Speaking in tongues

"If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."  For most of the past 6 years my existence has centered around what is arguably the most intense urban renewal project anywhere in the country.  For more than 10 years now this 10 block by 10 square block section of the city has been in a constant build mode that is taking place on the streets, under the streets and upwards of 40 stories above the streets.  It can so many days be such a source of stimulation overload.  The daily game of street roulette to determine which street or sidewalk is open and which ones closed became very old very quickly.  I often am driven from my office to seek sanctuary and silence … or at least a dull roar.  
Personally it has driven me, against everything I've always believed about interacting with the world, to spend a good part of my days wearing ear buds or even full on headphones.  So, as many times as I've encountered the above reference from Paul in my years as a pastoral artist, when it came to my attention today the words resonated in my soul as they never have before.  Full on and awfully annoying noise is how I read this.  I realized that in the course of my own days here in hard hat paradise, its not as much the noise that bothers me as it is the source of the noise.  I don't get angry at the sound of the jackhammer nearly as much as I do at the jackhammer and the one using it.  Sometimes in my own self centered world I can be very put off at the audacity of someone doing their job simply because it makes mine a bit more challenging.  The shrill sound of a siren arrives much sooner than the vehicle with flashing lights, yet its usually as the lights pass by that I have a really bad attitude.  Maybe it's as simple as being able to put an actual physical image with the sound?  I'm not really sure.  What I'm really sure of is that I want it to stop and so I hold the source of the noise in contempt.
This morning as I reluctantly moved into this passage known as "the love chapter" it resonated with me in a way it never had before. I've never thought that the use of gong or cymbal were meant to be appealing … but I've never focused on the descriptive words of these instruments. I'm fairly certain  resounding and clanging were hand picked as being more descriptive than simply annoying.  One can not read these words and imagine symphony or harmony.  Third grade band recital is more easily brought to mind.  True to form though, instead of the actual noise, I was drawn to the source of the annoying noise.  In this case it is those who may even have great eloquence, wisdom, or esteem, but they don't know how to communicate with any version of love in their messages.  It hit me like my first cup of morning dark roast.  I immediately put my bible down and have been processing all day.
This idea so resonates with all I've been feeling lately about what is being communicated by an vocal segment of people who claim to follow Jesus but really do a poor job of communicating like it. I'd love to identify with the "better" side, but I'm not really seeing one.  Sure there are individuals who understand this verse, but all of us struggle when it comes to carrying it out.  I'd love to absolve myself and say "they", but in all honesty I really need to own some of it and claim my place with the "we".  I'm discovering we are the source of my angst and anxiety … my spiritual sensory overload.  We … to many of us, both left and right, are making lame efforts or none at all to communicate in love.  We are simply angry and feel compelled to express it.  We are not for anything that doesn't fit with our ideology.  We communicate in vague clichés and hide behind strawmen of our own creation. When things get uncomfortable we use the wildcard "but" as our get out of jail card any chance we get.
We've just recently celebrated Pentecost in many of our traditions … you know, Pentecost … the birth of the Church and the arrival of God's Spirit manifested through speaking in the tongues of the nations … these tongues drew people together around the ultimate message of hope and love.  What would happen if once again the church began to speak in a language that drew people together … a language that brought peace and calmed anxieties... a language that was attractive... a language that crossed cultural, ethnic, social, and geographical boundaries.  It is pretty obvious that our leaders, both secular and spiritual are struggling with this language … there are way too many "buts" making excuses for our lame efforts.  We cannot wait on them.  We cannot wait for the masses.
We cannot wait for people to come into our spaces on a Sunday morning for them to hear love.  The waiting is over.  Real love is demonstrated in real time in real living through real relationships.  It's time for us to be the source of something beautiful

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