The more things change….
Message from Anthony
Dear St. John’s,
When I was at Oral Roberts University during undergrad, I was the director of a hip-hop ministry group that used music as a tool for ministry. Due to the homogenous nature of the school, having friends who shared a similar culture outside of that norm was a significant source of camaraderie and validation. We have remained friends for over twenty-five years!
This summer, I’ve had the privilege of seeing many of them, either by visiting them or vice versa. Our lives have gone in so many different directions; some of us are married, others divorced; some of us have children, others not; and we’ve all found meaningful careers (or at least ones that pay the bills).
And about half of my friends no longer identify as Christian.
I get the sense they are proud of me for entering the priesthood, though they don't totally get it (most of us have Evangelical backgrounds; I was the only one who grew up Catholic, then eventually became Episcopalian). And no matter where life has taken us, we are in many ways still the same people we were back then. Sure, hair has grayed or thinned (or, for some of us, disappeared), guts have grown, and aches are more frequent, but the essence of who we are remains.
This gets us into all types of theological ponderings, especially with this week’s epistle reading from Romans (6:1b–11) that declares, “our old self was crucified with him.”
Who is this old self?
For Saint Paul, the “old self” is the fallen nature of humanity under Adam—a slave to sin. Through Christ, Paul teaches us we can “walk in newness of life.” While that’s a neat theological treatise, in lived experience it’s not so simple.
When I hang out with my old friends, I don’t feel particularly “new.” If anything, I feel like the same ol’ guy (minus the Evangelical understanding I had of divinity back then).
Perhaps the mystery of the "new self" is not found in the eradication of our history, but in the redemption of it. I am forced to wonder if the "essence" that remains in us isn't the old self at all, but the Spirit of God that drew us together in the first place. What do you think?
Do you get the sense you are a “new person in Christ” when seeing old friends or family? Or are we, ultimately, just who we are?”
