Sunday, March 16, 2025

Deep

 


In the early Spring of 2025 a dear friend and I found ourselves sharing thoughts on what might be considered some of the deepest issues in faith, specifically Christian faith. I found my friend's questions and reflections to be personal, sharply-reasoned, yet universal. Perhaps you've had similar thoughts. With their permission, I share the dialog here. I suspect there will more installments. Questions from my friend, my responses, and their replies to my responses are shared here. As always, this blog reflects only my personal convictions.

 

Question:

I have a thought about Pastor Rick Henderson’s question on goodness... Isn't much of what makes something good simply our choice to see it as such? Perhaps not everything is overwhelmingly good, but there is always some goodness if we look hard enough. Goodness is also subjective. The phrase, "One man's trash is another man's treasure," comes to mind. So even things that are perceived as rotten to the core by some, may be perceived as salvageable and valuable to another. 

 

Response:

I’d expect no less philosophically difficult question from you, my friend!

 

As Rick Henderson said in his talk, the likes of Plato and Augustine were wrestling with this issue centuries ago.

 

I think much of the issue is about vocabulary and language and the question of what things are arguably absolute and what things are relative, and how we can know the difference.

 

As you rightly point out, “good” can be very much a relative term. That’s how I think of it most of the time, just like your examples. 

 

There is an interesting Bible passage relevant to this point, and it is a bit mysterious. It is in the Gospel account attributed to Mark, chapter 10, starting at verse 17. The Message translation puts it:

 

“As Jesus went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?’ 

 

Jesus said, ‘Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God.’”

 

The conversation then goes on to illuminate the ironic need to surrender in order to win, an idea we have discussed, and an idea central to the message of Christianity.

 

But, the point was that in this exchange, Jesus chose to illustrate the word “good’ as an absolute, not a relative, and an absolute defined by the character of the one God of the universe, a character not equaled by any other being. [Christian theology of the trinity of course holds that Christ, God, and God’s Spirit are co-equal and of one substance, so in essence Jesus’ question was rhetorical and he was pointing out that by calling Jesus “good” and Jesus saying that only God is truly “good”, the man was correct in calling Jesus “good”, affirming that he was the Messiah – God with us.]

 

 So, of course you are right that “good” is generally a relative term, and I agree with that. My point here is that Jesus argued that ultimately the word “good” can be said to be reserved only as a description for the God of the universe, and by that absolute definition, no one else is good. I would agree that if the “good” standard is God, and his son when he was with us on earth in the flesh, nobody else is good. I’m sure not. Recognizing that I cannot live up to my own standards, let alone God’ standards, created the guilt problem that originally led me to accept in 1978 that Jesus had already paid for all my faults forever. When I accepted that, I became absolutely “good” in God’s eyes. That is the core message of Christianity. It is the message that God sees Jesus when he sees me.

 

It is interesting that I often have a similar discussion about the word “truth.” In many ways “truth” can be relative in that creative expressions in art and music can be said to be “true” and reflect “truth”, and I often apply that kind of definition of “true” to the many kinds of literature collected in the Bible. I have blogged about this because it is important to understand the ways that the words of the Bible can be understood as being true. In my blog post

 

https://jim-maher.blogspot.com/2021/12/words.html

 

I talk about being cautious in our understanding of the Bible, recognizing that its truth is very often in the sense that art or music is true. That is different from the way that mathematics is “true” and 2+2 absolutely equals 4. On the other hand, there are sections of biblical narrative that purport to be eyewitness accounts and are intended to be taken as true in an absolute  way different from creative artistic expression. Thus, like the word “good”, the word “truth” can be both relative and absolute. As you can tell, I think it is important to think hard about relative and absolute for both words. 

 

What do you think?

 

Reply to response:

 

As always, I appreciate your thoughtful response to my question. I'm sure it's just the scientist in me, but for every question to which I find a satisfying answer, twenty new questions arise. For a long time, my skepticism (which believers would more likely call pessimism), prevented me from exploring religion in a meaningful way. When I first reached out to you many months ago about it, I nearly quit my exploration early on, because there were so many points I didn't agree with, couldn't find an acceptable answer to, etc. I thought of you, whose skepticism I greatly admire, and realized your faith may not be so different from science in your eyes. 

 

     In science, we have far more questions than answers, often disagree as a community, discover our data and the subsequent interpretations were flawed, etc., but that doesn't mean we no longer believe in science... We accept with grace and humility that we know very little about science in the grand scheme of things, but that we shall remain faithful to it as a concept nonetheless. Our lack of understanding, frequent doubts, and mistakes don't hinder our trust in it as a field. Science is simply a foundation; each new discovery is a brick we add. Sometimes, the entire thing seems to collapse, but even when that occurs, the foundation is still standing, ready to be built upon again and again. I kept going with the idea that perhaps faith is similar, a foundation that many build their lives on. Sometimes all the bricks topple over, but the foundation remains, like science. I am glad I've kept going thus far. 

 

     Regarding your thoughts on what "good" truly means in the context of today, I think we are on the same wavelength as fellow writers. I'm sure more than one person has been annoyed at my fixation on semantics. I learned from a young age that words hold great power, both to hurt and to help, and that created a sense of responsibility to find the best word, whenever possible. 

