GOOD OLD PLASTIC JESUS

My boss (and one of my best friends) is a Lutheran pastor.  Though he is part of the conservative Missouri Synod, his congregation is far more liberal than the Southern Baptist teachings I was surrounded with in childhood and young adulthood.  Ron, too, is out of any box created by religion.

Like me (when I was much younger), Ron used to be an idealist who thought he could (would!) change the world.  He was straight out of seminary, so the afterglow of spiritual love was still upon him.

I can attest that he has changed over the decades, but has not become bitter and has not lost his faith.  He tells me, simply, "Religion is messy.  There are no easy answers."

When I first went to work for him 7 years ago, I was guarded:  1) he was a straight man and 2) a preacher, for god's sake!

Then I began to see he was just a man who desperately wanted to be allowed his humanity and flaws.  He doesn't like to be called "preacher" (except by those who affectionately call him "Preacher Man") and he deplores the title of "Reverend."  He's a pastor:  like the shepherd, he is one who cares for his "flock" and stands among them rather than over them.

I can open up to a man like that ~ and am ever so glad I finally did.

When my own faith ~ which had been a rock and a life-jacket all at the same time (good combo?  I think not!) ~ began to slip and dissolve, I was able to talk candidly with this man of God without fear of condemnation or judgment or even evangelism.

Me with Ron (Father/Daughter picture)  :-)

He has never shunned me for anything I've done or neglected to do.  (Is this what unconditional love feels like?  Hmmm . . .) The truth is:  my faith always begged questions; I'd just been afraid to ask them.  But I came to a point where I decided I could no longer live with a limited ~ and limiting ~ god.

So ~ I asked away.  I studied other faiths, philosophies, disciplines ~ and, sometimes, no faith nor philosophies nor disciplines.  I read Buddhist texts and found them to bring peace.  (Buddhism is not technically ~ by strict definition ~ a religion.  Buddha is not ~ and never has been ~ worshipped as a god.  This is a common fallacy.)  He simply taught in the ways of Jesus.  Jesus:  a man who was wise beyond his times and is worshipped by many as a god.

The more I drifted in questions, the more questions I had.  I saw that the concept of "god" or "spirit" or whatever term you like was getting WAY too big for any box I could put her/him/it into.  (Scientists are currently exploring what they call the "god particle," which is an as yet unexplained subatomic entity.)

Though I've left the firm (and, often, erroneous) beliefs of the past and embraced the mystery of spirit, I still love to raid Ron's fat Christian bookshelf from time to time.

Good Old Plastic Jesus is one of Ron's books.  (I couldn't think of a more clever title for this blog, so I used the book's title.)  Ron let me borrow it just days before his 65^th birthday.  It was written by Earnest Larsen, published by The Redemptorist Fathers at the Catholic Ligorian Press when I was barely out of diapers.  It is very 60s hip ~ and full of grace, grace, grace!  Ron has numerous out-of-print books from that era.  They are so groovy, Man!  (Insert hippie-handshake here.)

(Though there's nothing "hippie" about Ron, he has a poet's soul.  Close enough!)

I loved this book!  It took me about 35 minutes to read it.  It is all about the plastic Jesus we put in a box and try to control.  Larsen's idea is to let Jesus out, let him breathe, let him be real.  How do we do that?  Let go of bad theology and stop being so scared to question!  Accept and welcome all others ~ regardless ~ period!  Turn from spiritual narcissism to other-ism.

In all my spiritual grasping, seeking, questioning ~ my respect for Jesus has grown beyond what it was when I was a confirmed (and confined!), solid, sealed-in-the-box Christian.  I am able to separate the god-complex and all the magical thinking to see a man who was truly a visionary.  We don't have to follow theology blindly ~ though that's exactly what religion prescribes.

Jesus stood up for what he believed despite threats or consequences.  He was called a glutton and a drunkard by the religious elite, because he hung out with all the Thugs and Hos!  ("I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.  The sinners are much more fun!" ~ Billy Joel)  He labeled religion a blight and sought to free people from prejudices and injustices and the boxes of religion.  (Remember:  it was the "religious" who ordered the murder of Jesus of Nazareth.)

Over the centuries, religion has put this man ~ who eschewed boxes ~ in a box.  This is an injustice to this man who changed history.  Whether he was "god" or not, we defame Jesus by keeping him plastic.

Perhaps Jesus set the bar a tad bit high by allowing people to believe he was god.  Is that any reason to deify and worship him while simultaneously categorizing him in a card file much like the Dewey Decimal System I grew up with?

