Advent announces that mystery is afoot. Not just any kind of mystery, but real mystery. Holy Mystery is out there somewhere in a darkness that is only waiting for a moment when the Light will come to break it into a thousand unrecognizable pieces. This Mystery first penetrated the earth in a place filled with the smell of hay and animal manure, a normal place transformed by painful agony and then unexplicable joy, and a place where the mundane and holy became as one. It was a much anticipated moment for the two who carried the longed for and invisible one with them.
Mystery is still afoot. So often we live with blinders to what is unfolding around us. We seem only able to see what speaks of enabling us to make it to the next day, the next year, the next season of our life. Still Mystery is pressed in around us and within us. What we long for cannot be seen, but once it is seen, we know the reality of who we are and Who is it that has come and is still to come.
It is Advent, is it not? Sing the words loudly, "Come, Thou long expected Jesus." Hear the Word calling us to watch and wait. And as we dare to worship on a day so filled with what cannot be understood, we find ourselves standing on the threshold where glimpses of the Coming One Who has come to live with us, to save us, and to take us home are seen dimly and then clearly. Ah, it is indeed a moment when holy Mystery is afoot all around us.
Every evening there is a sunset. Sometimes it is not visible, but there is still a moment when the sun sets on the western horizon around these parts. But, it is never the same sunset. I have been here now a little over ten years and while I have not noticed and seen every single sunset, I have been attentive enough in that moment of the day to know that each is unique, never before been seen, and never to be seen again.
And what I know, too, is that this is true for all the sunsets which have graced this land that others walked before it came my turn. It may seem that we walk alone through our days in the places that have grown familiar to us, but as our eyes are opened to invisible possibilities and unseen realities, we come to know that we are here as short timers. The towering trees with a "thousand" years of growth rings, the rich life giving dirt underneath our feet, and the stories of those who have lived before us speak to us of our place in this ever changing world. Even though some may live to be a hundred years old, even their life is like a fleeting moment in the span of time.
And, yet, like the sunsets, each one of us is unique, has never before been seen, and once we are only memory, will never be seen again. God has made us in a such a way. We bear His imprint from the moment of our conception. Let no one think that life is about coincidence. Regardless of the matter in which our life began, the Father God was present to mark us as one of His treasured children. The God of sunsets is the same God who created each one of us which surely makes us someone glorious to behold.
Some books are read and join others on the shelf that are destined for the throw away pile, but there are always a few that turn out to be keepers. Keepers are books that are not only kept, but also read, not once, but several times. "The Book of Creation" by J. Philip Newell has been one of those books to which I have gone now several times. It is a keeper. Each time I find myself reading at a slower pace than the previous read as I seek to digest more completely what is on the page. The book is basically a series of meditations on the seven days of creation recorded in the first chapter of Genesis.
While it might seem to some that the seven days of creation is a narrative of completion, Newell invites us to understand that creation is not a done deal. It is something which is always happening. In a reference to a ninth century theologian named Eriugena, he writes that all things do not become visible at once. This is another way of saying that on the seventh day, creation was not a done deal, but something which would continue to unfold throughout time.
It is an easy enough thing to claim the idea that creation has within what has not yet become visible. Medical treatments that are developing in our day have always been inherently a part of the created order, but not always visible. As something new is announced, what has been invisible has suddenly become visible. Such is the nature of Creation. It is never a done deal. It is always unfolding out of the invisible and into the realm of the visible.
Sometimes life throws curve balls. Surely the disciples traveling with Jesus on that day He met the ten lepers experienced life in such a way. Out there in the countryside between Samaria and Galilee ten lepers encountered Jesus at an appropriate social distance and cried out for mercy. Jesus sent them on their way to the priest and as they went they saw in another a healing happening. One of the healed ones left his companions and sought out Jesus to thank Him even though the other nine went hurrying on their way. The one who returned was a Samaritan which was surely unexpected by the disciples. (Luke 17:11-19)
There are times when expressing gratitude requires some effort, being inconvenienced, and going an extra mile. It is not always an easy thing to do. In the case of the nine it is doubtful they made it to the priest although they needed a kind of certification of cleanness to re-enter normal living. They may have ended up going home to their families, or throwing a party somewhere at a tavern to celebrate. One thing is certain. They had no intent of being inconvenienced in order to speak a word of thanks.