 

     I appreciate the verse from Mark you shared. I can see how the interpretation by readers, and those in the story, could vary. The man may not even have been calling Jesus good... "Good Teacher" could be interpreted at least three ways:

 

The man is indeed calling Jesus both good and a teacher, with "good" not being an adjective of "teacher" here. They are independent. In this case, the man is expressing that he knows Jesus to be both good and a teacher. 

 

The man is calling Jesus a "good teacher", with "good" being the adjective of teacher. In this case, the man is implying that Jesus is simply good at his job, teaching.

 

The man is calling Jesus a good teacher, a teacher of good. In the same way you would call someone a science teacher, math teacher, etc. In this case, the man may not be implying that Jesus IS good, but that he is a teacher OF good.

 

     Your thoughts on truth really resonate with me, as I have had many of the same questions regarding the Bible. In science, we publish papers, groundbreaking ones, that turn out to be incorrect... We make discoveries that rock the field, that turn out to be incorrect. At the time, we view them as fact, because we have not yet looked at the problem through the correct lens and have not interpreted the data correctly. What if we have done the same thing with religious texts? What if our interpretations are yet to be correct and are only getting more off base as time progresses? What if elements of the Bible we interpret as fact are not and elements we interpret as analogies, hyperboles, etc. are indeed fact? I certainly agree that for nearly every word, both a relative and an absolute interpretation can be held. 

 

     As always, I never mean to inundate you with questions or offend. Just too curious for my own good.

 

 

New question:

 

 One of the concepts with which I have struggled most, which probably won't come as a surprise, is the concept of God's role in human suffering. Particularly in the context of diseases that result in great pain and/or are ultimately fatal, I have struggled to understand why an all-powerful God would allow such an experience. What I most struggle with is what seems like contradictory claims about God on the topic. It's my understanding that God is all-powerful, meaning He has the ability to prevent or heal certain ailments, but as we both know, he doesn't do that. I struggle to understand why God would allow a young child to suffer and die of cancer. I've also frequently heard that we are each designed exactly as God intended and that God does not make mistakes. While I certainly don't believe God "gives" people cancer out of spite or punishment, if God's design of you includes multiple genetic mutations that make it certain you will get cancer... did he not have a hand in it? Could he not have prevented it? I struggle to understand why God's answer to some pleas for help is “no.” I also don't understand the concept of God giving someone an ailment in order for His light to shine through them. The story of the blind man in the Bible comes to mind…that he was born blind so that others will come to know Jesus through Him. This seems selfish on God's part. While some may not mind being blind, others find it immensely difficult to cope with their blindness. It seems selfish to bestow upon someone a disease, disability, or immense hardship simply so others may come to have faith.  


     People who often mean well will say things like “God wouldn't allow you to go through this trial if He did not know you could handle it” or, “it's all part of God's plan.” I feel those things are very easy to say when you are not the one suffering. Those phrases don't feel helpful when your pain and exhaustion cause you to cry every day. In summary, since my thoughts were probably a mess here, I don't understand what God's role in disease and suffering truly is. If He is all-powerful and everything is according to His plan, does He determine whether one gets sick and whether they are "healed"? If not, if He has no role in whether someone becomes ill, then everything we experience is NOT according to His plan, correct? 

 

 

Response:

 

My friend, you have restated, eloquently, among the very deepest questions that challenge any philosophy that is based on faith in one or more powerful deities – the problem of suffering, especially what I might call “innocent’ suffering. This is the kind of suffering experienced by animals and by those who inherited genetic disease predisposition, including the youngest or even unborn children.

 

How can I have faith in, and love for, a God who apparently superintends a universe where there is at least one planet full of messes, obviously unfair suffering, and pain shared by so many living creatures, including us humans?

 

The great philosophers and apologists have devoted lifetimes to struggle toward some way to make sense of this paradox….and it is a paradox.

 

C.S. Lewis wrote a lengthy, thoughtful, complex, and dense book The Problem of Pain on this subject.  I wish it were an easier read. Lewis was a university professor and his writing can be complex. What is unique about Lewis, like Tolkien, however, is that they both loved to write fantasy fiction that embodied some of their deep theology. In fact, as you may have read, it was challenges from Tolkien (a Roman Catholic and friend of Lewis) that formed a main impetus for Lewis to re-examine what had become his atheism, and return not just to a belief in God, but specifically to a belief in the Christian God.  I honestly would have loved to have heard those conversations over pints of beer at the Oxford pub that my wife and I happened by last spring at a science conference.

 

Sometimes I think I most appreciate the way CS Lewis approached his thoughts about Christianity through my reading to my daughters of The Chronicles of Narnia, especially The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, where Lewis retells the ancient Christian story by analogy, with Aslan the lion showing us both Christ and God himself. I admit that Lewis’ story of the death of Aslan on the stone table, and Aslan’s resurrection with the help of tiny mice, touches me as deeply as the actual story of Jesus’ death and resurrection reported in the Bible.

 

I mention this because of its relation to the problem of understanding pain and struggle and imperfection in our world. Lewis’ famously writes about Aslan: Lucy asks, "Is He safe?" "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

 

Mr. Tumnus later says, "He's wild, you know. Not a tame lion."

