Beware: God at Work -- Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 14C
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Hebrews 12:18-29
Luke 13:10-17
Beware: God at Work
Most religious folk have some inkling that God is there –
doing something. The questions are what
and how. For many supernaturalists, God
is always busy – turning off the lights when needed, making sure the tides come
in and out, and heal their every ailment.
For the Deists in our midst, God is largely finished. God is or was the “first cause,” and since
things have been set in motion, God is largely absent. OK, maybe God does step in once in a while to
tweak things.
For those of us who recognize the input of modern science,
the idea of an interventionist God is something of a problem. Indeed, if God steps in to heal my cold, then
why couldn’t God step in and prevent the holocaust. The whole issue of evil compromises our
efforts to embrace a God at work. My
panentheist friends suggest that God is in the system – always, and thus not
intervening, simply inviting reality to move in a Godward direction. I’m attracted to this message, but my
Barthian self desires at least a bit of divine transcendence. So it is with this sense of mixed feelings
that I come to the texts for this week – texts that invite us to consider the
work of God in our midst.
The call of Jeremiah is powerful. Before you were born knew you and called
you. Jeremiah had no choice it
seems. His destiny was written from the
start. But, Jeremiah is so sure. I’m a child.
I don’t how to speak. I’m not
ready. You’ve made a mistake – go
elsewhere! But God is relentless. No, you are gifted. So use your gifts. And don’t worry I’m there with you. We may not be able to define how God is
present, but the promise is there. Don’t
be afraid – I am with you. So speak the
words that I provide you. Make them
known. And if you read Jeremiah, you
know that the words he must proclaim aren’t easy ones and won’t be easily
received. There is reason to be
afraid. Every preacher knows this
feeling. You face an audience, people
whom you love (perhaps), and you have received in your reading of scripture and
reflections on the world, a word you believe is from God. And yet it’s difficult to get it out. You could get fired. I’ve been forced to resign – so I know the
feeling. I may hold back at times – but
God says to Jeremiah – don’t hold back.
I’ve given you the words. I’ve
appointed you over nations and empires – not as a political ruler – but as my
representative, to remind the recalcitrant that God can and will dig up, pull
down, destroy, and demolish. But God can
and will also build and plant. These
are difficult words, but I see the message.
In postmodern thought, there is the idea of deconstruction. Old thoughts and ways of doing things need to
be analyzed and deconstructed. But if
all we do is deconstruct, then we have failed in our calling. For deconstruction must lead to
reconstruction. Sometimes things need to
be take apart, but a room full of auto parts doesn’t make a car! You have to put everything back together –
and that is part of Jeremiah’s responsibility.
Whenever we read the Book of Hebrews we must do so with great
caution. There is a temptation to read
it in a supersessionist manner, assuming that in Jesus the old (Judaism) is now
passé and rejected, replaced by a better model.
Hebrews can and is read that way, but I have been sensitized to be
careful about such things – especially in my encounters with the works of Ron
Allen and Clark Williamson. So with a
degree of fear and trembling, we come to this passage where the author
contrasts the old and new. Once you
weren’t allowed to come near God’s holy mountain. Even Moses was afraid. But now you have the opportunity to draw near
to Mount Zion – to enter the presence of God and God’s assembly. Jesus is portrayed here as the one who
mediates this new covenant that allows for the people to draw near, and
actually experience the presence of God.
There is in this passage a strong word of judgment. Don’t
resist the Word that comes from God. You
can’t escape if you reject the heavenly warning. Remember that God’s voice shakes the earth and
God is a consuming fire. There is
reason to be afraid, and yet there is hope – that which is not shaken, that
which is not burned survives. God’s
realm is such a place. It is the place
God is building. It is a place we can
enter through Christ. So, what is the
take away? Is it not a call to live life
in such away as to affirm that which is most valuable? Is it not a call to ask the question – where is
God at work? What lasts? What fades away? Should we not choose that which lasts – that which
has eternal value? Things pass away,
love and relationships they endure.
We can live our lives according to the rules and regulations,
never stepping beyond the bounds of the law.
We live as “strict constructionists.”
Sometimes, in doing so, we miss seeing what God is doing in our
midst. Indeed, we can suppress the work
of God. We can also misunderstand God’s
gifts.
In Luke 13, Jesus is preaching in the synagogue. It’s the Sabbath and the people are doing
what you should do on the Sabbath – they’re in worship. While he preaches a woman a disability, which
Luke attributes to a spirit, is present in the service. It doesn’t say that she approached him or
asked for his help. She’s just
there. Jesus notices her condition – she’s
bent over and can’t stand up straight.
She’s been this way for eighteen years – that’s a long time to be
experiencing what has to be a horrible and painful existence. Jesus looks at her and places his hands on
her and says: “Woman, you are free from
your sickness” (vs. 12 CEB). And
instantly, she stands up straight and she praises God. To get a sense of what this might look like,
think of a Pentecostal healing service.
When people are set free of whatever binds them, they always seem to
want to jump around and shout. She’s
happy. She’s free. What would you do in her situation?
Well, the leader of the synagogue is none too pleased. Such things aren’t to happen in the dignified
setting that is worship. Can you
envision a guest preacher visiting a church, a church that believes that things
should be done decently and in order?
Can you envision that preacher coming down out of the pulpit and laying
hands on one of the members who happens to be sick or injured? And causes a ruckus by setting the person
free from their situation? Is there not
a time and a place for such things – outside the bounds of the service? Yes, shouldn’t we be concerned about proper decorum? Back in the early 1900s, when Pentecostalism
emerged after the Azusa Street Revival, many good church people were
scandalized by the behavior of the people.
And yet, people’s lives were changed.
They felt the presence and work of God in their midst.
In the reading from Hebrews we hear a word about focusing on
what lasts, what is eternal. In this
reading from Luke, when the leader of the synagogue objects to this healing on
the grounds that there are six days upon which one can do work there is no need
to break decorum to take care of this situation. After all, it’s not as if one more day with
this disability would make a difference.
After eighteen years, what’s few more hours? Jesus doesn’t say it in this moment, but in
his response, I do him say – “Today is the day of salvation.” What Jesus does is remind the leader that
some work gets done on the Sabbath. If
one’s donkey or ox needs watering, you will untie the animal. If you can make allowance for an animal to be
sustained, can you not make allowance for this woman to be set free? Yes, why wait one more day, when today is the
day of salvation, the day of wholeness? The
leader has no response accept feel the shame that he didn’t value that which is
eternal – the joy of freedom. He had
objected to this act of God that led to the praise of God. As we hear this word, where have we placed
ourselves in the position of the synagogue leader and suppressed the work of
God’s Spirit?
In these passages we are reminded that God is at work. Sabbath is good. We need to stop and rest. We need to trust our lives to God’s care –
but in these passages we’re reminded that God doesn’t abide by our rules and
regulations. God won’t be limited by our
need for decorum. The prophets have
spoken!
Comments