The Redemption of Old, The Beginning of New

With the New Year approaching I have been thinking a lot about newness, in fact, newness is a major theme throughout the Bible. At every New Moon festival the holy offering and the sin offering were presented before God for the house of Israel as a sign of a new beginning (Numbers 10:10; Ezra 3:5; Nehemiah 10:33; Ezekiel 45:17, 46:1-7; Hosea 2:11). The Israelites saw signs of blessings in the harvest of new crops and wine, as well as the birth of new animals and children (Deuteronomy 7:13; Psalms 4:7; Proverbs 3:10). With each new birth or harvest Israel was to offer first fruits to God as a sign of thanksgiving for what he had provided (Deuteronomy 12:17). In the book of Psalms the Psalmist sings a “new song” to the Lord as a special sign of worship to God for the things he has done (Psalms 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1) In the prophetic books the tension between what is typical and what is new signifies either a curse or blessing brought against Jerusalem or Israel by the prophet through the metaphor of “new wine drying up” or “new wine” being brought forth (Isaiah 24:7, 36:17, 62:8; Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 2:8-9, 4:11; Joel 1:5, 1:10, 2:19; Haggai 1:11; Zechariah 9:17). It is in the prophets that we first read the phrase “a new thing,” “new covenant,” and “new heaven and new earth” (Isaiah 43:19, 48:6, 66:22; Jeremiah 31:22, 31:31).

In the New Testament newness is strongly tied to the Kingdom of God (Matt 13:52, 26:29; Mark 1:27, 2:22; Luke 5:36-39, 22:20). Paul picks up on the theme of newness being tied to the Kingdom of God connecting Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection to the concept that his followers are made “new” (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 2:15, 4:23-24; Colossians 3:10). Others, as well as Paul, interpret Christ’s actions as a coming of what the prophet of Jeremiah speaks of in 31:31 as the “new covenant” with the people of God (1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8, 9:15). In Luke 22:20 the gospel writer tells how Jesus interpreted his own action as a sign of this “new covenant,” spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah. Christ’s actions ultimately will bring forth the coming of the “new heaven and new earth” originally spoken of in apocalyptic texts such as Isaiah 65 and 66, Ezekiel, Daniel, and further developed in the New Testament by Jesus in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and by other New Testament writers in passages such as 2 Peter 3:12-14, and the book of Revelation.

When one does a quick study of newness in the Bible, what emerges is not a picture of destruction as some have thought, but a picture of recreation and redemption. This recreation is not the end, or death, of something or someone, but salvation from death. In the gospel of John Jesus speaks about this rebirth, which is identified as a birth from above in a stricter translation from the Greek text in chapter 3. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17, all who confess Christ are a “new creation, for the old has passed away and the new has come.” In fact, within the Christian faith baptism signifies the metaphorical death of an individual’s past and the rebirth of their new life. Ultimately, this sacrament is not a sign of death, but a sign of redemption; in the same way we are not destroyed but recreated and redeemed.

What has recently struck me about God’s redemption is that it is found in God’s “new creation,” not in the destruction of it. In God’s own way, with the coming of his Kingdom in the ministry and life of Jesus, God is building on what is currently been created and being done in the lives of his creation by the power of his Spirit in hopes of redeeming it all. This is not to say that God is monitoring our past sins or hardships in hope of punishing or destroying us so that he may one day put everything back together again better then before. Instead, he is working within our current world and lives in order to redeem them and make both anew. Christ died so that we God’s creation would not have to, but that it could be resurrected to new life. Upon Christ’s resurrection he was not brand new in a way that no one could recognize him, but his body was resurrected in an eternal form. In the same way this heaven, this world, and our bodies will be resurrected in their eternal form upon Christ’s final return.

As the New Year approaches and the 2000 decade comes to an end, I would like to think that God will continue to work in the same way he has throughout all of history, to redeem his creation. God is not looking to condemn, but rather to redeem his people. Therefore, my prayer is that in the next years and decades I will not condemn myself for my past actions, but I will be redeemed and made prefect by the one who died and resurrected so that his creation would not suffer the same fate.

So in the New Year may you not look to condemn your past, or the past of others, but to redeem it, for redemption does not stop at death, but continues past death through to resurrection. Therefore, my hope is that you look to find redemption from your past and that you begin to participate in the redeeming work of God who hopes not to destroy, but resurrect his creation.

Kingdom Work in the Most Expected Places

I have always found it interesting that even though one might have read a biblical passage many times, s/he can always gain new insight after every read. This happened to me last Sunday as the lector read the passage from the lectionary. She read the following passage:

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

46 And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors."
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Luke 1:39-56(TNIV)

What hit me as the lector read was how unlikely both Mary and Elizabeth were to be chosen to bear John the Baptist and Jesus. Elizabeth, a woman believed to be barren and past the age which is thought to be able to conceive a child; and Mary, a teenage virgin, betrothed to a lowly carpenter. What probably made no sense to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, made prefect sense to God. He chose to use two women who no one would have ever expected to fulfill his promises in the world.