The one who sought Jesus had a sense of determination. He recognized that he had been gifted with a blessing not earned. His trip to find Jesus was surely not a casual journey, but one filled with a double measure of urgency. There are people around us who have gifted us with blessings we did not expect to receive, but which have changed our life. It may require some effort to express an overdue gratitude, but surely this Thanksgiving Day is a good day to make the effort required to say thank you.
The preacher who preaches as one who buys into the reality of "Thus says the Lord" is one who does not just dabble in the Word from time to time, but one who lives immersed in the Word. After years and years of preaching it becomes an easy thing for the preacher to begin to see the Word as a sermon starter rather than the definition given in Hebrews 4:12: "...the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword..." One of the real temptations for any preacher is the one which enables the preacher to live comfortably in a world empty of a ongoing personal encounter with the Scripture.
If any preacher intends to preach the Word of God for the people of God, living immersed in the Scripture a required spiritual discipline. While any preacher can pick a text and manufacture a sermon, the preaching is never the same as the preaching which comes as a part of the overflow of a heart constantly being filled with the Word of God as well as the divine helping which comes from the Holy Spirit.
Preaching is hard work. It is disciplined work. In some preaching circles there is talk of Saturday Night Specials, or last minute sermons. And while I have preached too many of those, they often were more about desperation than allowing the Word God had given to grow in my heart until it was ready to be poured out in the study and pulpit. It is that constant life in the Word which give the preacher's sermon power and which also enables the preacher to stand and speak in behalf of God.
The preacher who preaches the Word of God for the people of God convinced that preaching should model the prophetic "Thus says the Lord" is one who has learned in the times of stillness to hear the Word of the Lord as it is spoken in those moments. For some all of this is too big a stretch. First, some find it unrealistic to think that today's preacher should presume to speak for the Lord, and secondly, the idea that God actually speaks His Words into the heart and mind of the preacher is nothing but preposterous. Dismissing this divine interaction does not change the reality that it happens.
It could be said that there is no real preaching without it. It is not enough just to have a text from the Word. A text can always be manipulated to say what the preacher might want it to say. And, of course, there is the possibility that the sermon begins not with a text, but with something the preacher wants to say and in those cases the text is more like an afterthought or window dressing.
If the preacher is to have something to say that comes from God, it is because the text has been taken into the silent place for pondering the question, "Lord, what is Your Word in this Word that is before me?" In order to preach, "Thus says the Lord, " there must be some moment for asking and listening; otherwise, the preacher runs the risk of preaching something other than the Word of God for the people of God.
One of the first things required of the preacher who desires to preach a word which in the spirit of the prophets whose word was characterized by the phrase, "Thus says the Lord....," is silence. In the world in which we live and work, silence is a scarce commodity. Not only is it scarce in that there is always some kind of noise to fill silent spaces, but those who step into spiritual disciplines find it difficult to cultivate seasons of silence in their daily time set apart for God. For the preacher experiencing the silence where God is able to be heard is not an option, but a necessity.
Good preaching that is received as the Word of God for the people of God begins in these moments. It is not that the sermon is presented to the preacher in those moments, but instead, it is the time when the preacher begins to know, understand, and experience the heart of God. As such a blessing begins to overflow in the preacher's life, it is more likely that the preaching offered will begin to reflect this spiritual awareness. Whatever it is that is saturating our life is what is going to overflow into whatever work we do for God.
