Heroes and Villains – Relius Clover

“Yes… that dark, inorganic mass.  I’m sure you saw it during the course of repairing Ada.  That object… THAT is a person’s true form.  Strip away the veneer… and people are nothing more than things.”

-Relius to his son

At first glance, Relius Clover may remind you of the phantom of the opera.  However, what lies hidden behind his mask is far more dreadful than the phantom’s disfigurements.  Relius is considered to be one of the most brilliant minds in the world of the Blazblue videogames.  During a catastrophic lab accident, he was thrown into another dimension which spat him out 80 years in the future.  During that transport, he saw what he believed to be a person’s true form:  a ball of bluish light.  Since then, the mind behind his mask regards people as mere things, impersonal objects that are either of use or a hindrance to his research and goal of creating the perfect human being.  While pursuing this research, he has conducted experiments that have turned his wife, Ignis, and daughter, Ada, into weaponized puppets.  When his son, Carl, demands an explanation why he would do such a thing to his own daughter, Relius responds, “I was searching for something.  Ada was of use to me during the process, that’s all, like any other tool.”  Relius’ ruthless ambition and ghastly creations have earned him the moniker:  “The Mad Puppeteer”.

Relius’ villainy brings to light our own tendency to dehumanize others and reduce them to various means to our ends.  Judas Iscariot’s response to Mary (the sister of Martha) anointing Jesus serves to illustrate one way in which we do this:  “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” (John 12:4-6)  On the surface, Judas’ concern seems practical, perhaps even admirable.  Would it not be better to sell the oil and donate the proceeds to the poor rather than “wasting” it?  John, however, writes of Judas’ true motives:  to get more money into the money box which he plans to take for himself.  Judas is concerned about himself uses the poor as a means.  Many times we pull a similar maneuver when we may engage in service with a wrong heart.  We are doing it so that we can help ourselves to the honor we ought to give fully to God.  Like Judas, we are using the people we claim to serve as a means to an end.

In contrast to the impersonal and dehumanizing view embodied by Relius, God has demonstrated time and time again that He is a deeply personal God.  We read that God spoke with Moses in the tabernacle of meeting “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11)  This isn’t to say that Moses literally saw God’s face because that is not something that anyone can do in this world (see later in that chapter:  Exodus 33:18-23).  However, the language conveys the intimacy of the conversation between God and Moses.  God wasn’t speaking to Moses in a removed or distant way, but as a “man speaks to his friend.”  Later, in the book of 1 Kings, when Elijah is in the depths of despair, God speaks to him in a cave in the wilderness with instruction and encouragement. (1 Kings 19:1-18)

God even went so far as to be incarnated as a human in the person of Christ Jesus:  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)  “Inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.  And release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.  For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.  Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:14-18)  Christ is God coming in flesh and blood to come alongside us in our sufferings and infirmities, identifying with our humanity.  Furthermore, when Christ ascends to prepare a place for us, He does not leave us alone:  “If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, who the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:15-18)  Even now, God dwells within us in the form of the Holy Spirit.  God does not deal with us in a distant fashion, but closely as His beloved children.

If we are being conformed to Christ’s likeness, it means that we are learning to interact with people as just that:  people.  One of the most poignant instances where we see Christ’s heart for humanity comes from Matthew 9:35-38, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the His harvest.’”  Christ does not regard the weary, confused multitudes with disdain or detachment.  His heart is moved because they are each important to Him and He seeks each of them as a shepherd seeks a lost sheep.

It is tempting for us to become jaded and detached from others.  The news stream seems to show us nothing but the worst of humanity:  selfishness, corruption, murder, etc.  It often reaches the point that we come view such events as impersonal news stories when they are, in fact, human events which bring about human suffering.  In the midst of our increasingly busy schedules, we may come to view people as aids or obstacles to us.  We see them as being of use or hindrances to our goals, just as Relius does.

We should not deceive ourselves, thinking that we are so different from Relius.  Although we may not undergo the same trans-dimensional experience he did, each time we choose to treat others as means rather than as people, each time we choose to view others as less than human, we are teaching ourselves to think like him.  We are practicing viewing the world through Relius’ mask rather than through the eyes of Christ.

Food for Thought:

1. Under what circumstances do I tend to treat people as things rather than human beings?
2. How is Christ calling me to view others as He does?
3. Consider the love which God has for us that, though He is Creator and we are created, He treats us as His beloved children.

Being Alone With God – Conclusion

Retreating, sometimes called “wilderness time”, is a practice that we engage in to be formed by God.  I have suggested that we define this time as intentionally being alone with God.  We are mindful of our intentions because they set the tone for our time and actions.  Our intention in wilderness time is to submit to God and to His work upon us.  The way that we “be” with God is by setting aside distractions and the things that compete with Him for the top spot in our lives.  By doing this we are able to give our undivided attention to Him whether we are listening to what He is telling us or simply waiting on Him.  We are alone with God by finding a space where we are able to set aside the masks and pretenses that we hide behind.  In doing this, we stop withholding things from God and allow Him to work on us in our entirety.

