy I saw when I worked for Sacred Heart (I can't say I took part in the liturgy, because I never took communion there). While many of the parishioners wouldn't understand my affection for it, I think that old-school churches can instill an image of the powerful God who demands obedience, even as He offers forgiveness. I'm talking pillars & pipe organs here. The great tradition of art & culture which has lifted humanity out of the sewers. God called us to give ourselves to Him on His terms. That means humbling ourselves. That means music meant to glorify Him, and reflect on His greatness, not just tug at heartstrings. Somehow the way we worship seems a bit too cute, too familiar. We want church the way we want everything else, with coffee and power chords and flashing lights.

I'm not calling for legalism, obviously. (I'm not really calling for anything). It just makes me nervous how we get very casual sometimes. Sometimes I walk into a beautiful church, and feel a different aspect of God's presence. Not the "I'm here with you, I forgive you, I lift you up through troubled times" side of God we often focus on. In a cathedral, it is the side of God who says:
41"I do not accept praise from men, 42but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God^[d]?

45"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

Sometimes, I need to experience the God who isn't there to make me feel better, He's there to teach me how to live right, even though I'm a screw-up. Sometimes, I need to be in the presence of HE WHO CALLS ME OUT!