Thoughts from Eugene Peterson's "Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places"

Back in early January I began reading Eugene Peterson's Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology. It's not a book you read through quickly; there is a spiritual density and beauty to it that have caused me to linger many times. This morning was another of those moments and I would like to share some of the quotes.

The topic at hand is wonder, and how the gospel accounts of the resurrection of Christ lead us to cultivate wonder in our lives. Here are 5 Elements of surprise in the resurrection of Jesus that help inspire us to wonder:

1. Unpreparedness

Idea - "...when it (the resurrection) happened it took those who were closest to the event and best prepared for it totally unaware."

Lesson - "We inhabit mystery. We must not pretend to know too much."

2. Uselessness of Experts

Idea - "...no one involved in the resurrection appearances did anything to prepare for what actually happened."

Lesson - "Everyone is a beginner in this business. There are no experts."

3. Prominence of Marginal Companions

Idea - "...in the resurrection stories, marginal people (in this case women) play a prominent role in reception and response, although recognized leaders (Peter and John) aren't excluded."

Lesson - "The men and women who are going to be most valuable to us in cultivating fear-of-the-Lord wonder are mostly likely going to be people on the edge of respectability: the poor, minorities, the suffering and rejected, poets and children."

4. Quite Out-of-the-Wayness

Idea - "...the resurrection was a quiet business that took place in a quiet place without publicity or spectators."

Lesson - "Bright lights and amplification are not accessories to the cultivation of wonder."

5. Fear

Idea - "...most important, is the fact that fear is the most frequently mentioned response to Jesus' resurrection."

Lesson - "Fear-of-the-Lord is fear with the scary element deleted. And so it is often accompanied by the reassuring 'fear not.' The 'fear not' doesn't result in the absence of fear, but rather its transformation into 'fear-of-the-Lord.' But we still don't know what is going on. We still are not in control. We still are deep in mystery."