Ordinary Time 14: Josiah

In his sermon, Tim talked about the idea of going from A to B as a constant invitation in our culture. “A” is where you might be less than successful or satisfied and “B” is where you could be happy and content… finally satisfied. As Tim said, there is always something on offer that says it can get you to B. He also said that the conversion into whatever that might be is always an ideological conversion.

Whether small or more all-encompassing, which programs for going from A to B have you bought into or participated in? Which are you participating in today? With each example, share whether it was something you inherited or were converted into.

How have or do you see the ideological nature of your engagement with these “programs?” Is it easy or hard to look at through that lens? Why do you think that is?

Pretty much, no one would sign up for something that offered an ideological capture or conversion. And many things that fit the paradigm Tim described would also not identify as a “Program.” what are some of the other terms or phrases that, at the end of the day, may end up as the same sort of thing (e.g., a lifestyle, a belief or value system, a club, etc)?

What are some of the critiques of our culture or our world or the people you encounter as you experience life that are most frequently on your mind? What about these topics makes them feel so important?

In his sermon, Tim said, “Any critique that doesn’t implicate self is an ideological critique.” What does that mean? How does that apply to the critiques you thought about listed above?

Tim contrasted the ideological conversion discussed in the earlier question with something he called a true conversion where you go from “A” to also “A.” The starting place “A” is a good human and the resulting “A” is a flash of insight that, “I am not one with myself.” This, he said, was the foundation for new birth.

He also shared a slide that said, “to practice resurrection means letting the stuff that leads to death die away so something new can be born again.”

Reflect on your own experiences of ideological conversion and your experiences of or hopes for true conversion. What, in those narratives, needs to die away? What, as you consider your life today, might be a thing that leads to death of which you need to let go?