 

Lewis is speaking to our expectations of what God “should” be like, what we want him to be like, and what we think would be fair and just. Lewis is challenging the idea that we get to decide if God’s patterns in creation, and the way he relates to his creation, are fair and beautiful (and tame) enough to earn our faith. Your thoughtful note amounts to honestly saying that your perceptions of God’s patterns in creation, and the way he relates to his creation are NOT fair, and NOT beautiful enough to earn your faith. I get it. We don’t like a God who is not tame.

 

That is an incredibly honest position, and I respect it.

 

So what would I say?

 

I think of time and space and our tiny planet in this universe we inhabit (probably just one universe in a blindingly complex multi-dimensional multiverse) as the stage for an epic story, authored by God in a mysterious way where free will is a central attribute given to humans. This free will has resulted in catastrophe after catastrophe. No, I don’t blame inherited mutations on bad human free will choices, but I see all of the mess on this planet as part and parcel to a disaster playing out as part of the epic plot.

 

Sounds pessimistic, doesn’t it?

 

But there in the middle of this disaster has been placed a rescue story. THE one most fantastic rescue story 


The whole plot of the whole epic story has been written for one reason: to point to this rescue story.

 

In fact, I believe our timeless God wrote the epic to be played out in time and space in order that the rescue story could be told. To me, this fallen world where children suffer innocently, and wars are fought selfishly, and pride grows ever greater in me is a story line written from the very beginning to set the stage for the rescue story.

 

In my view, our God is first and foremost the great rescuer.

 

I have argued that the peacefulness of the Garden of Eden was never intended to be the plot of this epic story. It was boring. God endowed us with free will knowing that our pride would trigger catastrophe after catastrophe. He knew full well before time began that what would unfold on this planet would involve unfairness and animals suffering and dying and children (and young women) crying in pain every day because of disease that is no fault of their own.

 

He knew where the mess and suffering would lead, yet he still set it all in motion.

 

He set it all in motion because in the plot there is something that is so unsurpassingly beautiful that awaits us all in the end.

 

The rescue story is so transcendently beautiful that it is capable of drowning out and even erasing all the screams, all the tears, all the anguish, all the suffering ever experienced –silencing it. Making it nothing. 

 

We live in a story of disaster written because it sets the stage for a rescue that would make no sense without the full depths of this hopeless mess. 


You thoughtfully quoted Jesus reminding his followers that human suffering (in the case of the blind man) is not always attributable to punishment for, or consequences of, human pride. Sometimes blindness is just part of this mess. Like germline chromosomal deletions.

 

I would offer that the greater insight about God’s relationship to his creation comes from two aspects reported in the Gospels in the Bible recording his time with us when he, effectively the author of the epic story, briefly wrote himself into the plot as Jesus.

 

The first aspect is that Jesus loved to heal people. The Gospels are filled with those stories as you well know. He was fully capable of healing and he loved to do it. Physical healing is a small taste of the real relationship healing Jesus ultimately came to accomplish. He still is capable of physical healing, which is why I pray for his physical healing in your life.

 

But the second, more powerful aspect of God’s relationship with his creation is seen in the Gospel of John, chapter 11, verse 35. Here Jesus is confronted with the anguish and suffering and pain of his friends Martha and Mary, and their whole village, at the death of their brother, Lazarus. Jesus did not prevent Lazarus’ death. We are told that Jesus, the author of the epic story himself written into its pages briefly, broke down and cried to see and experience the rawness of the mess of creation so poignantly displayed in the agony of these friends.

 

He cried.

 

He cried because of the suffering. He cried with the sufferers. He cried to experience the mess of his creation. He cried with us.

 

May I dare say it – My friend, when you are alone and frightened, hopeless, in pain in the dark, crying…

 

…Jesus is crying with you.

 

In those tears is a message to me that the terrible pain and sorrow and suffering of this messy world hurt God every bit as much as they hurt us. They represent the core of the necessary disaster that set the stage for the epic rescue, a rescue that is and will be so awesome as to drown out all memories of what came before.

 

God wrote the story outside of time, and I take solace and joy in believing that he has always known that it is such a wonderful, beautiful story...in the end.  It always has been. The ending is so amazing that all else will drop away in insignificance. He would not have started time had he not known the beauty of its culmination.

 

That makes me the ultimate optimist, perhaps.

 

I write this with all attempts at due respect for the unfair and inexplicable suffering you experience that I cannot imagine.

 

Yet I remind us both that God chose to write his rescue story ironically, because the rescue involved God’s own decision to willingly suffer in our place, once and for all, on the cross, unjustly, even meaninglessly, to erase all of the debts and imperfections of everything that has ever or will ever have lived. That rescue has now been accomplished in principle, but we experience just a hint of it on this side of eternity.

 

The real rescue is just on the other side waiting for us.

 

I would not doubt that you may have countless objections to my view and may even find that it is sadistic to justify a beautiful ending by creating such catastrophic and meaningless suffering by so many for so long.  I have no convincing answer to such an objection.

 

I will leave you with another quote from Lewis before I go:

 

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

 

These emails are evidence that you have been well roused.