And as we experience the saturation overflow, what we do for God, whether it is preaching or something altogether different, will be done with a different motive and in a way that enables those on the receiving end of some act of ministry to know that it comes from the heart of God. The word preached in behalf of God, and acts of ministry done in His behalf, will reflect what is experienced in the silence shared with Him. Without the silence, we run the risk of being the noisy gong and clanging cymbal.
The first response of anyone called to preach should be in line with the words of Isaiah when he suddenly found himself surrounded with the glory of the Lord. In the fifth verse of the sixth chapter of the Word which bears the prophet's name, we hear him crying out, "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips...." To hear God's call to give spiritual leadership in the church and in the world should drive anyone to the place of unworthiness. It is never a call to be taken lightly, but with reverence and humility.
The preacher who comes to the place of standing in behalf of God and ready to speak "Thus says the Lord," is one who understands that preaching is not about what I can do, but about what God can do through the preacher and the preaching. To respond to that call with a sense that it is something which can be done easily enough is a sure sign that the preacher does not really understand the essence of the moment of the calling.
When God calls a person to preach, He first calls the sinner. It is the sinner, the one who knows and understands the limitations of human determination and the brokenness of the human heart, who is able to grow into a servant of the One doing the calling. In the final analysis the call to preach is the call to serve the One who does not ask for excuses, but expects faithfulness to whatever. It is the call to do divine bidding regardless of the cost of the bidding. It is not an easy place to stand and many who have started out often end up in a place filled more with human expediency than divine urgency.
When the preacher has such a regard for preaching that it is viewed in the same spirit as the Old Testament prophetic formula, "Thus says the Lord....," it means that the preacher is actually convinced that such is what is happening in preaching. While this is the Biblical viewpoint, it is not necessarily the viewpoint embraced by a majority of those preaching from the contemporary pulpit. The first hindrance to this happening is the preacher. It must first be the preacher's fundamental belief about preaching, or it will not happen.
It is easy enough to understand why the preacher would seek a lesser definition of preaching. It requires a certain amount of boldness to preach as one who stands in the name of the Lord and as one who speaks in His behalf. It is not a position for a timid soul who would rather be seen as one who is simply offering a personal opinion about spiritual matters and theological understandings. What seems to have been lost in many places is the Biblical understanding of the role of the preacher.
Preaching is not going to win anyone a popularity contest. It will at times put the preacher in a place of preaching a word that no one wants to hear including the preacher. As we remember the prophet Jeremiah, we remember him lamenting, "If I say, 'I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name,' then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it up, and I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9) When God calls the preacher, He calls the preacher to stand where the sensible ones dare not go.
In some church circles the reading of the Scripture is followed by the reader saying, "The Word of God for the people of God," and then in response the people say, "Thanks be to God." I remember a seminary prof who always said it was important the Scripture be read in every worship service because it might be the only moment when the Word of God was actually heard. Unfortunately, such a reality still exists in many places. However, there is at least one other time when the same ritual could be used and that moment is at the end of the sermon.
Not many preachers would speak with such boldness. But, then, it may not be so much a matter of boldness as it is a matter of conviction. It would seem that today's corp of preachers are not so sure that preaching bears the divine imprint to the point that the ancient prophetic formula, "Thus says the Lord," (Jeremiah 6:16) or the contemporary liturgical ritual could rightly be used. Most might experience too much personal embarrassment to speak of their preaching as "The Word of God for the people of God."
Somewhere within this hesitancy to speak of preaching in such a way is the problem with much of today's preaching. It lacks authority. It is too filled with personal opinions. Instead of saying, "The Word of God," it is more likely that those in the pew will hear the preacher saying too many times, "I think..." Once again I remember the seminary preaching prof also saying, "People are not interested in what you think, but what the Word of God is saying." It is a reminder still worthy of remembering.
