I was at a retreat last weekend where 10 of us found ourselves in a cabin learning to listen to each other and to what the Spirit was up to.

He spoke through silence…
He spoke through prayer…
He spoke through meals…
He spoke through laughter…
He spoke through late night pipe smokes…
He spoke through Scripture…
He spoke through walks…
He spoke through stories…

He spoke, “Wait.”
We listened.

I invited a friend of mine to come and teach at the community that I am involved with that Sunday night. This friend happens to be a provocative prophet in my life and in the lives of many others. I get the impression that because of that, people don’t like him–especially church people. He speaks an “other” language.

The gist of his teaching was how our righteousness can potentially kill Christ. Using Matthew 1 as the guide, we examined how the “righteous” thing for Joseph to do when he found out that Mary was with child (not his) was to stone her. To stone her would have been to eliminate Jesus.

Is it possible that God cares less if we’re righteous than if we are obedient? Could it be that obedience sometimes involves that which is isn’t righteous?

He closed with Matthew 1:25: “But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” That is–Joseph didn’t have sex with Mary (his wife!) until Jesus was born.
God closed with these marching orders: “Don’t spread your seed on what I AM doing.”

I haven’t been able to get by that.

It seems that we don’t error on the side of waiting, but that we error on the side of “spreading our own seed.” Perhaps we need to quit masturbating on what God is doing. Masturbation–although an intense term here–takes that which is holy and sacred and intended for worship and defames it. Masturbation is all about instant gratification–self-gratification.

Maybe when we “spread our seed” this way–all we do is make a huge, gross mess!