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. This will be the last day we use this resource. Monday will begin another series.
TRUTH
After engaging in a open conversation about truth by looking at the difference in her husband and herself and how they perceive truth Norris notes.
Truth, for small children, seems to exist only in the literal. Any parent of a four-year-old learns to recognize the whine that starts up when plans change: "But you said we would leave before lunch, not after." "You said I could have cotton candy, I don't want an ice cream cone." For grown-ups, truth is considerably more complex. It is known, for example, that some saints never existed, but that does not make their stories any less true. Even it if could be proven that the Mary and Martha who appeared in the last verse of Luke 10 were a fiction, the truth of the story would remain. The two women prepare to greet their friend Jesus, but each in her own way.... No amount of literalism with regard to the text or its history can take away the truth of what these women represent, or diminish what Christian tradition has made of the story.
How many times have you heard someone ask, "Is it true?" in regard to a story from scripture. Sometimes we can be lured into a faith that is made up of things we are able to say are "true" and we put them in a box to prove our faith. The more things we can claim as "true" the stronger is our faith. But then, remember, we do not trust in the Lord God as the "Most High God" because we have things we can prove. I would rather say that I trust our God because there is a truth that is so profound it is the power for new life. In some ways it brings me into stories asking a different question than "Is it true" or "Did it really happen?" Instead, I am free to ask how is it true....what does it reveal...what truth is handed over to us about God's will and the life that is now available to us? Norris offers two quotes at the beginning of this chapter on Truth. It is worth using them here.
The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the source of all true science... To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists... this knowledge, this feeling, is the center of true religion. - Albert Einstein
Wherever there is truth, it is the Lord's. - Justin Martyr.
Connection: There is something profoundly truth-full about the love of God for us and what it does to us. Consider this a lovely day...a love filled day...and be aware of the truth that is revealed along the way.
O Lord of Peace and Justice, keep us mindful of the many ways we are drawn into this day and experience situations and people and attitudes that are quite outside of our usual experience. In that journey, keep our minds open to the way your love is the power that transforms and shapes our interactions with others. Amen
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