 

 

 Reply to response:

 

 In my search for God's role in disease and suffering, it also occurred to me that His allowing such things to occur or even ordaining them would not render Him unworthy of devotion in my eyes; it would not necessarily turn me away from faith. I could accept and understand His justification if I found it to be reasonable. In my eyes, God does not have to earn my devotion. I simply feel the devotion must be justified. As you pointed out, His justification for the suffering we experience may be that it will all be irrelevant to us in the end due to the reward being so great once our journey on earth is complete. If that's true, I suppose it's not dissimilar to how countless mothers feel after the discomfort of pregnancy and pain of childbirth. Even those who have miserable pregnancies followed by complicated, painful births, frequently express that the stress and memory of it all became so small and insignificant the moment they held their child for the first time. 

 

     In the case of children, mothers likely don't doubt that the journey will be worth it, even in the worst moments, because they know what they are receiving at its conclusion. They know they will receive something beautiful and tangible for their effort. Maybe we struggle to see the painful aspects of human life because we are not capable of truly understanding the reward, or as you put it, rescue, that occurs in the end. We hope and we speculate, but we don't truly understand. If that's true, it seems obvious why it is called "faith". One must trust that all will be well in the end. I'm reminded of the phrase, "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." 

 

     I am familiar with C.S. Lewis and know the titles of many of his works, but I have not read them myself. They certainly sound intriguing from your descriptions of them and from the excerpts you shared. 

 

     In regards to healing and the concept of miracles, I also don't believe that a physical cure, which would be an obvious miracle, should be our only definition of the word. Thinking back to our discussion on whether good is absolute, relative, or both, I think we have come to only perceive events as miracles if they are grand. It must be bigger and better than anything we could have imagined in order for us to consider it a miracle. To me, that is flawed and robs us of seeing the beauty and grace that fill our everyday lives. To me, meeting you was a miracle. Meeting other dear friends was a miracle. Ending up at this institution just a few months before diagnosis was a miracle. Being able to comfort a young child before their brain surgery by letting them touch the scars from my own brain surgeries was a miracle. So many stars had to align for each of those events to occur. Despite having a physical battle that seems to deliver a new horror daily, I am incapable of seeing my circumstances as unfortunate or unfair. I feel my life has been full of miracles, so even if, for argument's sake, we want to call the entire experience of cancer all bad, one bad apple does not spoil the barrel. 

 

 

New question:

 

     I have also wondered what Christianity's view on achieving eternal life is for people who will never have the opportunity to even learn about Jesus. I imagine this is a question everyone has. If the fabric of one's life never affords the opportunity to learn about Jesus and become a follower, how is possible that they may not be afforded eternal life, if God Himself controlled the circumstances of their life? If someone is raised in a different culture with a different religion, and they live an honest life in which they are a devoted parent, a faithful spouse, and a loyal friend, how is it possible that they may not be granted eternal life simply because Christianity was not the faith they chose? Given how many religions there are, it also seems statistically impossible (nearly) that one could pick the "right" one. So, how does one find the conviction to feel and say that they were lucky enough to find the one true path to salvation? Of course, I know the argument would be that it is not "luck", but again, why would God not ensure that all paths lead to Him? If above all, God is a rescuer, let's picture Him as a life raft. Stick with me. Let's say that life raft is the one and only one capable of rescuing us from the storm in the end. If every religion believes the same to be true for themselves, they also have their own life rafts. If that is true, each religion asserts that the life raft of every other religion has a hole in it. It will sink and a rescue will not be successful. How do we pick the one life raft (religion) that doesn't have a hole in it when they all appear to be similar. They make similar promises, preach similar principles, etc. By the time we would discover that we picked the wrong raft, it may be too late. Does God extend grace in those circumstances? 

 

Response:

 

My answer to your deep and appropriate question about how God’s rescue can extend to all of our planet, and all its creatures, and all human souls that will ever have lived, past, present, and future, is probably a different answer than you might hear from other Christians or Christian teachers. It doesn’t make me right or wrong, it means that there is a wide range of opinion on how God’s rescue works. Much of the range of opinion depends, unsurprisingly, on how we understand the concept that that Bible is inspired, and what it means to say that it is inspired.

 

I believe that God’s mercy, love, and patience with his creation vastly exceed anything we can imagine. I believe that all souls and beings, human, and animals to the extent that animals have self-awareness will meet Jesus Christ at their death and, whether they have met Jesus Christ in this life or not, they will meet him then and be enabled to understand the free rescue gift that he offers based on his death and resurrection. I don’t take literally Bible passages that tend to suggest that accepting Christ’s death and resurrection as payment for our imperfections must occur before death or else the deal is void. 

 

The verse from St. Paul that is read at the end of every worship service at our church says:

 

“One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.”

 

I can’t help but note the repetition of the word everyonein this translation. Jesus’ death and resurrection are sufficient to pay for the imperfections of all souls who will ever have lived. I believe his offer of grace is made evident to every soul that has ever lived, regardless of culture or timing (whether their life is before or after the actual life and death of Christ) and regardless of whether that soul heard the message here on this side of death and accepted it or not. 

 

I choose to believe that all will ultimately be offered the opportunity to freely accept Jesus’ gift of rescue. 

