The Power of Synergy and the Danger(s) of Syncretism

I think a lot about words – their meaning, their power to persuade (for good or for ill), to clarify or to obfuscate (that is, to obscure or make hidden, to either intentionally hinder someone’s understand or to actually mislead or deceive him –see what I mean? J) I like to explore the etymology of a word – that is, its original meaning(s) and then to see how the meaning and/or use of that word has changed over time. Have such changes served to make the word under consideration more effective, more influential for good, or has the meaning of that word deteriorated with time and is now being used to lead us into a direction(s) unhelpful, or even harmful, to us?

For example, I have been thinking about the words “syncretism” and “synergy.”  First, we note that both words have the prefix “syn,” and anytime you have a word beginning with “sym” or “syn,” it means the thought or idea or reality under consideration is “together with” something. Think of common words such as symmetry, syndicate, symphony, et al.

First – the Power of Synergy

Symphony literally means “with sound” and as such aptly describes what happens when an orchestra of many different individual instruments are synchronized (“timed together”) so that they create this unbelievably beautiful harmony of sound that literally creates a powerful emotional force for / within the mind, heart (yea, even the soul) of those who hear this beautiful musical composition. (We are assuming here that the musicians are capable ones who each play their instruments as the composer intended and as an excellent conductor has coached and led them to do so!)

Notice that when this orchestral performance is unfolding, a true synergy (energies coming together) occurs. This release of the energy of sound, of that which was created by the “coming together” music from all of these different musicians playing their individual instruments “together” stirs the emotion(s) – even to tears or deeply felt joy and contentment – exciting the imagination of the listeners.  The symphony is but one example of synergy at work. Speaking of work, you have heard the expression “two heads are better than one.” This is an expression of how a team of people working together – in business, science, etc. – problem solving efforts of all kinds,  can create a synergy of their own.

One of the most valuable assets that a manager or supervisor brings to the table is his or her “team building” skills. You will find that a sales manager or a production manager who can bring together a group of unique individuals, each with his/her own gifts, talents and abilities as well as with his/her own quirks, idiosyncrasies and needs and bring them together as a unified team all working together to achieve the team’s (and hence, the department’s and the company’s) goals, will experience the blessing of a positive, effective synergy which will manifest the truth of the ideal that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The synergy created by and efficient and effective team takes them all to a significantly higher level of performance.

This can readily be seen and understood when we consider professional team sports such as basketball, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, volleyball.

The ability of any given professional athlete of your chosen sport is on par with that of his or her team mates and that of his or her competitors on the other professional teams of their league or division.  By way of analogy, if we were considering racing, the difference between the individuals, or the vehicles racing to cross the finish line would not be a difference measured in seconds. Rather, the difference in their athletic abilities would be measured in tenths of a second, or in hundredths of a second! Why is it, then, that only one team can win the championship, or, more to the point, become a part of the building and the legend of a dynasty in that sport? The answer lies in the synergy that is created by that winning team!

Next time – the Dangers of Syncretism

With the new school year upon us, I have been thinking about our alumni who are enrolled in Liberal Arts programs in college. If you enjoy trivia as much as I, you might want to know that our modern Liberal Arts College Programs began with a medieval scholar, philosopher and Christian thinker of the Roman Catholic Church, Boetheius, circa 475-7 C.E. - 526 C.E. who devised a progression of accomplished studies beginning with what he dubbed the "Trivirium" (3 roads) of Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric, then moving on to the Quadrivium (4 roads) of Arithmetic, Geometry, Astronomy and Music.  These Seven(7) "Pathways" of Learning were dubbed "The Liberal Arts," so called, because they dealt with studies about which one could only think as opposed to the "practical," or the "skills" of studies such as Medicine, Architecture, Law, etc. Only when these were "Mastered," one could then move on to the studies to become a "Doctor" (one who could "Profess" - hence, Professors) of the higher levels of wisdom found in Philosophy and Theology.
Interesting, yes? :-)

The Second Couplet (vv. 6-7), Part 1 - v. 6

2^nd Couplet – verses 6-7 (Part 1 – v. 6)

When we are not in a state of desperate need, we must learn that “True Biblical Prosperity” is to be found here in these short, pithy, powerful statements of our Lord and King. Look at the next couplet as we read verses 6 & 7:

⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,

for they shall be filled.
⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

We see here the dimensions of the cross! That vertical beam that connects us to our Father seated upon His heavenly throne is made sure when we choose to “go after” righteousness. You may remember just after this portion of His teaching that Jesus exhorted His disciples (that’s us, Beloved!) to seek first (before anything and everything else!) the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33a). If we do so, He promises us that all the other things of life we need, those things that so often absorb and consume our attention and our affections, shall be added to us (33b)!

