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Esther, Synchronicity, and Process Theology

by Bruce Epperly

For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jewish people from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this. (Esther 4:14)

The biblical book of Esther is a theological goldmine. Although the Hebraic Masoretic version, adopted by Protestants and Jews, does not explicitly mention God’s name, God’s gentle providence is present in Esther’s discovery and embodiment of her vocation as her people’s savior. God does not have to be named to influence our lives. Divine activity is often subtle and goes unnoticed, acting through insights, inspirations, encounters, and persons.
In the case of Esther (Hadassah), God’s gentle providence seems to be quietly working at turning points in her life. With no intentionality on her part, Esther becomes the king’s favorite and leading lady, queen of the land. Attempting to keep her ethnicity a secret, Esther is challenged by her mentor who reminds her that her position in the realm quite possibly reflects a hidden providence that has brought her to power “for just such a time as this.”
Synchronously, Esther is the right person, at the right time, and receives the right encounter. Within the events of our lives, God is [ene_ptp]quietly creating possibilities for personal and community transformation. Every moment is filled with possibilities aiming at the highest good. Though seldom we witness divinity in these possibilities, they constantly shape our lives, most particularly when we say “yes” to them. Mordecai presents Esther with a provocative possibility that her current royal position is far from accidental, but reflects the interplay of divine providence, chance, and human decision-making. Esther carefully weighs Mordecai’s counsel, and when she acts on it, she moves from hiddenness to agency, and sets in motion a series of events that save her people and undermine their nemesis, Haman.
Although the author of Esther did not have today’s process theology in mind, the tenor of the book is processive and providential. God is dynamically working in every situation, inviting us to move from passivity to agency. God’s work is never unilateral or coercive but is embodied in a dynamic call and response in which God calls, we respond, and our response leads to further instances of God’s call in our lives. God can’t save the Jewish people apart from human partnership. In the interdependence of life, events lead to Esther becoming the primary partner in God’s quest to save the Jewish people.
Esther has freedom and, like the majority of characters in scripture such as Jesus’ parents, Mary and Joseph, Abraham and Sarah, and the widowed Ruth, she can assent or turn away from God’s call. Ruth becomes the great-grandparent of David as a result of her cooperation with God’s call to reach out to Boaz. Esther is an agent of freedom and liberation as a result of her claiming her own power to change the world.
Esther models for us – and inspires us – to open to daily synchronicities, often masquerading as secular events. Most of the time, we are like Jacob, who, after dreaming of a ladder of angels, confesses “God was in this place and I did not know it.” When we realize that God is “in this place,” the place where we are, remarkable energies are released and we become God’s partners in bringing health and beauty to the world. We discover that we are here in this moment “for just such a time as this.”
(For on the themes discussed in this essay, I recommend my Energion books, Ruth and Esther: Women of Agency and Adventure and Process Theology: Embracing Adventure with God.)
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May 2, 2016
On Being a Spiritual Grandparent