 

Some of us will recognize our savior at the moment of death, others will need to be introduced for the first time to him and the rescue he offers. Those who have not previously understood or accepted his gift will then have the choice. God’s grace is far deeper than we can imagine. His love and patience far beyond anything humans have experienced.

 

Our friend C.S. Lewis argues that even if my aspiration is true, there may still be some whose pride and self-satisfaction would make them miserable accepting the rescue offered by Jesus. Lewis believed that some souls will choose to go it alone in the next life. He didn’t believe in a hell based on torment, rather a hell of grey separation and boredom inhabited by souls disinterested in acknowledging a king of the universe and his offer of redemption. Of course, I have a hard time imagining those whose stubbornness would be that great, but Lewis felt that those with such a rebellious attitude would never enjoy heaven with Jesus anyway, and Jesus would not impose it on them.

 

I am not a “universalist” in that I don’t hold that all souls automatically end up with God in heaven at death. Rather, I believe that all souls will be given the opportunity to understand the free gift offered by Jesus, and the chance to accept it once and for all, either here on this side, or on the other side of death. It will be a free gift, offered not because we are good, but because he is good. The concept of free will – that each soul can and must decide for herself whether to accept, and that God will not force himself on anyone, appears the central concept in the epic story God has written for this planet in this universe.

 

 

3.2025

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

comments at a 45-year class reunion

[The following comments were part of the Middleton High School Class of 1979 45-year Class Reunion at a kick-off event held at the Middleton High School Performing Arts Center Lobby, Middleton, Wisconsin, re-dedicating an original wall mural donated in 2004 as part of the Class of 1979 25-year class reunion. Generous class donations allowed the mural to be digitally re-imaged and then mounted permanently]

 

 

My name is Jim, and it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the kick-off event in a series of festivities marking the 45-year reunion of the Middleton High School Class of 1979!

 

It is my privilege to act as emcee for this first special event, a re-dedication of this beautiful mural donated by our class to the school 20 years ago, originally on the occasion of our 25-year class reunion.

 

I’m not a class officer, nor did I have much of anything to do with all of the amazing logistics and arrangements for this wonderful reunion weekend. We’ll hear in a minute who really deserves credit for that. Still, I get the pleasure to emcee for this event!

 

Because we have a number of guests today, I thought it would be good to reflect on the story of all these aging alumni standing around the lobby. These are members of the MHS Class of 1979. Reflecting on our story is also helpful for some of us class members who are finding our memories increasingly foggy.

 

Members of the Class of 1979 were born around 1960-61. That makes us around 63-64 years old. Some have retired. Some are longing to retire. Some are never going to retire.

 

These are former students who attended elementary school when the new music on the radio was from a group called the Beatles. In Middle School and High School, these students danced to what my adult daughters now call “the greatest pop music of all time”, namely classic rock from acts like Boston, Toto, Queen, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, Styx, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, and James Taylor. Then, by late in our high school years, another dance genre emerged and swept our world – disco!

 

And you need to know that the MHS Class of 1979 is both epic and legendary.

 

This was the 100th graduating class from the school. That was such a big deal that the Governor of the State of Wisconsin was the commencement speaker for our graduation.

 

And this was the class that changed the concept of a homecoming skit forever by re-creating Steve Martin’s Saturday Night Live “King Tut” with live musicians, dancers in Egyptian costumes and togas, an actual casket, and an actual mummy playing an actual sax solo. Middleton High School had never seen anything like it, before or since. I’m told that the MHS Class of ’79 homecoming skit remains a legend. It changed homecoming forever. 

 

Yes, the Class of 1979 was epic in its creativity.

 

But that wasn’t all.

 

This is the class that pulled off the greatest homecoming prank in the history of the school – also still a legend. A team of class members somehow managed, without death, injury, or significant property damage, to lift a highly decorated and modified VW Bug sedan onto the roof of the MHS main entrance under cover of darkness. A phone tip came to my house that evening. My brother was the staff photographer for the school yearbook. “If you can get to the school in 10 minutes you’ll have the greatest photos in the history of Middleton” said the muffled voice on the other end of the line. He arrived with his black and white manual SLR camera to document a hilarious scene, complete with squad cars and police officers mingling with school administrators in the MHS parking lot, staring at the VW on the school roof. What made things particularly funny was the mixed expressions on the faces of these adults – trying to look stern and disapproving while at the same time suppressing smiles of amusement and, yes, true admiration.

 

it was another legendary example of creativity by the MHS Class of 1979. Full photo documentation continued as the car was dutifully removed from the roof that evening. But the photographic evidence of the epic prank lives on.

 

And the MHS Class of 1979 provided much of the core talent to anchor the school-wide musical production of “Hello Dolly!” that spring, elevating the legendary musical theatre tradition at MHS, and starring Class of ’79 actress Jaye Maynard McClure, who went on to a performance career spanning both Los Angeles and New York City.

 

Epic.

Legendary.

 

And the MHS Class of 1979 is a generous class that has stuck together across the years. A loving reunion organizing committee has kept momentum that makes our class the envy of other MHS classes. The MHS Class of 1979 has implemented service projects, raised money, and donated gifts like this beautiful original mural for public display.

 

We celebrate this creative generosity today.