Note, however, that Jesus set the stage for us with the choice of His words. When we read the word “seek,” (6:33), we may not be impacted with the intensity of what the Master is wanting us to have in our searching Him out and making Him our first priority. Therefore, He paints the picture for us by using the words “hunger and thirst” in 5:6.

It further helps us to understand that when Jesus said the things of the world that people worry about – what food to eat, what clothes to wear, etc., He first noted, by contrast, that the “pagans run after such things” (6:32a). The sense of the verb here is that the pagans crave (are addicted to) such things!  We are not to behave in such a manner, for Jesus tells us, in Matthew 6:32b that our heavenly Father knows that we need such things!

However, we must not wait until we are destitute. Rather, we are to choose to crave God and His righteousness! We must choose to be “famished with hunger” for Him and “dying of thirst,” so to speak, to live in a right relationship with Him. There is some imagery we might want to use, by way of an analogy, to help us to get the import of the Mater’s message is this.

In any sport or athletic competition or military conflict, the time to prepare is not the moment of the engagement ~ the sporting event, the match, or the battle.

Muscles must be built up and conditioned. Timing and reflexes must be honed to a razor-sharp lightning speed. Knowledge and awareness of the opponent’s, or the enemy’s, tactics and strategies must be a part of our subconscious repertoire, and our confidence must be built to peak condition by constant real-life practice, sparring and war games with capable opponents. Only then will we be prepared to enter onto the field, into the arena or into the combat zone properly equipped for success. So, too, we must choose to hunger and thirst for righteousness in order that we may be equipped and prepared for the spiritual warfare that we are constantly engaged in and called to win! ~ See 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 and Ephesians 6:10-18. Everything begins with a desire to know our Father intimately and a desire to live as close to Him as ever we can.  Only in this way can we grow and mature to be conformed ever more to be like Jesus. It is this desire that motivates us to seek God – that is, to hunger and to thirst for Him and for His righteousness. Knowing the Father and His righteousness is the only thing that will truly “fill us” – that is, satisfy our souls.

The Beatitudes (continued) -
      

The First Couplet – Matthew 5:3-4

With this understanding in mind, let us begin to “open the treasure-chest” of the Beatitudes by seeing verses 3 and 4 as a “couplet,” a pair of parallel statements:
³Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This concept – those who are “poor” in spirit – is used four (4) times in the Hebrew Scriptures translated as the English word “contrite.” In three of these various forms of the word transliterated “da-kaw;” is used. Let us consider two of these from the Psalms of David:

Psalm 34:18 – (notice, once again, the couplet form):

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 51:17 –

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Is it any wonder that our Lord Jesus couples this image of the “poor in spirit” with “those who mourn?” When you and I have experienced situations and circumstances of life – be they financial, medical, relational, loss of our dreams, betrayal, times of abject failure, et.al. – we truly have known what it means to be “brokenhearted,” “crushed” or “broken” in spirit.

At this time we also become quite contrite – “sorrowful for some wrong that we have done; deeply repentant.” (Miriam-Webster). These are the times, times of pain and desperation, of the keenly felt need for God’s help, His extended Hand, His Love and Forgiveness, times when we come in total and abject honesty as we “mourn” and weep unashamedly before Him in the midst of our pain.

These are the times when we lay aside all of our excuses and rationalizations, and we “come clean” before Him with humble and beseeching hearts – hearts crying out His forgiveness, for His deliverance, His healing, His restoration!

This is illustrated in Jesus’ comparison / contrast story of the Pharisee and the publican [tax collector] found in Luke 18:10-14.  The Pharisee may have been rich or poor; we can’t be sure, but inasmuch as Jesus used him in juxtaposition with the tax collector, we may assume that, financially at least, he was a man of modest means while tax collectors were wealthy, and they gained their wealth from extorting surplus (illegal) taxes from their own people.  Yet, the Pharisee told the LORD God that he needed nothing – and that is exactly what he got, whereas the tax collector, by contrast humbled himself, displayed grief and contrition. He repented of his sins and cried out to God for mercy – and that is exactly what he got – in full measure!