by Bruce Epperly

One of the great joys for many parents is the day that they become grandparents. Grandparenting gives us a fresh start, and the opportunity to nurture new life, usually without the obligations of day to day care. My wife Kate and I looked forward to grandparenting, and we have been blessed to have our two young grandchildren live just a few miles away in one of Cape Cod’s seashore villages. We pick up our grandchildren most weekdays and have them stay with us typically one night a week. While I am a committed pastor, teacher, and writer, the time I spend with my grandchildren is central to my life.
As most grandparents will tell you, grandparenting is much more than providing babysitting and buying gifts. Yes, we spoil the boys, but we also take their spiritual lives seriously. In my Energion book, Letter to My Grandson: Gaining Wisdom from a Fresh Perspective, I focused on the spiritual relationships of grandparents and grandchildren. I emphasized that we teach our grandchildren spiritual values and nurture their inherent spirituality. I believe that children have spiritual hearts. Every child leans toward divinity through their appreciation of the wonder of each moment, their interest in nature and the non-human world, and their inquisitive spirits.
Grandparents nurture the spirits of their grandchildren, and grandchildren invite their grandparents to experience the sacrament of the present moment.[ene_ptp] Here are some of the practices that are at the heart of my grandparenting:
First, every night we have evening prayers in which we look back on the day in gratitude. I ask my grands to think about things for which they are most thankful in terms of daily activities. We often reflect on play dates, times at school, the animals of our environment, good food, church activities, and their mom and dad.
Second, we talk explicitly about God. We don’t talk about doctrine, but questions that come up in the course of the day. Children are the source of great wisdom that often emerges in questions. Thirty years ago, when my son was five, he asked me, “If Joseph is Jesus’ father, is God his grandfather?” A few months ago, I told my grandsons that I had to stop by the church to check in with the congregation’s administrative assistant. The oldest grand asked, “Is she your boss?” I responded, “I’m her boss.” My grand responded, “No, God is your boss.”
Third, we nurture moments of beauty and encounters with the non-human world. I believe that you love the Creator by loving the creatures. Each day we talk about the non-human world. This spring, the osprey have returned to Cape Cod and each afternoon we visit their nest on the beach near home, talking about the family values of osprey. We also talk about how much God cares for birds, dogs, whales, and dolphins. My oldest grandson and I are “playing” with writing a book, “God Loves Sharks,” that combines his love for sharks with God’s love for creation.
Fourth, I have taught my grands simple meditative prayers, most especially breath prayers. When they are stressed or upset, I invite them to pause a moment, breathe deeply, and rest in God’s love and peace.
Finally, it’s all about love. Jesus referred to God as “abba.” We also can call God “amma” (mother) as well. Children and grandchildren learn God’s love from their parents and grandparents. God is love and we learn God’s character best when we love one another.
Grandparents can be spiritual teachers. It’s a day to day, and long term adventure of growing in God’s love, and an adventure that deepens grandparents and grandchildren alike.
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April 18, 2016
Mysticism, Near Death Experiences, and Hope in the Afterlife
by Bruce G. Epperly

William Blake once asserted that “if the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to us as it is – infinite.” Blake believed that most people live in a cavern, not unlike Plato’s myth of the cave, unaware of the heights and depths of life. They are caught up in the minutia of the ordinary and fail to see the divinity at the depths of each moment of experience. Mystics discover that experiences of immortality, or eternity in the midst of time, awaken us to the infinity of every moment and the holiness of every life.

Today, people are in search of transcendence. According to a recent Pew Research Center Report (2009), 49% of [ene_ptp]Americans claim to have had mystical experiences compared to 22% in 1962.[1] For many, the door to self-transcendence comes through near death experiences. While these experiences remain to some degree ineffable, they are life-transforming in their immediacy and a challenge to one-dimensional understandings of reality. They awaken many people to the reality of a loving God, communication with spiritual beings, and a sense of connection with deceased relatives. They discover that death is real, but it is not final. While they may still fear the pain and helplessness of the dying process, they now “know” that they are in God’s hands, and to quote the Apostle Paul, they now believe that “nothing can separate them from the love of God.” (Romans 8:38-39)

While near death experiences do not definitively prove the reality or landscape of eternal life, they hold in creative tension Martin Luther’s twin affirmations, “In the midst of life, we are surrounded by death. In the midst of death, we are surrounded by life.” To those who have experienced God “on the other side,” there is now more to life than we can imagine. Death no longer has a sting or victory over us. For those who have had them, near death experiences give birth to a lay theology and spirituality that is often more convincing than the ultra-rationalistic ruminations of professional theologians and religious leaders. In the spirit of Jung, such persons no longer “believe” in God, they now claim to “know” God.

