Oh, The Humanity!

I sang at a church service tonight. The music was fun, I got to sing with Katie, an organist who, like so many people in Door County, has professional credentials through the roof, and the people were lovingly welcoming. I also got a little nostalgic since the service centered around a dramatic monologue of Judas.

As a kid these were my favorite sermons. I loved the story behind the story and the bible characters really came to life. This one was different, however, in that it also had a kind of discussion forum at the end. I was curious how this would work given that we don't have a lot of biography on Judas and so, while thought provoking, it might be difficult to grapple with specifics at the expense of the drama. I need not have worried.

The discussion took the form of shout-outs. The minister asked what people thought and members of the congregation said whatever was on their mind. Examples included that Judas was self-centered, that it was hard to believe that he didn't know Jesus would actually die, and that we couldn't forget that Judas really didn't have a choice since Christ told him he was going to be the betrayer.

What will stick with me the most, though, was the last comment. The last speaker had a fairly lengthy discussion on how, since Judas ended up killing himself, he must have been in deep torment and pain. The speaker also stated that she believed that Christ's foot-washing was not just an act of service but also an act of forgiveness and that Judas was, in essence, pre-forgiven. In addition, she said that she is comforted by the idea that when Jesus went to Hell prior to his resurrection, Judas was the first person he saw and the first person to experience the saving power of the resurrection.

Wow. When did Walt Disney infiltrate the church? I am not saying that her hypothetical couldn't have happened; God's power is complete and just about the time I gain certainty in my knowledge of how he works, I get royally brain slapped. So it's possible. But what reason is there for even imagining such a series of extra-biblical events much less presenting them as an acceptable part of our belief system? The only I can think of is our intense societal desire for the happy ending.

Disney has taken all the classic story lines and repackaged them with feel-good endings. After a steady diet of this for 60+ years, we seem to be unable to deal with the idea that sometimes life sucks. Bad things happen. The good guy doesn't always win. Evil can overwhelm and seem frequently victorious. Judas may be in Hell smoking away. I don't know, but I know that we're not dealing with a tame lion and that getting shredded by his claws is a real mathematical possibility.

The current trend of sweet endings being espoused by the modern church, from the reduction of the power of Hell, to this idea that Judas was reunited post resurrection, to a sermon from last Pentecost that never once mentioned the Holy Spirit (but instead had a young girl floating around the world on birthday balloons) is not good. This seems to be a steady diet of milk and toast and never a spiritual advance to meat, dark Swedish Limpa, 6 year cheddar and a Killians Red. These things are as generational as our economy. It's time to redirect both.