In the Bible which I read as a boy all the words of Jesus were in red print. Maybe there is some argument with this simplistic statement. I am just reporting what I was told. But, in the spirit of the red print edition, I wonder why the speaking of God did not get the same treatment in the Old Testament. It is obvious He did a lot of speaking. Some of those Old Testament saints had conversations which have been recorded. And, in the prophetic writings, we frequently read, "Thus says the Lord..." (Jeremiah 6:16)
When we run into those words where the prophet seems to be speaking for the Lord, this prophetic formula separates what a prophet like Jeremiah might be saying from a Word which all but comes from the mouth of God. Certainly, this prophetic formula gives a unique sense of authority to what is already the authentic Word of God. Perhaps, those "Thus says the Lord" words are worthy of some red print.
There are still some in our society who speak for the Lord, or at least such is what they are expected to do. Preachers have this responsibility. When there is a failure to embrace this foundational view of preaching, the preacher, the preaching, and the congregation suffers. It is such an awesome responsibility, many shirk it by declaring it impossible to do. What is offered in its place is preacher based preaching, politically correct preaching, and let-me-entertain you preaching which is a far cry from the intent of "Thus says the Lord."
When the Lord spoke through Jeremiah telling the people to seek the ancient paths where the good way lies, He did it for a not so obvious reason. It would seem that His intent would be their escape or their deliverance from the imminent danger which was facing them, but He had something else in mind. Instead His intent is found within the words, "...and find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah 6:16) It is just like our God to offer what surprises and takes us beyond what we can understand.
Of course, it is not hard to find books which tell us everything there is to know about the soul. The only problem is that at the end of the read we realize there is more about the soul that we do not know than we can ever know. Like the One who gives the soul to us in the moment of conception, it is a thing of great mystery.
It would seem that the soul is that created part of us which bears the imprint of God; thus, there is mystery within us which will inevitably leave us with what is both undefinable and full of what cannot be known. Whatever we might say about our soul, surely it speaks to the presence of the essence of God within us. The restless soul can only find the peace of rest as it finds reconciliation and restoration with the Holy One who imparted the mystery from His own Mystery.
Longing for the way things used to be makes one guilty of living in the past. It is also a world view that is looked upon with a measure of disdain. The way things used to be is not regarded as something which will help us deal with the present, or get us into the future. Of course, something Jeremiah said to his beleaguered countrymen throws a kink in present day disregard for the way things used to be. We hear that word in Jeremiah 6:16 where the Lord speaks saying, "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."
Instead of pointing the people toward some national strategy for deliverance from approaching enemies, or to stockpile more weapons and food, he points them toward their past. It is an important past. The fact that they have moved away from that past is the reason the find themselves in an untenable present predicament. Their help is not in something new to be learned, but in something old to be remembered.
It truly seems no different in our day. So much of the troubles facing our nation, our church, and our own sense of well being come from the fact that we have either forgotten the ancient paths once walked, or we no longer regard what can be learned from them as having any value for day to day living. The way things used to be, the traditional values that have gotten us this far, things like the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, a more church centered community, and faith in the Creator God are things which when remembered and embraced will surely take us to the good way where our souls can find the peace that has been lost.
When Jeremiah pointed his people toward "the ancient paths," (Jeremiah 6:16) his intent was to give them life and hope instead of the destruction and hopelessness which lurked in every place. As they lived midst the unfolding chaos, they had many choices. Anxiety was surely one. Marching into battle was another. And, of course, resignation was likely very high on the list of embraced options. The prophet encouraged them to slow down, take a breath, and ask about the ancient paths which had been walked by their ancestors.
Those ancestors were people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, and King David. Their history was filled with periods of faithfulness and faithlessness, but the awareness of being God's chosen was ever present. They had never been utterly forsaken. Always He had loved them, even when they raced after the gods and the custom of other cultures. As they turned to the ancient paths, the reality of their identity rose before them with great clarity.
There is value in searching for the ancient paths in our own troubled days. There are, of course, two kinds of trouble. There is the trouble of our own making and there is the trouble which simply comes to our doorstep for no apparent reason. Regardless of the nature of the trouble, it is important that we are not led down a way that provides nothing more than temporary relief while the hole is being dug deeper. The Word of God declares that the ancient path which is the path of faithful obedience to a faithful God is the only good way worth walking.