 

Yet there is something bittersweet about our recognition of generosity today. Originally 266 young students, not all members of the Class of ’79 are still alive. We have lost dear friends to death over the years. I long for us to remember them as they were in their vibrant high school years with us.

 

I’ll be honest – I dearly long to see them again someday.

 

So, as we rededicate this gift mural from our class, it is not only to current and future MHS students and staff…and not only to our assembled classmates, but especially in memory of our departed classmates.

 

Alice Acker

Jody Anvoots

Jon Jon Davenport

Mike Flanagan

Dave Gerhardt

Dan Helt

James Kuehn

Kelly Larson

Loan Lundey

Mark Maier

Jim Nygren

Jim Parks

Dan Paske

Mark Perrin

Julie Pierstorff

Linda Rundle

Kara Gray Sailing

Janet Stilen

Wendy Sindberg

Dale Statz

Mike Swanson

Rick Topp

Dan Vosen

Pat Webster

Jay Widmer

 

Now to our order of business. We have four items to accomplish. I have a few key recognitions. Then we’ll re-dedicate this beautiful mural and hear some guest comments about it. I’ll then invite my classmate Diane to describe another act of class generosity, and we can then adjourn for a tour of this beautiful Performing Arts Center, guided by its director, Jonathan Hagberg.

 

So first, some recognitions. Our reunions are organized by a loving group of seven incredibly dedicated classmates, all with only X chromosomes, who spend hours and hours planning all the logistics and communications.

 

They demonstrate their love for us selflessly. I am honestly so thankful for them:

 

Vicki Cushman Edgren

Phyllis Dresser

Brenda Liegel

Jackie Malliet

Jaye Maynard McClure

Katherine Perreth

Diane Schwartz

 

Let’s shown them our thanks!

 

Then I want to acknowledge special friends who may or may not be in attendance – but who have played crucial roles in making this mural re-dedication possible:

 

Janet Ballweg (our artist)

Zane Enloe (former Performing Arts Center [PAC] director)

Jonathan Hagberg (current PAC director)

Peg Shoemaker (MHS Principal)

Brad Crandell (MHS student activities coordinator)

Dale Rhodes (MHS facilities director)

Ryan Paulson (Owner, Alphagraphics, and Good Neighbor Festival chair this year)

Chuck and Karen Tracy (original mural graphics company owners 20 years ago)

Lisa, Michael and Jacob LaBissoniere (community members)

Reese Johanningmeier (recipient of MHS Class of 1979 Fine Arts Scholarship)

 

Let’s shown them our appreciation!

 

And now to the mural re-dedication itself. This beautiful mural was created by classmate Janet Ballweg more than 20 years ago. The original small painted panels were digitally scanned and enlarged for printing on canvas and mounting in a different location in this Performing Arts Center lobby in 2004. The mural was a gift to the school from the Class of 1979 on the occasion of our 25 year class reunion. During remodeling of this space several years ago, the mural was rescued by Performing Arts Center Director, Zane Enloe, but the original canvas print was no longer sized well for display in the new lobby. This led to the creation of a fresh digital scan of the mural and the creation of this beautiful new permanent installation.

 

Though she can’t be here today, artist Janet Ballweg provided the following comments of reflection on her work from more than 20 years ago:

 

 

“Dear Classmates,

When Jim and Diane approached me about creating the mural back in 2001, my first thought was “What can my work possibly say to a high school student of today?” 

 

I pondered this question for a while and eventually returned to my own experience - growing up on a dairy farm in Cross Plains and then finding my passion as a professional artist and teacher. I could not have envisioned this trajectory during my high school years. Based on that, I decided on 5 main themes for the mural:

 

“Maintaining Roots” is about the importance of remembering where we come from and maintaining those ties. For this concept I chose a morning glory, a plant that can develop roots 15 feet long; it’s beautiful and far reaching.

 

“Seeking Direction” is about the need to find one’s own path in life – to follow our own compass or weather vane to whatever journey and destination awaits us.

 

“Taking Aim” is about identifying dreams and going after them, even if those dreams seem like a long shot or they seem fleeting, like a cloud.

 

“Cultivating Passion” is about latching onto your strengths, your talents, and pursuing those with abandon to see where they might take you.

 

Lastly, “Finding Balance” is about keeping yourself in check and finding peace for yourself in the world through family, friendship, love, work, and play.

 

It’s my hope that this mural has inspired, and continues to inspire, high school students to dream big and make those dreams happen.

 

And I thank you, fellow classmates, for believing in me as an artist enough to, not once but twice, support the installation of this mural at Middleton High School. It is a unique gift from a unique class of students!

 

As a teacher myself, I’ve come to realize every one of my classes has been different but there have only been a few truly remarkable classes in my 36-year teaching career. Sure, every class shows intelligence and talent, but it’s a special class that bands together to form a sense of community, that revels in hope, joy, friendship, and laughter, and that stands together not just during those 4 years but throughout life. 

 

The class of ’79 was, and is, an incredibly extraordinary class and this mural speaks to our ability to rise above the ordinary, to be something special. I’m sorry that I can’t physically celebrate with you today but please know that the class of ’79 is always in my heart.