While all experiences—including near-death and mystical experiences—are fallible, perspectival, and limited, they need to be recognized as creative responses to the reality of death. They provide assurance that we are in God’s care regardless of what happens in our personal journeys. They join the living and the dead in a dynamic and interdependent reality.
Although I have never had a near death experience, I take them seriously as pastor and professor. They point us back to the “strange world of the Bible” and the faith we affirm, most of which is grounded in encounters with the divine. In the wake of Easter, we must take seriously the reality of the afterlife and the ability of persons to encounter deceased persons. Christ is risen, known by his wounds, able to communicate with his followers, and transcend certain limits of space. We can’t hold on to any one particular vision of Jesus, as our Risen Savior says to Mary of Magdala, but we can awaken to infinity in the midst of life.

Near death experiences are not escapes from reality but invitations to discover infinity in the processes of creativity, birth, amazement at the universe, as well as the hope for immortality. In fact, mystics of all kinds may be more invested in this world and its well-being than those who deny the multi-dimensional nature of reality. Those who have experienced “heaven” are inspired to make God’s “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”

I am blessed as a pastor to lead a congregation in which few limits are placed on the spiritual and intellectual journey. My recent Energion book, From Here to Eternity: Preparing for the Next Adventure, emerged from a theological reflection group at our church. With no holds barred and all positions honored, people freely shared their experiences of the divine, including near death experiences and encounters with deceased relatives. I have come to believe that congregations that are open to mystical experiences are vital and growing, regardless of size. Recognizing that God is more than meets the eye and that we are more than we imagine, infinite in our mortality, such congregations are able to give people a taste of the infinite and respond creatively to the yearnings of seekers within the congregation and the larger culture.

[1] http://www.pewforum.org/2009/12/09/many-americans-mix-multiple-faiths/
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April 4, 2016
A Secretary of the Future?

by Bruce Epperly

[ene_ptp]This morning, March 8, 2016, I heard an archived interview with author Kurt Vonnegut, in which he suggested that we establish a new cabinet post “Secretary of the Future.” Such a secretary would look at the long term consequences of our actions. From the mountaintop, he or she would aspire toward a global and longitudinal perspective, looking ahead in terms of decades rather than focusing solely on the crisis of the moment.
I think this idea is insightful, both politically and theologically. A good life involves affirming “this is the day that God has made” and living in the holy here and now, it also involves living in light of eternity, and considering the long-term impact of small actions. This is surely the wisdom of the “butterfly effect,” a butterfly flapping its wings on the shores of Lake Tahoe in this now can shape weather patterns months from now faraway on a Cape Cod beach where I walked this morning.
In my upcoming Energion book, I ponder the issue of survival after death, “From Here to Eternity,” and suggest that we don’t need to polarize this world and the next. In many ways, we are already in heaven right “here” if we believe God is omnipresent, that is, present everywhere. We are already in God’s presence, which, according to many persons, is the definition of heaven.
“Here” our actions are performed moment by moment. We live in a constantly changing now. Yet the constantly changing now flows into an “eternity” of “now” moments, each following the other, emerging from the other, and evolving over time. Could it be that our “now” moments are creating our eternity? Could it be that God, whose mercies are “new every morning” enfolds each moment into a faithfulness that “endures forever?” Surely, if our personal identity persists beyond the grave, and to me that is the only meaningful form of everlasting life, one where we have self-awareness, a history, and continue to evolve in light of our history, then we are creating our everlasting life and the everlasting lives of others by each and every decision we make. “From Here to Eternity” is the movement toward future horizons, actualized in every well-spent now.
So, perhaps each of us—not to mention the government—needs a Secretary of the Future. We need to live in the moment, savoring the shimmering seascape, the bird in flight, the laughter of a child, and our beloved’s touch. We also need to see these passing moments, lived well and loved fully, as contributory to the future we dream of for us and our descendants.
Jewish mystics assert that the world is saved whenever a soul is saved. I would go further: in the stream of passing now moments, the world is tipped toward beauty or ugliness, life or death, one moment at a time. Such awareness moves us from self-centeredness to world loyalty, and enables us to rejoice in the moment and act for a future we may never live to see.
Let’s hear it for the Secretary of the Future! At the very least, let us live into this new position by doing something beautiful for God in every passing now.
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March 21, 2016

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