The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
Rabbi Mendel of Kotsk was told of a great saint who lived in this time and who claimed that during the seven days of the Feast of Booths his eyes would see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David come to the booth. Said Rabbi Mendel: “I do not see the heavenly guests; I only have faith that they are present in the booth, and to have faith is greater than to see.”
This, indeed, is the greatness of (humanity): to be able to have faith. For faith is an act of freedom, of independence of our own limited faculties, whether of reason or sense-perception. It is an act of spiritual ecstasy, of rising above our own wisdom.
“…to have faith is greater than to see.” We would do well to remind one another of these words when we face the ugly and nasty times of our lives…or the dark days in which we cannot see any sense in the way things are going. To have faith in a vision is to have faith in that which is not yet completely seen. This doesn’t mean that we simply cannot see it because it is off in the future. It means that we trust that there is a power and a presence that gives life right now…here…today, even when there is no way to prove that such a power exits. The great characters of the bible had faith in the promises of God…nothing concrete for now…simply a promise….a promise that ignites new life and in that new life the promise takes shape. We trust that the saint of every time and place gather with us for worship and take part in the meal we call the Lord’s Supper. They are there…just as they will be. And for now, they stand with us to encourage our faithful lives as we take the next steps within this day.
Connection: Trust that our God is indeed in the day with us…every step...every moment…no exceptions. What impact will that have on the events around us!?!
O Lord, you are present with us and you continue to walk with us as we move in and out of the events of this day. Keep us mindful of your promise of new life and free us up to live as though your promises are true. Amen.
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