 

Enjoy the reunion! – Janet Ballweg”

 

 

 

We thank Janet for her talent and thoughtful remarks.

 

I now want to recognize and emphasize that this mural has impacts beyond the students and staff of Middleton High School. This is a public space. It touches the lives of many of all ages in the broader community. Some won’t notice the mural. Others may just sense the vibrant colors. Still others will pause to contemplate the meaning of the panels and wonder about this mysterious Class of 1979 who saw fit to invest in this public gift. Some may even pause at the informational plaques to learn about the art. Several years ago, Zane Enloe made me aware of a special and beautiful community story and connected me with Lisa, Michael, and their son, Jacob. I confess, and my wife will attest, that when I first read their note, it brought me to tears.

 

 

 

“Dear Jim, 

 

As Zane may have related, Jacob and I started exploring the halls of the high school during Jacob’s Middle School years at Kromrey.  He seemed to particularly enjoy the wonderfully bright PAC lobby entry area and always inspected the large mural hanging above the doorway into the HS common area.  As an autistic kiddo his routine was unbreakable – we had to talk about each section of the mural and identify each of the images:  the flower, the weathervane, the target, the pear and the 'bob'.  

 

Our weekly visits continued until construction began on Phase I of the current structure. Imagine our dismay when the beautiful, bright entry to the PAC lobby came down in a pile of rubble and glass, along with the rest of the surrounding spaces. We found other places to explore during that year of construction and waited eagerly to inspect the new, revitalized building when it opened in the summer of 2021 prior to Jacob's 8th grade year.  I must say that the new North Entrance to the school was a disappointment compared to the large windows and grand design of the original PAC entry. But the bigger surprise occurred when we entered the building and ran to where the mural had always hung – only to find it wasn't there – it wasn't anywhere!   Our every visit during that year was tainted by the missing mural.  

 

That's when we contacted our friend, Mr. Zane, to see if he could help us determine what the fate of the 'big picture' was going to be in the new High School.  He was able to locate where the mural had been stored during construction and unrolled it to take pictures that he sent to us so we could continue talking about each of the images. But the ultimate fate of the mural itself was uncertain until after the completion of Phase II when the school was fully open. That was Jacob's 9th grade year, his first year of High School!  We came back to explore again during that summer when the new phase opened and there it was... a new, permanent version of the mural, right at the entrance to the PAC lobby!

 

What a joy to see that it was restored to a place of prominence in the new space.  

 

Lisa and Jacob LaBissoniere"

 

 

 

Thank you for your beautiful words, Lisa, and for sharing with us how the MHS Class of 1979 mural as piece of public art has had a positive impact on your lives.

 

So now we re-dedicate this mural by sharing the words from the informational plaque:

 

 

Celebrating 45 years of creative leadership, Middleton High School’s Class of 1979 presents this mural with appreciation to our teachers, staff, and classmates for the 720 days we shared together in this building. The mural is the original design of Janet Ballweg, Professor of Art at Bowling Green State University, native of Cross Plains, and MHS Class of 1979 graduate. Presented in 2004 by the Class of 1979, Middleton High School’s 100th Anniversary Class. Rededicated 20 years later: August 2024.

 

 

Finally, I invite my classmate, Diane Schwartz, to remind us about another act of creative generosity made possible by our class this spring. Because class giving exceeded what was required for the mural reinstallation, it was possible for the Class of 1979 to offer a one-time scholarship of $1760 to a graduating MHS student pursuing a fine arts college degree. Competing students must have achieved at least a 3.2 grade point average and completed community service. An MHS committee made the selection. The awards ceremony was May 15, 2024.

 

The Middleton High School Class of 1979 Fine Arts Scholarship winner is Reese Johanningmeier.  Reese is attending Coastal Carolina University, majoring in Musical Theatre. She described many artistic and service activities in her application. Among other comments, Reese stated:

 

“I have been passionate about theatre since my first musical in 6th grade. I discovered my singing voice and learned how music and lyrics helped tell the story and that I could share that story with the audience. Since then, I have loved all aspects of theatre, especially musical theatre. I've now done numerous Summer Stage production and Main Stage shows, along with every MHS musical and most of the theatre productions each year. Performing is my passion and it's thrilling and rewarding to be able to present to an audience something that I've worked so hard to prepare.”

 

A poster with Reese’s note of thanks to the MHS Class of 1979 is here on display.

 

As we conclude our remarks and turn now to the opportunity to tour the Middleton High School Performing Arts Center, let us recognize with true pride the generous gifts that our class has been able to provide to the students and staff of Middleton High School, and to the broader community.

 

 

 

Friday, August 23, 2024

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

all on you



For all I knew

It was all on me

Mine to live

Mine to do.

 

For all I knew

My faults all mine

Burdens borne

Penance due.

 

Now, now, now

Nothing’s the same

Now, now, now

It’s all on you.

 

Now, now, now

Could it be true?

Now, now, now

It’s all on you.


Could it be true?

My faults and shame

Don’t count for me-

They count for you.

 

Now, now, now

Nothing’s the same

Now, now, now

It’s all on you.

 

Now, now, now

Could it be true?

Now, now, now

It’s all on you.

