October 13

On this day in the year 54, the Roman Emperor Claudius died by poisoning, and his adopted son Nero succeeded him. Under both emperors, the new Christian movement faced persecution. 

Today I want to lift up the mysterious and possibly amalgamated Chinese philosopher “Lao-Tse,” or Laozi. They are known through the Tao de Ching, but historians believe this text is the work of many hands (in much the same way that the Torah is attributed to Moses, but is likely the work of many different authors and editors). The wisdom of the Tao, like the cherry-picked texts from the Bible, has been appropriated by many different and contradictory ideologies. 

Reflection:

I’ve kept a spreadsheet for several years as I’ve written liturgies for worship, because I felt it was important to connect modern progressive Christians with two-thousand years of Christian history. Christians (and people of other religions) also need to be connected to the larger history of humankind, so they don’t begin to believe that all of human history is contained or described in their texts or doctrines. If we believe in a God who is bigger and more wonderful than our ideas of God, I think this expansive exploration of wisdom—from our own traditions and others—is vital. This is why I often include “saints” from faith traditions other than my own. God’s wisdom is not limited to any particular creed. 

C.S. Lewis borrowed the idea of The Tao in his book The Abolition of Man. The word Tao simply means Way — the same concept used by the early church when they were describing the path of discipleship. Jesus said, “I am the Way,” and his followers first identified each other as followers of the Way. 

For Lao-Tse, the Tao was written into the laws of nature. Following the Tao was less about gritting your teeth and exerting your will as it was about “non-action,” or wu-wei.  

Prayer: Holy Spirit, let us not be tossed about to and fro by the tempests of the world, but steady and peaceful in the midst of chaos. Amen.