When Jeremiah spoke to the people of Israel saying, "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls," (Jeremiah 6:16), they were facing imminent disaster, yet, his words tell them there is still time. When we face difficulties, uncertainly, and danger, the last thing we want to do is to be still. The mistake we often make in those crossroad moments is rushing ahead of our future. What the Word of God calls us to do in those moments is so different from the action every part of us wants to take.
What we want to do is to take action, not pause. We want something to change quickly and decisively. Waiting for God's future is not what we do best. The action called for by Jeremiah is more the action of being rather than the action of doing. The three action words are "stand...look...ask..." The word stand points to stillness. The word "look" speaks of a seeking of perspective. The word "ask" points toward receiving external help.
These three words take us to a place within our hearts where things that are not always seen can be seen. And to see those things of the Spirit require a different mindset, a willingness to pause in the midst of what is not known, and a desire to know the intentions of the Creator God Who brought us to the crossroad. As we stand in those crossroad moments in our life, there is still time. There is something important to be determined. And, the way may not be within us, but out there somewhere still to be seen.
When Jeremiah spoke for the Lord saying, "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls," (Jeremiah 6:16) those who heard the Word found themselves confronted with more choices than the two Robert Frost created in his most famous poem, "The Road Not Taken." With Frost there were only two choices, well, maybe three if turning around was an option, but with Jeremiah, there were clearly four choices. To stand in the middle of any crossroad gives the one who travels four very clear choices.
As the Word is presented by Jeremiah, the best choice is not determined by a travel atlas, but by the purposes of God. Pausing in the middle of the crossroad long enough to see which way points toward that purpose is time well spent. It is the pausing which gives us trouble. We are a hurried sort who by the time we reach the crossroad have already decided which way is the best way to travel. We do not always remember at life's every juncture that we are at an important place and moment.
Clearly, God guides us along the way and His Spirit is ready to grant the blessing of an inner nudge, but the final choice for the direction we choose and the purpose for our living rests in our own hands. The Word of God tells us there is great value in following the ancient way even though it does not bear the markings of an oft chosen road to travel. What Robert Frost wrote at the end of his poem is true for us as we stand in the crossroad, "I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."
When faced with national disaster, the people of Israel were called to stand still for a moment and consider the place at which they had arrived. With an army from the north ready to wreak havoc, prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah spoke in the Lord's behalf. The prophet Jeremiah did not call the people to action, but to stillness. The Word of the Lord did not direct them to build more weapons and build a bigger army, but to consider the place to which they had arrived. In Jeremiah 6:16 we hear that Word being spoken, "Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls."
The crossroad imagery is one which points to understanding the strategic nature of the moment and that the way forward is found not in the immediacy of some action, but in looking with a perspective as large as history itself. As the call to stand in such a moment is sounded, we hear a Word that calls for a reflective pause that gives consideration to what God has done over the long haul of the shared history. The way forward is remembering those things which speak of the eternal agenda and wider than the moment view of the Creator God.
One of the things which is missing in our search for the way forward is the loss of a sense of urgency which provides for the moment of seeing where we really are and the alternatives that await us in the future. The real test of determining the future is not found in what experts tell us, the views of political pundits, or some kind of sociological trend, but what is found when we allow ourselves to explore the ancient paths for the lessons God has left for us to see and embrace along the road.
Some folks regard the past like a piranha fish. While the piranha fish do not frequent nearby rivers and ponds, the movie industry has made these razor toothed fish the villain in enough movies to make them a true Friday the 13th character. Those who think of the past in such a way want us to believe that our past has enough horror in it to devour our future. The exact opposite is true The past whether it is our individual history or our collective history can serve us well as we walk toward whatever is ahead.