 

 

 

 

5/24

how I used to be


 


Each new day a quest for why

Each new hour a search for me

Each new week the joys fly by

That’s how I used to be.

 


Each new day a lonely walk 

Each new prayer from guilt to free

Each new thought of you so far

That’s how I used to be.

 


One day a glimpse so different

One distant died for me

My quest to earn and justify

That’s how I used to be.

 


The one I sought to please

My guilt to shed for good

Has done it all – already

His choice, his story told.

 


Now each new day – adventure

Forgiven is my theme

Purchased from my hopeless quest

That’s how I used to be.

 


And now your cross my answer

Your joy the call for me

So different from those distant days

That’s how I used to be.

 

 

 


5/24

Monday, March 25, 2024

Jeremiah

 

 

I’ve been reading the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah, who is thought to have lived in the Holy Land six centuries before the birth of Jesus.

It is a tough read.

This is the part of the Bible where God is described as angry, vindictive, unforgiving, threatening, caustic, overbearing, petty, violent, bitter, hateful, short-tempered, unyielding, furious, regretful, vengeful.

And worse things.

The prophet is given a message that amounts to a statement that God hates, yes HATES, his people for their persistent attraction to the gods of neighboring nations, and to the customs of these people and their gods.

Jeremiah is given the task of announcing unremitting destruction of the entire Jewish nation, and that it is too late to do anything about it. Babylon will destroy Jewish society, Jewish monuments, Jewish animals, and the Jews themselves.

This fiercely angry God is unloving. He is terrible to envision.

He seems absolutely nothing like the Jesus I have come to know and love and worship. Nothing like the one who surrendered his life for me, though I did nothing to deserve his sacrifice. Nothing like the one hanging on a cross, having not spoken a word of self-defense at the hands of his killers.

The question is an obvious one – how can we reconcile the depiction of this violently angry, impatient, vindictive, petty Old Testament God with Jesus, the self-sacrificing God?

It is an old question.

I am fascinated by Marcion of Sinope, an early Christian theologian a bit more than a century after Jesus’ life. Marcion lived in Rome and his contemplations led him to an honest conclusion – the triune God revealed by Jesus Christ is simply a different God from this angry Old Testament ogre. To Marcion they were simply incompatible, too different in character to possibly be the same entity.

I actually give huge credit to Marcion for stating the obvious rather than ignoring it. This obvious incompatibility goes conveniently undiscussed in Christian churches. The threats and hateful words assigned to Jeremiah by God are not often mentioned, let alone discussed, in sermons from Christian pulpits.

Marcion said what needed to be said – this Old Testament God COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE JESUS CHRIST.

Marcion eventually was branded a heretic and fell from any kind of authority in orthodox Christianity. 
 
So much for Marcion.

But.

What about his POINT? It still is valid. How do we understand the tone of the caustic message reportedly given by God to Jeremiah, compared to the self-sacrificing message of Jesus Christ on the cross?

I’ve been thinking about it...

I’ve concluded that our New Testament God is the same God with the same demanding expectations for faithfulness.

But the equation has changed.

I am no longer responsible for living up to God’s demands for faithfulness.

This God knows that I cannot, any more than his people, the Jews, ever could.

God’s original covenant with his people, communicated to Moses, was about his people trying to be faithful, and failing. The only prescription for reconciliation after failure was the scrupulous ceremonial sacrifice of innocent animals and the offering of their blood. The prophecies of Jeremiah make clear that animal sacrifice had become thoroughly inadequate.

I am so utterly thankful that something changed, and that God changed it.

God announced a new covenant that is no longer about our faithfulness – it is about his faithfulness. It is about the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

In the midst of the hateful threats given to Jeremiah to call down on his people, we find a remarkable message from God to Jeremiah, slipped with subtlety into Jeremiah 31:31-33:

“This is a brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them – write it on their hearts! – and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They’ll know me first hand…I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!

There in the midst of the hate, this angry God slips in an unimaginable promise of a new covenant to take effect sometime in the distant future.

Few details, but a very different premise.

It takes six more centuries to unveil the truth.

In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 22, verse 20 we read about Jesus’ last night alive with his friends. Celebrating the ceremonial stages of the Jewish Passover meal, Jesus reached the prescribed step where the cup was to be shared with all reclining around the table.
 
"This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you."

How many times have I heard those words and let them slide past me meaninglessly at communion services?

The same demands for perfect faithfulness. The same responsibilities to a perfect God. The same need for some kind of blood to pay for shortcomings.

All the same.

But so different. This new covenant, promised to Jeremiah, announced by Jesus, is not about my obedience. It is about Jesus’ obedience. It is not about me living up to standards. It is about Jesus living up to standards. It is not about the repeated sacrifices of innocent animals. It is about the one sacrifice of an innocent God himself.

For me.

And you.

Marcion didn’t realize that the answer to his puzzle was not that there are different Old Testament and New Testament Gods.

The answer to his puzzle was that there are different Old Testament and New Testament covenants.

I am so glad that there is a new covenant.

Now with every hateful and vengeful prophecy I read in Jeremiah, I think with tears of the one who somehow felt the full weight of that anger, paying once and for all for me and you and for all who will ever have sinned.

Yes, I am so glad that there is a new covenant.


3.25.23