As I sat there and listened I could not help but wonder who God might be choosing to work through today’s world that we, the Church, might never expect. Maybe it could be the homeless person who you pass on your way to work daily? Or maybe the rapper who spoke for and inspired a group of people, but who tragically died far to early? Or maybe, the teenager sitting in the “youth pew” doodling, who just wants to be asked how her week was? Or maybe the widower who comes to church in his Sunday best every week, who no one pays attention to, but who has so much wisdom to give?

This Christmas may you look for Jesus all around, and may you find him in the most unexpected places. I promise if we take the time, slow down, and look, he is there in the smiling faces of children and teens, in the wrinkles that grow with age, in the hungry stomachs of those on the streets, or in the cries of the silent. May you truly see Jesus as he builds his kingdom through those you would never expect.

Merry Christmas!

The Dawn of the Hipster? (Part 2)

Every countercultural movement has a story behind it, a story driven by a set of questions and concerns, which are perceived by its followers to be unanswered by the previous generations; hipsterdom is no different In the article “Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization” the magazine Adbusters argues that hipsterdom is “an artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning.” Yet adbusters is wrong, hipsterdom does not mark the end of Western civilization, instead it echoes something much greater, the postmodern death of metanarrative.

When a person becomes stripped of their cultural metanarrative, they are left to create their own. Usually what results is a collaboration of what they know, or to borrow a line from the Adbuster’s article, “an artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras…a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning.” When meaning becomes relative to individuals, creating anything of substance becomes artificial because its foundation is subjective.

The questions that drive the hipster movement have concern individual’s search for meaning. This is seen in their willingness to shed their individuality; all for the sake of feeling like they are a part of anything bigger than themselves, yet, at the same time trying to hold on to any part of their individuality in a search for autonomy. One example from the Adbusters article reads, “Standing outside an art-party next to a neat row of locked-up fixed-gear bikes, I come across a couple girls who exemplify hipster homogeneity. I ask one of the girls if her being at an art party and wearing fake eyeglasses, leggings and a flannel shirt makes her a hipster. ‘I’m not comfortable with that term,’ she replies.” Raised in a culture where metanarrative is relative, the girl is uncomfortable with the term because she is still unwilling to let any metanarrative define her; well, anything but what she sees as her own individuality, which in fact is not so individual after all.

What the girl, as well as most hipsters, fails to realize is that an individual cannot identify himself or herself in a vacuum, in fact whether people admit it or not, they cannot escape the metanarrative with which they were raised in. That is why even in their process of destructing their personal metanarrative they reach for know past metanarratives to create something “new,” seeking to find meaning. People find their identity within communal metanarrative; they need others to help them construct their meaning and individuality. Take a baby for instance, if a newborn is left by itself, only kept alive through being fed, the baby will be severely developmentally delayed because they have no way of learning how to talk, walk, sit up, or execute other vital human processes. People need the support of others to help them create understanding, in fact people search for community wherever they can find it. In the book Hurt, Chap Clark discusses the reason why teens, and might I add even college students and adults, seek parties full of drinking, sex, and drugs, is because they are in such need of community that they will seek any community that they feel a part of.

Take for instance the following quick interaction with a 17-year-old boy at a party documented in the Adbusters article:

"He’s 17 and he lives for the scene!" a girl whispers in my ear as I sneak a photo of a young kid dancing up against a wall in a dimly lit corner of the after-party. He’s got a flipped-out, do-it-yourself haircut, skin-tight jeans, leather jacket, a vintage punk tee and some popping high tops.
"Shoot me," he demands, walking up, cigarette in mouth, striking a pose and exhaling. He hits a few different angles with a firmly unimpressed expression and then gets a bit giddy when I show him the results.
"Rad, thanks," he says, re-focusing on the music and submerging himself back into the sweaty funk of the crowd where he resumes a jittery head bobble with a little bit of a twitch.

The reason this teenager lives for the scene is because it is the only community he has; these are the only people that help this boy create meaning, and give him a metanarrative to live by. In a postmodern world where metanarrative is under attack, hipsters are forced to search for the meaning of life, who they are and why they are here amongst late dance night parties, beer, and drugs as they scream out, “help me find who I am, why I am here, and what this life is all about.”