The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, was inspired to put such a Word in the mouth of the Lord. In Jeremiah 6:16 we hear, "Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls." While it is a dangerous thing to live in the past, it is an equally dangerous thing to ignore it. The directive of God's Word reminds us that there is a way which has been in place since the beginning which is always life giving. It is a good road to walk.
And, as the Lord speaks through the prophet, we are enabled to see that there are moments when we need to pause and seek the way of the past. He uses the word "crossroads" which speak to us of a moment for deciding the way forward. Instead of racing into what we think might be the best of all choices, the Word of the Lord calls us to look at those who have walked through those times before us, to benefit from their stories, and to determine how it is that He is speaking to us through the record of His dealings with other people so much like us.
It was a day when the sun struggled to rise. There was no brilliant display of colors on the eastern horizon, but a dull light that managed to penetrate the gray skies that greeted those who rose from their beds for the day. And, all day as the sun struggled with the gray skies, the gray often heavy with falling rain appeared to be winning the battle. But, then in the late afternoon, in a moment that was sudden, the gray disappeared, patches of blue appeared, and the brightest, most brilliant afternoon sun shined from one horizon to the other.
The sudden bright afternoon sun brought reminders of how God comes to us in those moments when it seems that the light of His love and mercy has become overcome by the gray shadows which settles over the soul and spirit. Most of us have experienced those kind of moments. They are created by a host of things like loss, chronic suffering, and uncontrollable life changing circumstances. In those moments we struggle to see the way forward. More frightening than the difficulty is the sense that the light will never again shine in our life.
The Word assures us what our experiences claims as truth. There is always an end to the gray skies. The sun has not really disappeared, but still shining even though it is unseen to our eyes. Nothing has changed. "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:5) Even though we may not see His light in a momentary moment, He is still present and His light is still shining. And, what is certain is that as surely as that afternoon sun came to overcome, so will He.
Tradition has it that Jesus was a carpenter's son. Of course, He is best known as Son of God, but carpenter's son was another hat he wore. As a carpenter's oldest boy, He surely learned His way around the wood shop, pulled a few splinters out of His hands, and stood back with appreciation for a completed wood project. What is interesting is the lack of references to the carpenter's shop. As One who was prone to earthy parables, it would seem one or two such stories would have entered into a teaching, or a sermon.
Instead what we hear in His teachings are illustrations which lift up the things of the creation. He talked about water and bread, light and darkness, planting and animal husbandry. He even went so far as to speak of Himself as the Good Shepherd. Of course, in His hometown there was not the separation of town stuff and country stuff. His was a world where the two constantly intermingled. He was not a stranger to wood and He was not a stranger to the world of the rural shepherds.
No doubt Mary and Joseph told Him about the first men who came from their fields to stand in awe at His birth. And, no doubt, He grew up knowing shepherds and knowing about their work. But, it is even more likely that He spoke of Himself as the Good Shepherd because the shepherd image was a part of the religious tradition He learned as a boy from Joseph as well as the synagogue. We remember that tradition most clearly in the 23rd Psalm which begins with the words, "The Lord is my shepherd." Jesus grew up with it, too, and used it as a window through which we could look and catch a glimpse of His spirit and the over abiding care of the Father God.
The truth is we are all connected. We may look different, act differently under stress, embrace different value systems, and surely, we all think differently. When God made each one of us, the mold was tossed aside. No two of us are alike which is an amazing miracle in itself. Yet, as different as we are, not a single one of us lives alone and disconnected from those around us. A recent read written by a Duke theological professor points to our navel as a scar that points toward our connectedness. From the very beginning we are connected to another and so we remain through the years of our life.
What connects us is not the fact that we all are different, but the reality that we share a common Creator. As surely as we breathe the air of this earth, we bear the markings of God in our life. The Word speaks this truth as it says, "So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27) As we bear the image of God so do we walk with the essence of the Creator within us. This is not true of some of us, but all of us. So it is with each of us. We truly are divinely connected to one another.
