Welcome, chaos

The first time the idea showed up was in a Friday afternoon English class, discussing mid-nineteenth century women's novels. Then it was the central theme of that Sunday's sermon. The following Monday, a guest speaker at our Religion Department lunch changed his speech topic from "we are the world" to this same idea: potent chaos. Chaos that is creative rather than destructive, chaos that is blessed and welcome (though still undoubtedly terrifying).

I kept seeing it and hearing it everywhere — chaos. I could not get the idea out of my brain. I found myself scribbling the words "potent chaos" and "blessed chaos" in the margins of my notes, and let me tell you that makes no sense to me. I am a very focused student and an admitted control freak. For me to be so much enthralled by the idea of chaos, especially in the middle of class is astounding. But, day after day, I encountered this idea of chaos. Then, I sat down to plan worship for Palm Sunday.

Our Disciples group was going on a camping trip over Palm Sunday weekend, and as usual, the planners asked me to plan the worships for the retreat. I gladly consented, especially since it fit so nicely with the thrust of my HELM project to provide spiritually feeding experiences for the TCU Disciples community. Since the day in February when they asked me to plan, to the week before the trip, I had not made much headway. Every time I sat down to plan, I would get no farther than the Gospel according to Webber (Andrew Lloyd that is). Webber's account of the Triumphal entry, as part of the classic 1970s Broadway musical Jesus Christ Superstar would grab my attention and I would sit, trying to plan worship, while "Hosanna" played on endless repeat in my mind. Chaos. Hosanna. Chaos. Hosanna. The two thoughts circled and swirled in my brain. Finally, I decided I would just listen to the song, hoping that, like with a chocolate craving, feeding it would tamp it down.

I noticed something new in the song I have heard and sung countless times — I noticed the same theme that had incessantly dogged my thoughts, the blessed, potent chaos. On the one side, we have a wonderfully crazy, chaotic crowd cheering and singing and praising their coming king. On the other side, we see the Pharisees. They reprimand and chastise the crowd, imploring Jesus to control them, before they become riotous. They fear the chaos. They want control and order and prescribed rules of social behavior. But Jesus, the bringer of chaos, responds by telling them that this chaos, this wonderful, beautiful, reckless abandon, cannot be quieted, for "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). The Pharisees see a dangerous chaos, a destructive chaos, but Jesus sees and brings a chaos filled with life. How often are we the Pharisees? Trying to keep everything in line, trying to maintain the peace and the quiet in our fear of the chaos. Perhaps this Eastertide, we should take up the cry of Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Let us welcome in God's potent, creative, powerful, blessed chaos.