The Transfigurist

On Holy Tuesday, many churches reflect on the image of Christ as Bridegroom. The intimate relationship of marriage is used throughout Jewish and Christian scripture. Perhaps we find this image so powerful because of the closeness, intimacy, vulnerability, and humanity that it brings. It brings front and center the reality and centrality of relationship and how the image of Christ can emerge from relationship.

Technology is a powerful tool for human relationship. Indeed, one can view technology as essentially a relationship tool. Fire, tools, farming, trade, economy, etc, all have had transformational impacts on human relationships. But technology is not inherently good or evil. Fire can unite and protect, but it can also destroy. Tools can provide safety and ability, but they can also be turned into weapons. Farming can grow a community and (throuh silos) protect against times of famine, but it can also produce oppresive power structures. Trade and economy can support complex and diverse societies, but it can also create crushing poverty and oligarchies.

The difference in whether tools destroy or unite is not the technologies themselves but how we choose to use them. Will we use technology in ways that fray or sever relationships? Will we use our technologies to put self above other? Or will we turn to images like Christ as bridegroom and find ways to have our technologies build strong, charitable relationships that allow for vulnerability, intersubjective love, and a closeness that can heal what can sometimes be a isolated world.

On this Holy Tuesday, we can reflect on our tools and technologies and how they can reflect and sustain the life of Jesus and the relationships that support and define our humanity and divinity.

< Holy Monday | Holy Wednesday >

"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." (John 12:1-3)

This story carries imagery of women having authority as they served and anointed Jesus. Martha acts as a deacon at the dinner (prototyping early Christian deacons like Phoebe) and Mary anoints Jesus' feet - an act Jesus would later (in likeness) perform on his disciples. Women lead the way here in service and ritual.

How can we dedicate and ordain our tools to be used in ways worthy of Christ?

The Mormon Transhumanist Affirmation affirms: "We believe that scientific knowledge and technological power are among the means ordained of God to enable such exaltation, including realization of diverse prophetic visions of transfiguration, immortality, resurrection, renewal of this world, and the discovery and creation of worlds without end."

Anointing and ordaining, whether via tools to make a meal or with our own bodies, is how we dedicate that which is of importance. To what end are our tools and technologies ordained or put to use? How is the use of our tools and technologies being lead by women? Do they allow women to have authority and autonomy? And is our use of tools worthy of Christ?

< Palm Sunday | Holy Tuesday >

Giving glory to God is good: celebrating God's grace, goodness, and love. But God asks us to worship, not idolize; emulate, not adulate. Jesus exemplified and glorified God's grace, goodness, and love and Jesus challenges His disciples to take upon them these same qualities, not abdicate them to God as an act already performed for us.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)

How are we to do works even greater than Jesus? Does our glorifying God forbid this? If so, why? (given Jesus envisioned it). What works did Jesus do? Are we magnifying and amplifying them into this world? In what ways might we be fulfilling this call? In what ways might we be failing? What tools do we have today that didn't exist before which might aid us in fulfilling this call?

We must not let our glorifying God get in the way of our worshipping God. That can make the difference between active emulation and passive adulation. And that is the call Jesus gives to His disciples.

-Caleb Jones

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