When we look at one another, we tend to see only our differences rather than the core reality which connects us and make us as brothers and sisters rather than strangers or antagonists. As we see one another and speak silently to ourselves saying, "the essence of God is in that one," our sharply divided world begins to crumble leaving us with an awareness of what, or Who is it that connects and joins us to one another.
The gospel of Mark begins at a fast speed and never really slows down. The very first chapter of this gospel has Jesus going at what seems to be breakneck speed. Hardly has the water of baptism dried and He is off to the races. First, there is the time of temptation in the wilderness which is followed by His first preaching foray. After He walks along the Sea of Galilee calling fishermen to be disciples, He enters the synagogue and teaches and then one after another show up where He is to be healed of some infirmity. It was not just a few who came, but as Mark reports it, he wrote, "And the whole city was gathered around the door." (Mark 1:33)
What follows allows us to see Jesus leaving the marketplace of public ministry and entering the quietness of solitude with the Father. "In the morning, while it was still very dark, He got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed." (Mark 1:35) In the early morning hour when other folks were sleeping, Jesus slipped away to a place that was empty of everything except the Father's presence. While some might rightly suggest that this was a moment for Jesus of getting Himself empowered to fulfill the ministry of the upcoming day, it was also a moment of enabling us to see a model of a balanced spiritual life.
We tend to move toward the extremes. Some would declare that the best spiritual life is the one which is filled with working at responding to human need while others argue that it is found in the place where no one is present. What we see in this capsuled view of a short time in Jesus' life is the importance of balance between being and doing. Both are important. One without the other invalidates what would otherwise be an authentic spiritual life.
If we walk with Christ, we go where we know not where. Such is the nature of the faith journey to which we are called. It started with the Old Testament man known as Abraham. In Genesis 12:1 the Word of God says, "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you." And then, when we make it to New Testament writing known as Hebrews, we find a confirming Word which reads, "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going." (Hebrews 11:8).
Abraham is the spiritual model for those who decide to respond to the invitation of Christ to come and see. (John 1:38) When we start out with Christ we often mistakenly thing that we know what is ahead. The truth is that we really know nothing. We begin with some romantic idea of a great adventure in which we will change the world, but soon we realize that we know not where we are going.
According to the model of Abraham, going where we know not where is a definition of faith in the One who sets us out on the journey. For most of us it takes some time of going before we come to the understanding that knowing what is up the road was never an option or an offer. After all, what one of us could have imagined that we would be where we are in the present moment? We have arrived at this point and place of knowing not where not by our plan or purpose, but by the providential plan and purpose of the Holy One.
Today in one of those moments when my body was ready to give into the weariness, I thought of a particular verse of Scripture in which Jesus said, "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:29) Of course, I know Jesus was not talking about the weariness of work, nor did He have in mind the sacks of pecans I was loading on the back of the truck for a trip to the market, but it was refreshing to think about it for a moment in such a way. It is always easy to make the Word say something it is not saying.
Actually, Jesus was not talking about work, but about religion. He was talking to people who were worn out with trying to live their lives according to a man made religious system that took the life out of life. He was talking about the way such a life seemed more like a heavy burden than something that brought joy and peace into life. Most likely most of us have been weary and burdened with our own religious system at one time or another.
When religion is taken too seriously, it is exhausting. It is burdensome. It becomes something that robs us of meaningful life. Jesus tells us that the answer to such a problematic life is found in the rest He gives to those who choose to depend upon Him instead of a religious system. When Jesus points the way toward a life of faith that leads us home, He points us toward a road filled with grace that allows us to find forgiveness for what is past and the freedom to experience the new day He is ready to give to us.
It is a wonderful season. The roar in the distant announces harvest work is being done. Cotton is on its way to market. Peanuts are turned in the field letting the sun do some drying before the gathering equipment rolls over them. A little closer to home the hay is lined up in large round bales ready for the winter feeding of the cows and the sound of pecans dropping in the buckets have joined the soft thud as they drop from the trees to the ground. It is harvest time. It is a time which is full of labor, but one which also speaks of completion.
