Names of Christ: "Bud
The "Buddy Christ" from the film Dogma.
I just choose these names at random. Today it was OT references to Christ as "Bud"
The best is Zechariah 6:12 "Behold the man who's name is Bud".
Later translations have used the word "branch" which is certainly accurate. But it has to do with fruition. And no one has been more fruitful than Christ. In the full context of scripture you would have to say that fruitfulness and Christ are almost synonymous on every level imaginable.
Christ is the ultimate Anti-Entropy. He resurrects the dead, heals the sick, makes water into wine, multiplies loaves and fishes, makes disciples...not to even speak of, er.. speaking worlds into existence at initial creation. Christ is the ultimate artist, gardener (since we botched that) and does not need to birth children (ala The Da Vinci Code) because he simply birthed the whole process of birth and fecundity to begin with.
The Spriit of God is said to have brooded "over the waters". This is also a figure of birthing. It is no surprise that everything alive is "birthed". The surprise is that God Himself would allow God's self to also be birthed to meet us in Incarnation.
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Luis DeLeon says that Christ was able to "fructify" within Himself.
Compare that with the mistakes in the Garden of Eden. They were to cultivate, instead what they did was fixate...on the one tree not meant for them.
As a result the fruit went bad and the earth became a challenge. Barren many times and there was famine when their could have been artistry.
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In the modern age much has been done to try and make Jesus just our "Bud". That's what Kevin Smith understands and why he was able to do such a wicked smart version of the "Buddy Christ". Jesus as our Buddy...our Bud.
My friend Rich and I use to buy the worst "witness aids" to give to each other. The game was simple. We would pretend they were serious and then show the other how to use the Jesus mini-frisbee or the Felipe Alou witness baseball card to make new converts.
Rich was always better than me because he could keep a stright face and I would just lose it.
But one day I found one of those little bb games where you have to roles the tiny bbs around into the little holes. It was a tree of life with full branches and little holes with names that corresponded with it from the Psalms..."The Lord is my...."
I brought the witness aid up to Chico on a visit and sat Rich down and explained how he could use this little plastic bb device to convert souls. I went into great detail but I could not crack him. He took it as seriously (on the asurface) as a Greek Test. Then he looked up at me suddenly and said "Bacdon...there is a deeper lesson here than just these titles. It is....The Lord IS my BB."
So that was it for me. I was in physical pain from laughing too hard.
But it's a bit like the Lord is my "Bud".
God is Holy and Other and is not our "Buddy Christ". It is only God's grace and active love that keeps His holiness and justice from consuming our sorry asses on any given day.
"Bud" is better translated "Branch" But that for another day. Maybe tomorrow!
posted by Obi-Mac BakDon @ 3:28 PM
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