This definition speaks to the heart of wilderness time but says nothing about the shape of it.  To put it differently, intentionally being alone with God is where we aim to be, but there is no special formula to get there.  For example, the way in which I go about setting aside distractions may be different than the way you do.  We seek the same destination but by different vehicles.

One thing that cannot be stressed enough is that God does not meet us only in the woods or only in the mountains.  To think that God is limited by elements or locations is to make the same mistake as the servants of Ben-Hadad after they had been defeated by the Israelites (1 Kings 20:23-25).  They reasoned that “their gods are gods of the hills.  Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger then they.”  They thought that God would only be powerful as long as they were in the hills and so they sought to fight Israel in the plains, out of His reach.  However, God overthrew them in the plain just as He did in the hills.  God is not limited by location (Psalm 139:7-12).  I know of a fellow who goes down to the local coffee shop for his wilderness time because it is amidst the activity and goings on that he can best attend to God.

Although intentionally being alone with God is the end we pursue, it is not the ultimate goal of wilderness time.  The goal is to put ourselves in a place where we submit to God’s work upon us.  Paul describes this work in his letter to the church in Ephesus:

“But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

-Ephesians 4:20-24

In wilderness time, we listen to God and are taught by God.  He helps us to take off and throw away our old self that rots away as it serves sin.  He renews our mind and puts on us our new self that is made in His uncorrupted image.  This taking off and putting on occurs piece by piece in a process that will not be complete until we are with God in heaven.

In many ways we might think of this process as being given a bath by God.  We are His children bearing His image, but we have found a wonderful mud puddle and gotten ourselves absolutely filthy.  God has given us an invitation to be cleaned up and get a fresh set of clothes.  We truly accept His invitation by not only saying yes but actually letting Him give us a bath.  However, we can often be like unruly children (or perhaps more accurately, ill-tempered cats) during this process.  We resist what He is trying to do for us and many times run back to our favorite mud puddle only to realize that we were happier when we were cleaner.  Fortunately, God is patient and welcomes us back with open arms when we turn to go back to Him.  In wilderness time, we make a conscious effort to cooperate with the bath process and not fuss with Him.  In doing this we find that He is indeed an interesting cleaner.  Sometimes He tells us things about ourselves and sometimes He tells us things about Himself.  Sometimes He shares with us stories from long ago and sometimes He sheds new light on new stories.  Sometimes He speaks with us and sometimes He loves us in silence.

Perhaps this whole wilderness time/retreat business still seems rather vague and it is difficult to know where to start.  Here are a few ideas that you may find helpful:

1)      Find a place where you feel comfortable and alert, “alive” as it were.  Go there and read one of the Gospels in that state of mind.  Read at a leisurely pace, lingering at the parts that grab your attention.

2)      Find a spot where you can listen to you favorite music album without distractions.  When you listen to it, imagine that you are listening to it with God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit, whoever you are most comfortable with.  Imagine His reactions and what He would say to you as you listen together.

3)      Carve out some time to engage in your hobby.  As you go about it, ask yourself why you enjoy it.  Ask yourself where God fits into the picture:  how has He blessed you through it, how does it lead you to Him.

Again, these are merely suggestions to help you get started and see what wilderness time looks and tastes like.  Retreats/wilderness time is not something for only the monks and nuns or the “especially religious”.  It is something for anyone who is seeking God and to be formed by Him.  If you have been a Christian for many years and want to grow closer with God, the wilderness is calling.  If you are not a Christian and are merely curious, the first suggestion above is a great way to do some hands-on-learning.

The desert monks would often spend time in solitude in spaces they had found or built called “cells”.  The work of these monks in their cells is the same work we have been discussing over these last 4 weeks.  In that spirit, allow me to conclude this series with the words of one of these monks concerning these cells:

“The monk’s cell is that furnace of Babylon in which the three children found the Son of God; but it is also the pillar of cloud, out of which God spoke to Moses.”

Being Alone With God – Alone

The “alone component of wilderness time describes creating a space to be with God.  Many of the images of wilderness time presented in the Bible involve a literal wilderness as such a space:  Elijah was called into the wilderness, as were John the Baptist and Jesus.  However, this is not to the exclusion of other places; David would sit on his bed at night to meditate and Peter sat on a rooftop to pray.  We don’t need to go into a literal wilderness in order to be alone with God.

“Alone” describes a particular way that we are with God.  We can intentionally be with God in a variety of ways with others.  Such instances might include church services, Bible studies, or group prayer.  Being alone with God carries with it a kind of openness and vulnerability with God.  John Chryssavgis, summarizing one of the desert fathers, vividly captures what being alone with God means in the context of the desert:

“Abba Alonius says that, in the presence of God, you face up to yourself in the desert.  In the desert, you discover your true self, without any masks or myths.  There you are forced to come to terms with your self.  Ultimately, you are called to face up to and fight against your demons, without blaming either someone else or your past.”