Praise God, our Father in His faithful Love responds to our cries. He comes to us and meets us in our time of need! Jesus tells us that we will be blessed with the Kingdom of heaven, and we will be comforted when we come to Him in such honest, searching humility. 1 John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” and 1 Peter 5:6-7 gives us this promise: ⁶“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

I know that it is true that we tend to turn to the LORD God with great intensity during our times of greatest need. We cry out to Him in prayer. We seek others to pray with us, and we are open to the ministry that others can provide. We get into His Word, or we seek out those who can guide us into and through His Word to find the help we need in our present time(s) of trouble. Hear me now, please! It should not stop there. This is only to prepare us for the spiritual riches that await us!

Blessed

The Beatitudes (continued) 
Blessed (are . . . .) –

The word in English that is used repeatedly in “The Beatitudes” –

          Matthew 5:3-12 is “blessed.”

          The word “beatitude” is an old English (15^th century) term that means

                   “supreme happiness.”

Hebrew has two words that we translate at “bless.”

          One is the term “barak” – which comes from a root verb that means

                   “to bow down.”

When used in relationship with God, that is, when we bless the Lord,

it means “to consecrate” or “to honor (to adore).”

(Nehemiah 9:3-5; Psalm 100:4; 10:31)

          When used in relationship with man – to bless someone, it is seen 

                    as a rich benefit to/for that person.

(Genesis 12:2-3; Numbers 6:23-27) 

“Blessed” – in Genesis 14;19 Melchizedek declares that both Abram and Abram’s 

                   God are to be blessed.

The term “blessed” in the Beatitudes, however, is a translation of the “esher.” 

This is the word David used in Psalm 1-2:   

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the way of the wicked or stand in the way 

                   of sinners or sit in the seat of the mockers. But his delight is in the law 

                   of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Such a one, a blessed person, is “supremely happy!” And notice, too, that such a person receives tremendous benefits, enumerated in verse 3, in addition to being such a supremely happy individual! The blessings continue to be felt over time.

As we enter into our study of the Beatitudes as taught by Jesus in Matthew 5, we will remember to look for, and expound upon, the benefits that come to these blessed ones.

The Beatitudes - "A Portrait of a Kingdom Person" - was Jesus' introduction to His famous Sermon on the Mount. Most people read, or hear taught, the beatitudes as attributes of different persona. Although this has some true merit, an even deeper, and more challenging perspective, is to understand them as Jesus' description of what a true Christ-follower, a "kingdom person," would "look" like!  Great weight for this paradigm is given when we consider that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi would taught in the Hebraic tradition of His people. A part of this tradition is seen in the use of "parallelism," the repeating of an idea or concept using slightly different words but carrying the same meaning for emphasis and to aid the memory in retaining and sharing the idea or concept presented. Remember, Jesus lived in a society that used and honored an oral tradition. They were without the printing press, and no one owned or rarely even had the opportunity to read the text of the Torah. Parallelism would most typically employ the use of couplets - a pair of lines that repeated the same thought, e.g. Psalm 34:1 - "I will bless the LORD at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth."  Therefore, as we engage in the study of the Beatitudes, we will do so first by examining them in the structure of couplets, and then, at the conclusion of our study, we will bring them all together to see how they fit together as one whole "portrait of a Kingdom Person!"  God Bless!

Love Me, Lord (a Poem)

Love Me, LORD!

Ebb and Flow, the Rhythm of Life

Caresses the soul ill at ease.

Sustained by Foundations laid before my birth,

I reach for them

Seeking to connect with Strength

That reassures deeper than Conscious Thought.

Sustain me, LORD.

Give and Take, the Essence of Life

Quickens the mind seeking true Hope.

Enriched by Heights spread out before the dawn of time,

I reach for them

Seeking to connect with Grace

That thrills greater than all Imagination.

Enrich, me LORD.

Die, and be Reborn, the Fruit of Love

Sculpts the heart made for Thee.

Nurtured by Power

Known at the Creation to be loosed by His Resurrection,

I nestle into Thee

Fitted perfectly therein.

I seek Thee o’er time, knowing beyond all Knowing

All longing will be filled when fully enveloped in Thee.

Love me, LORD!