The metanarrative of salvation can be the identity-forming story that helps to answer the questions those within hipster culture are asking. The one distinguishing element one must have is an authentic life-changing element of Christianity. Post-modern students can see through phony unauthenticity like it is glass. Unless your faith translates into life changing action you will not have a voice among the generations to come. On top of that, today’s teens and college students needs to see a faith that not only changes you as an individual, but affects and changes the world around you. Something that I have failed to mention until now is that while Hipsters are artificial, they do have a heart for social change. For most part this is because they are looking to be a part of something bigger than themselves; yet this also means that unless you are involved in issues that are affecting the world, you will not earn a voice among this community. Basically, Hipsters want to know that the answers you are providing them are concerning something bigger than your individual self. The days of accepting Jesus as your personal savior are gone; the teens and youth of 2010 and beyond want to know if your Jesus is a part of something bigger than your personal little life. They want to see if your Jesus metanarrative can answer their questions about life, community, and global issues. If those you call yourselves a Christ followers cannot and fail to communicate the life changing metanarrative of the gospel by the way you life, then those in the Hipster community, and to all teens in coming years will not hear one word you say. The youth of the future have grown up in a world where they have not seen Christianity affect anything but moral reasoning. Youth need to see a faith that goes beyond morals to a lifestyle that looks much like that of which Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount or Luke outlines in Acts 2: 42-47. At the same time, the youth of today and the future will require a non-judgmental faith where forgiveness and grace are daily realities as they struggle though adolescents to find who they are in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, as another decade comes to an end and a new one begins, may the Church be the one who lives out the metanarrative of God authentically as it reaches out to those who are searching for meaning amongst new counter-cultural tends, party crowds, and artificial communities.

2010 and Beyond, the Dawn of the Hipster?

Peering through the dark used-to-be-alley, turned local music venue hangout outside of one of Orange County’s many small music venue stand hundreds of teens whose heads emerge as mountains from an encircling cloud of smoke, while all sharing a can of PBR. Dressed in skinny jeans, plaid or V-necked shirts, these teens are taking a quick smoke break before then next band goes on stage. To the common eye some might just associate these teens with the local “emo” crowd, but these teens know that “emo” has come and gone and there is something new emerging. Whether any of these teens will admit it or not, they are a part of a new indie music, fashion conscious, socially driven cultural movement that has been termed “hipster.” Just like the “emo”/ “scenester” crowd of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, the “hipster” crowd has emerged in the later 2000's asking new questions and seeking new answers as we move into a new decade.

Most likely this term “hipster” is used because by cultural watch dogs, because of this cultural movement’s similarities to the 1940s hipsters, who followed the then emerging jazz movements of their time. Frank Tirro, in his book Jazz, defines a hipster of the 1940s as, “an underground man…he is amoral, anarchistic, gentle, and over civilized to the point of decadence.” In 1940 most hipsters belonged to upper-middle class society but sought to mirror those in the urban New York Jazz community, seeing something in the midst of the urban Jazz crowd they felt lacked from their upper-middle class upbringing.

Today’s hipsters no longer belong to one social class, or even one specific ethnic group, but come from all walks of life and ethnicities searching for meaning and asking questions. The people of this subculture, who might just be looking to be “cool,” are far from the hipsters of the 1940s; they are simpler than some think. In fact, today’s hipsters take many subconscious cues from their 1940 counterparts; some might even argue that they can be defined as decadent, just as their former brothers and sisters. In an Adbusters article “Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization,” Douglas Haddow argues that “hipsterdom” is a stripped down version of prior countercultural movements that is unable to create anything meaningful or new. While Haddow is quite critical of the hipster movement, he is correct in stating that most hipsters appear to be a “homogenous group” who are seeking to discover their own sense of identity and meaning, rather than pursuing anything greater. Yet, within this subculture social issues are of utmost importance. Riding around on fixed-gear bikes to their favorite new ethnic veggie eatery or organic coffee shop, sporting their newest non-sweat shop clothing find, hipsters care just enough to not make any really difference in the world. Their ideals shared around smoke filled circles are the extent of their political and social involvement, which is lack luster, especially compared to countercultural movements of the past. Therefore, the question has to be asked whether or not much of their social mindedness might just be a way that they distinguish themselves from others, while creating their own cultural homogeneity.

Much like the “emo” movement of the late 1990’s, hipster culture is slowly moving into high school and junior high youth culture. In fact, as Paste magazine demonstrates, today’s hipsters’ roots can be traced to the college emo music and scenester culture of the early 2000s. It is yet to be seen how corporate America will market the hipster counterculture moment to the masses. Will they alter and destroy the essence of the questions being asked by those who are within this counter-culture movement as they did with emo culture? The masses of record companies, Hot Topic, and Spin Magazine turned a movement grounded in finding a emotional connection to what was happening in their world, especially in light of being raised in the 1980’s world of men-as-emotionless-beings, into a money market of darkness, cultural depression, and self-affliction. Companies turned questions of “what do I do with what I feel?” into be this, purchase this product to help you find the answers. Only time will tell what hipsterdom will become as it moves forward into the next decade; it could totally disappear or it could become the next “big thing” for our students. What the church needs to do is to pay attention to how this movement will affect our students and families in the coming years. The answer to that question lies within the questions being asked by the communities in which the movement arises. Next week we will take a deeper look at these questions and seek to discover biblically based answers.