In a sense, being alone with God takes being with God a step further.  In being with God, we set aside distractions and undividedly attend to God.  In being alone with God we also set aside the “masks or myths” that we hide behind and are ourselves before God.  Elijah’s encounter with God on Mt. Horeb may serve to put more flesh and blood on this idea:

“So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.  And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword.  I alone am left and they seek to take my life.”

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”  And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.  So it was when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.  Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword.  I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”  Then the Lord said to him:  “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.  Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel.  And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.  It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.  Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

-1 Kings 19:8-18

After his triumph over the prophets of Baal, Elijah most likely expected Israel to turn back to God.  However, he soon found out that the figureheads of Baal-worship, Ahab the king and his wife, Jezebel, were still very much in charge.  With his life under threat, he flees into the wilderness and asks God to take his life because he has failed.  It is at this time that God calls him to Horeb.

It is on the mountain that Elijah is alone with God and where he confronts himself.  Here, though he covers his face with his mantle; he is figuratively naked before God.  He brings his complaints directly to God rather than hiding them behind a mask of what he thinks he “ought” to do or say.  When we are alone with God, we allow our true self to come out, warts and all.  However, we are not facing our true self on our own.  We must remember that, just like Elijah, we have God by our side.  He will help us as we seek to move past our true self towards our True Self:  past who we currently are towards who God has called us to be in Christ.

God’s answer to Elijah’s complaints may strike us as odd.  Some may expect that He would chastise Elijah while others may expect Him to provide more comfort.  Instead, God tells Elijah what to do in light of the fact that, despite appearances, God is still in control, not Ahab and Jezebel.  Elijah then has a choice:  to continue in despair under his true self or to submit to God’s calling to his True Self.  When we are alone with God, His work on our hearts can take numerous forms based on what we need, but the common denominator will always be a requirement to submit to this work.  Our true selves will resist it because it entails putting off the “old man” in order to put on the “new man” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

When Elijah is alone with God, he faces his true self and ultimately triumphs over it in order to follow God’s call to his True Self as a prophet.  It was by bringing his true self before God that he is able to overcome it.  He was not able to do this on his own as evinced by his despair prior to this episode on Horeb.

Likewise, when we are alone with God, we seek a space where we bring our true selves out before Him and rely on God as the source of our victory over it so that we might be repaired and reshaped, little by little, into our True Selves.

Being and Waiting

While trying to come up with something to write about, I realized that I was coming up with…nothing…  However, I have decided that this would be a good topic to write about, namely…nothing…

There is a certain amount of nothingness that makes up part of a healthy spiritual life.  If we were to look at this nothingness through the lens of spiritual disciplines, we would call it solitude and silence.  So what can nothingness do to benefit us spiritually?  After all, isn’t it the case that if we aren’t growing then we’re shriveling?  That statement is certainly true.  What would be false is to think engaging in nothingness means we aren’t growing.  It would be more accurate to call the nothingness in question “being”.  Taking time for solitude and silence puts us in a state of simply being.  The benefit of taking time to be is that it gives us a chance to look around and listen to God.

Consider this:  when we are constantly on the move from Bible study to food pantry to Sunday morning service, etc., do we stop to look and listen to God?  These are all good things to do, but we must be careful not to lose sight of God behind our day planners.  Doing these things is good because they give us the chance to spend time with God.  But if we’re already thinking about the next thing on our to-do list, are we really spending that time with God?  Consider the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42).  While they were both godly women, Martha got wrapped up in doing things and didn’t take time to listen to Jesus.

Solitude and silence gives us the chance to get a spiritual realignment from God; to get our priorities straight.  When we spend time alone we get to see ourselves without the fog from society and media that often obscure our view.  Of course, this is often an uncomfortable view because we are able to see and feel the things that we use the fog to cover up and ignore.  However, in taking this hard look, we are able to bring to God those things we would rather sweep under the rug.  This allows God to teach us about ourselves and to help us in the ways He really loves to.

If you haven’t tried spending a day silence before, give it a try as an experiment. It doesn’t have to be a grim affair, just don’t speak unless spoken to (it is helpful to pick a day for this that doesn’t require much verbal interaction on your part).  You may be amazed at the things that you didn’t notice before such as sights, sounds, and smells.  You may be surprised by the sense of freedom that comes from not constantly thinking about what to say next.  You may be shocked at how many places you find God if you are attentive.  God isn’t always Revelation-lightning-from-the-sky in your face.  Elijah encountered God as a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-13).

The common thread here is that we give God free-reign during that time.  Often, our interaction with God consists of telling Him what to do or doing things for Him (yes that includes studying the Bible) without actually listening to Him.  Sometimes God doesn’t say anything and just wants us to spend time in His presence.  The Psalmist often speaks about being still and meditating on God, His law, and His works.  In Psalm 119:15 he writes, “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.”  Psalm 143:5 states, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.”

We are certainly called to be doers of the Word, to let our faith express itself as works.  However, sometimes our doing consists of just being and following God means that we are still, and wait on God.