Living the Questions, Dying the Answers

"Living the Questions, Dying the Answers" "In order that he might fulfill your will and make for you a people, he extended his hands when he suffered, so that he might liberate the suffering ones who hoped in him who was handed over by his own will to suffering, that he might destroy death, and break the chains of the devil, and trample hell, and direct the saints, and fix the boundaries, and manifest resurrection!" (Fragmentary Early Church Communion Prayer) "Power is very elusive. It is here today and gone tomorrow. But it's being able to gather people around, very specifically on the issues -- people who are directly affected by the problem . . . Bringing them all together naturally creates power; that's the basis for it. But because the world doesn't stand still, what's power today is not power tomorrow." (Cesar Chavez) With Jesus is always tomorrow, manana. What we ourselves read in a book, we may not remember long; what someone else reads to us, we remember a little while longer; what someone acts out and we see, we remember still longer; what we act out for ourselves, doing very things we want to learn, we may remember a very long time! That's all Jesus hopes for this night, with disciples' such hard times remembering; making things up as he goes along; giving Self to them each way he can; showing, sharing us how to do him for others. "The only way to leave a good death is to live a good life. Live a good one, full of curiosity and generosity, and compassion, and there's no need [isn't there?] at the close of day to rage against the dying of the light." (William Sloan Coffin)

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Jesus never witnessing faith so much as in faithless soldier seeking a daughter's healing: "As one who lives under authority, I know all you have to do is say the word, and the healing will be done."

So are we, under authority, under order, under discipline, under command -- Love! Prepare! Commune! Wash! Go forth! Accepting One Source, questioning others; Passion Authority accepting, questioning all --

"Whom do you seek?" (Twice!)

"Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?"

"Why do you ask me?" "Why do you strike me?"

"Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"

"Are you not also one of this man's disciples?" "Are you not one of his disciples?" "Did I not see you in the garden with him?"

"Is that how you answer the high priest?"

"Are you the King of the Jews?"

"Am I a Jew?" "So you are a king?" "What is truth?" "Where are you from?"

"Will you not speak to me?" Do you not know that I have power to release you and power to crucify you?" "Will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?" "Shall I crucify your king?" "We have no king but Caesar!"

That settles it!

Treating high Powers of State as our gods! Asking no more questions. Proceeding to foregone conclusions. Church to be called "Community of Open Questions?" Yet thinking we know all the answers, dismissing the questions, some closing selves off against others, inevitably disillusioning all.

No answers made to last the world's lifetime.

"What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening? What's the buzz?" "Should I bring him down, should I scream and shout, should I speak of love, let my feelings out? . . . What's it all about?" "Could we start again please? Could we start again?" ("Jesus Christ Superstar")