Gandhi was a great activist and spiritual leader.  He is revered for the good he did without making him be simply what we want him to be (like religion does with Jesus ~ putting words in his mouth, twisting his message, etc.)  Buddha is only defamed by those who do not understand his ideas.  He never pretended to be a god.  He is merely an archetype with some damn good ideas about peace, love and rock-n-roll.  (Okay ~ I fudged a little there.)

I feel ~ as long as a spiritual leader isn't Jim Jones or Charles Manson ~ we could embrace the good in their messages more fully with a sense of mystery.  I've settled into life as a mystic with a sense of great joy and wonder.  I would love to see the Church ~ as a whole ~ open to the mysteries of individual human beings, of spirit and let that plastic Jesus out of the box so he can inhale slowly.  Exhale.  Inhale.  Exhale.  Earnest Larsen says, "A closed mind is a closed heart."  If we can't let go of old worn-out beliefs that are not relevant (nor are they truth), then we pack our plastic selves away alongside the Buddy Jesus.

RECOMMENDED PURCHASES

Cool Hand Luke ~ This 1967 film starring Paul Newman gives us the song:       "I don't care if it rains or freezes

                        As long as I've got my plastic Jesus,

                        Everything will be fine . . ."

Jesus Christ Superstar ~ This is a 1973 film adaptation of Frank Lloyd Webber's Broadway musical of the same name.  One of my favorite musicals of all times!  This film makes Jesus seem . . . HUMAN!  You know ~ real feelings, struggles, desires.

Dogma ~ I love this film, despite its seeming irreverence.  I think it's one of the funniest films I've ever seen ~ except the poop-monster-part, which grosses me out.  I mention this 1) because that's where we get the Buddy Jesus, 2) George Carlin is the Bishop, 3) Chris Rock is the 13^th disciple, 4) Ben Affleck is an angel and 5) Alannis Morissette is god.  Can't beat that!

Facelift by Alice in Chains ~ I recommend this CD because it includes the song Man in the Box.  Wonderful lyrics about how it feels to be IN the box.

Smart Ground® ~ This is a meatless product with the texture of ground beef.  I raised my kids on this stuff ~ and have fooled numerous people with it.  They thought it was real meat!

RECIPES

My daughter Lilli with her daughter, Fiona ~

O ~ you know she's cool!

Ron recently turned 65; I threw him his first ever surprise party.  I served my meaty-meatless chili and jasmine rice. Once again, my daughter (Lilli's) cake balls were a much loved dessert!

All us wild partiers!  Ha!

CHILI

Ings:

1 # dry beans (any type, but I prefer pintos), soaked and cooked until done

1 can corn, drained

1-2 onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

Large can tomato sauce

Large can crushed tomatoes

1 pack of Smart Ground®  (You may use original, but I prefer the Mexican flavored)

Up to 5 TBS chili powder (according to taste)

Up to 3 tsp cayenne pepper (according to taste)

Hearty and meatless!

Mix all ingredients into a crock-pot and cook on high for at least 4 hours.  Serve over jasmine rice.  (This is one of the most aromatic rices.  Just delicious!)  You may add Sriracha, cheese or sour cream and avocado slices.  It also goes nicely with my horseradish/ranch cream.



This Asian hot sauce (Sriracha) is not vinegar-y ~ Very hot, but just PERFECT!
Thanks to my dear friend, Leon, for introducing me to it!



There are numerous brands of Jasmine rice; these are two of my favorites.

HORSERADISH/RANCH CREAM

Ings:

½ cup fine horseradish (I've never prepared this with dollar store horseradish, so I'm not sure how that would work out.)

½ cup buttermilk or regular Ranch dressing.

Mix together well.  Chill and serve.

Horseradish/Ranch Cream: A dollop of heaven!

LILLI'S YUMMILICIOUS CAKE BALLS

This simple recipe can be altered to include different flavors. Lilli has made these tiramisu flavored, red velvet, chocolate mocha . . . Feel free to experiment with this basic recipe to come up with your own flavor combos!

Ings:

1 cake mix, prepared according to instructions

½ can prepared cake frosting

1# melt-able white chocolate disks (usually found in cake decorating sections ~ or you can use candy bars ~ though these disks work better and won't seize up.)

Sprinkles

Cut the crusts off the prepared cake and mix the soft, inner part with the frosting.  This will make a gooey paste.  To form into balls, flour hands and make balls approximately 2 inches in circumference.  Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Once the balls are all prepared, place in a freezer for at least 15-20 minutes.  (This will firm them up.)  Melt white chocolate.  In a large spoon, dunk each ball individually into the melted candy coating.  Place back on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle each individual one immediately before the coating sets.  When all balls have been covered and sprinkled, place cookie sheet in the fridge until ready to serve.

Lilli has also made cake pops with this recipe ~

For a taste of food from Jesus' ancestral land, try my hummus recipe (in blog post PRIDE.)