Thursday, 18 July, 2002

The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



MY EBENEZER

In my grandmother Totten's Presbyterian hymnal from the 1950's, the great eighteenth-century hymn "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" has a word in it that would confuse most people nowadays... The second verse begins: "Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by they help I'm come."...

The word "Ebenezer" is found in a passage in First Samuel...It describes an event, that celebration of Israel's victory over the Philistine army, a victory that came against the odds, when the thundering voice of God threw the troops into confusion, and they fled. The passage reads: "Then Samuel took the stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us" (1 Sam. 7:12 KJV).



Norris says that from her study, a number of references inform her that "Ebenezer" means "Stone of Help." Imagine using the word in a conversation today. To people outside the church and to many inside the church, the word would be meaningless. Too often, there are any number of ways that there is a lack of translation going within the church...this is especially the case when outsiders begin to make a transition into the body of Christ. Insider language can become a barrier...and yet, insider language has a history to it that is full of powerful stories of the faith. Do we ditch the language or do we make sure that the wealth of meaning is passed on. There is really no reason why "Ebenezer" could not be a word to a hymn that is projected on a music screen (talk about blended images!). I agree with Norris that the story behind the word is what is not getting communicated. If we are people of the book and look to the book for the vision that is revealed within it - like the Christ child in the cradle - then storytelling is our responsibility. We cannot afford to leave a generation of people out of the loop.



Connection: One of the greatest gifts we can bring into this day is to ask that old question that pops up Luther's catechism over and over again: What does this mean? That is not a question about something set in place. It is about past, present and future...it is fluid...it keeps the faith fresh even as we use old images. Try going through the day simply asking "What does this Mean?" as much as you desire.



Lord of All Hopefulness, you have carried your people through the wilderness and your promise of deliverance is renewed with the passing of every generation. As we walk into this day, remind us of all the saints who walk with us and the many different ways people have walked through their days with you as their rock & foundation. Amen