Wednesday, 28 August, 2002

From Between Cross & Resurrection by Alan E. Lewis



What frightens and frees us simultaneously about this new and alien kingdom of God which Jesus preached and told of is the simple fact that it is God's and not our own. That is a dark menace to the complacency and contentment of those who flourish under the kingdoms of this world; a shining vision of release and new beginnings to the victims of the present order; and perhaps also a mocking rebuke to the programs, projects, and pride of those who hope to create a new order by themselves.... Piously, or politically, we cripple ourselves with the need to bring about God's righteousness on earth, failing to hear what Jesus so vividly declares: that we need not shoulder that burden because the goal itself does not need to be accomplished. The goal is in fact, God's fact, the fact of grace and promise. No gap divides what God says from what God does;



I know that I want things to go the way I want things to go. But isn't that the way the world works...again and again. We want things...life...the economy...the world...to go our way. That's one of the primary reasons why we go to war...to protect our interests...interests special to us...to our way...the way we want things to be. That, of course, is the "right" way. We will even declare that our way is God's way and we have the right to implement God's reign as we would see it. Unfortunately, our translation of the vision and truth of God's reign is often deficient at best. We are called to keep in mind what God says within the words of God's promise. That promise will be fulfilled even as we resist it or long for it. In our day we may not see it completely...but we may indeed be surprised by how it interrupts the way we want things and how it turns our heads to a new way of living. I find that we need to be able to laugh and cry and find ourselves completely off guard when God's promises do unfold within our day. To enter the day like this is to begin the walk in which we let go of our need to see our way followed as we would like to call the shots.



Connection: The fact of grace and promise...that, truly gives us something to consider throughout this day as we attempt to adjust our lives to "other" facts that claim to rule over us. How would such consideration of God's truthfulness lead us today?



Lord God you promise to be with us and to bring life for all. That is how this day begins and it is how it ends - wrapped in your promise. We give you thanks for the power of life that is available to us as your Spirit of life grasps us and makes us whole. Amen.