This week ends with a provocative piece that may take the weekend to unpack. Brian Blount begins by quoting Wolfgang Schrage from "The Ethics of the New Testament" as he comments on Galatians 3:28.
I would like to apologize for the poor editing of yesterday's devotion. Sometimes my stream of consciousness....gets lost or I delete things that I should not!
"In the one body of Christ, all secular categories are transcended, even distinctions inherent in the created order."
This is a crucial point. Paul's understanding of God's actions in Christ lead him to the almost insane conclusion that even the categories that God established in the act of the creation have now been superseded. Even the biblical words of human creation are not the last words for human living. The boundaries standardized for all time at the very beginning of time have been eschatologically smashed down in the act of Jesus' coming, death, and resurrection.
This really does sound like a whole new creation. It may simply mean that creation is being expanded beyond the limits we were able to see. It may also mean that we cannot go into the new place without the power of the Holy Spirit - the power that moves over creation and brings into being all that is new and all that has never been...yet. This is not a new creation that says anything goes. Rather, it is a creation in which much more is able to thrive and live and come to the welcome feast and share in the life that is eternally given to us by our God. This is the God who creates all things and never stops being the creative power and hand behind the life of God's people even as we move through new times. What happens when boundaries are smashed down? Yes, there can appear to be nothing more than chaos. And yet, we are people who profess to live within a promise. Chaos cannot overcome promise. So...are we going to keep holding onto the promise or collapse under the power of chaos?!?
Connection: Keep on moving within the promise. It may not appear to be that sure or that strong...but...we've come this far by faith...just look back and see the witness of those who have endured and walked through chaos in order to bring life into a new age.
Lord God, you are our sanctuary. In and through all time, you are ready and available to lead and comfort and push us or pull us into you peace. We will often resist, but so need you to be that place of rest and refreshment so that we can keep on as your promises come into blossom around us. Amen.
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