Exile and -aholisms
The first manifestation of being in exile is broken relationships.
In shame we hide. With blame we chide. We were meant for intimacy. We create walls.
The second manifestation of being in exile is broken purpose and flourishing.
The biblical account of creation tells of our beginnings with a theological voice. In the beginning, the Creator speaks. What a Word! Kaboom. And there was . . .
The end result was too good to fully describe. But by the Creator’s own estimation it was good, and even very good. And as human beings, we were put at the apex of his creative design (Genesis 1).
Created in the Creator’s image. Imago Dei. The creation instinct is in our DNA.
Only the Creator could speak out of nothing and make something. Ex nihilo. But with his raw resources we were invited to continue the process. Co-creation.
Everything was a reflection of his glory. It sparkled with design and beauty. But it was not complete. God entrusted the raw stuff of his design to human beings. In the theological version of the story it is depicted in the tending of a garden and cultural ecosystem (Genesis 2).
Have dominion over the elements of creation. Name them – an action of authority.
Be fruitful and multiply.
Work. And worship while you work.
Fill and subdue.
All of this was an act of stewardship.
But the Fall (Genesis 3). Introduction of sin into the ecosystem. Everything became frustrated.
The ground itself became cursed. Thorns and thistles were introduced through the rebellion, which choked out flourishing. Work became toil (Genesis 3). The final product of work became a source of jealousy and reason for murder (Genesis 4). It was supposed to be worship. It became idolatry.
Exaltation of and collaboration with the Creator became aspiration to make a name for ourselves. Misguided work resulted in more exile and walls of separation (Genesis 11).
Ruling as stewardship became misuse in selfishness.
Work as creative design became boring at best and manipulative at worst.
The stuff of creation – plant, vine, forest, water, stone and all natural resources – all became abused rather than stewarded. Later the apostle Paul would note that the very stuff of the globe – the cosmos – cries out for redemption (Romans 8).
And the next sign of exile was manifest.
-aholisms.
Work-aholism.
Pleasure-aholism.
Adventure-aholism.
Alcoholism.
To name a few.
Let’s just consider one of these deformations of what was originally good and very good.
Work.
What was meant as a means of worship, as a calling to co-create, became misdirected. Work over time became reduced to making money. Now there is nothing wrong with making money. Being paid a fair wage for wholesome work is rewarding. Even being blessed through the generosity of my corporation or boss is appreciated. But work for hire alone (money) can disconnect us to the final product.
Pay attention to that word – alone.
We began with work that was attached to the land, the artisan shop, or the care of people in the home or the institution. In was “hands on” work – cultivate the soil, work the stone, or care for the body or soul. We could easily see and touch the final product of our work. The work itself had worth. But detached from the end result it became easy to work for the wrong thing.
More money - alone.
Again, money is not inherently evil. But it has a way of becoming an idol. An idol is anything we love more than the Creator. It is good thing becoming ultimate thing.
Jesus warned that you cannot have two masters, you will hate one and love the other; and that Mammon and God can easily come into competition for the affection of our hearts.
Money is not the root of evil – it is the love of money that is the root of evil. So we become consumed with work. Not for the sake of work but the sake of money.
Alone.
What’s your number? I have yet to meet the person who got that number and was satisfied. Because the number can never satisfy. Money is gift – no matter how hard you worked for it - it is still gift. We were meant to find satisfaction in the Giver not the gift.
So we become workaholics. We cannot take a day of Sabbath. We cannot disconnect on vacation. We give away our souls and our time in sacrifice to the god of work. Even that admission is a lie. The real god to whom we sacrifice is not work, it is the money hiding behind the work. Mammon.
God wants to give us work back.
The grace story is about God recognizing our enmity with his design and breaking down the walls of hostility that we have created around that design. Including our adverse response to work, as expressed in laziness, boredom, name making, or workaholism.
-aholisms are embraced spaces of being in exile. They deface the original gift. They take the good and the very good and turn them into ultimate.
One of the benefits of Jesus’ work on the cross was to reconcile all things to their original purpose. This includes the gift of work. He came to “accomplish the Father’s work” (John 4:34). I hear the echo of co-creation in these words.
The apostle Paul could write about his own restored work. “In Christ Jesus then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God” (Romans 15:17). Notice the source – in Christ. Died with Christ, buried with Christ, raised with Christ, seated with Christ – it is in that union that our life work, vocation, calling, and purpose are made new.
Jesus’ own words – “behold I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
The curse has been broken. All –aholisms can be laid down in Christ. No more “in exile” bondage. But release to flourishing work – being “on exile” in the restoration project.
On exile with you in a long tradition of exiles.