Completion is not something which just happens. Around here everything has been moving toward it since the first trees budded, the first seeds were planted, and the first signs of green appeared in the hayfield. The journey toward harvest has been a slow one, never hurried, and always dependent on a beyond itself interaction. The creation never acts in a hurry and never does one part of it act independent of other parts.
Perhaps, our lives seem so full of unfinished and unresolved stuff because we live out of sync with all that is around us. God speaks volumes to us through the creative process about the movement of life. We, too, can know completion in our lives by paying attention to what is around us and then letting everything be adjusted to what is unfolding before us.
Never assume what tomorrow will bring and never underestimate the power of today. Both of these things are likely to happen as we cease paying attention to the present moment, the people who are present in that moment, and what God is seeking to do in our lives in the here and now part of our life. The here and now part of our life is the arena God makes Himself known to us. The people who are with us in the now moment are there for a reason. And, the present moment is the only one which has any kind of guarantee on it and it is always at best a very short moment by moment guarantee.
What is always easy for us is to live somewhere beside the present moment. We get caught up in our plans and our eyes begin to move from here to there. As those who walk the road of faith with Christ, there is a sense in which we are looking on up the road toward home. Home is the only destination worthy of our efforts and it is seen only by the eyes of faith. But, even this part of our future should not take us out of the living God wants us to do today.
When we sign on with Jesus, we sign on to a life of trust. What enables us to live in the present moment and to pay attention to what is unfolding around us is our faith in Christ to guide, provide, and protect. As our faith allows us to turn lose of these concerns which can become so consuming of our time and energy, there is life left for us to catch glimpses of what is so easily missed and to make the journey home one that counts for something that is eternal.
The falling leaves of the fall are regarded as an inconvenience, a nuisance, messy, and extra work by a lot of folks, but falling leaves are a blessing. The leaves which draw life from the sun, create a cooler shady place to escape the heat of midsummer, and provide a beautiful to behold canopy of colors finally die and come drifting down to the ground to be raked, burned, and cursed. The truth is the falling leaves fall to the earth to bless it with life. It is creation's way of composting and nurturing the dirt with life giving powers.
Watching the falling leaves as they grace the dirt with blessings of life remind us it is much the same way with blessings which fall upon us. Not all the things which bless our lives are as obvious as the sunshine, or the smile of a friend. Some come causing us to question why our lives are being touched by something which seems so difficult to bear. Most of us have cursed some of the difficult things in our life before we realized they came with a life giving purpose.
We mistakenly think that blessings are sunshine creations, but they are likely to come to us in the shadowed places of our life where the way forward is not as clear and stumbling is a danger. When we are in a mood to count our blessings, we seldom look into the hard and difficult moments of our life, or the times of uncertainty and pain. God is found in all things. He works in the bright light of the sun and the darker shadows. As He works in both, it is always His intent to bring blessings into our lives.
It was a different kind of All Saints Sunday here on the farm. Not being able to be in a church setting for a structured order of worship made the day a bit different. Since my mother's name was one of those called this year in the church she worshipped, it was impossible to go through the day without thinking often about the significance of the day. Such thoughts brought with them some regrets about not being able to be present, but more importantly, a host of memories.
Of course, worship does not require the interior of a sanctuary, nor does celebrating All Saints Sunday require a ritual and holy communion. It was in the evening part of the day that the moment of worship came around here. In the Celtic tradition the twilight part of the evening is a threshold moment and also thought of as one of those thin moments when heaven and earth are touching one another. In some ways when it came it came as something anticipated, but also something which came almost as a surprise.
As the light was giving way to darkness I walked between there and here calling her name and the names of others who had gone on to the eternal home. Some were family members and some were friends. As I called the names, I thanked God for the memories each one brought to my mind and heart. It might have been a different kind of worship, but it was still a moment of great blessing.
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