William Willimon continues to discuss creation and today looks at how God graciously saves us and graciously invites our active participation in the drama of salvation. He uses the story of the people of God at Mt. Sinai to share that point.
The God of Scripture is not an impersonal, absolute sovereign with whom there is no argument. God is free to be dissuaded, free to be in conversation even with a tongue-tied earthling like Moses, free to change God's mind and repent, because God is determined to be God for us, determined to be the means of our salvation.
At certain key moments, Scripture is thus a kind of dialogue, not by equal partners, but still a dialogue that is God's grace.
When we are in dialogue with our God, it becomes the way we are invited to be with one another. It is in the dialogue - the listening, the instructing, the disagreement, the confusion, the action - that the creativity of our lives come forward and we begin to be a part of the image of our God. It is always a dialogue that seeks the salvation of all people. Sometimes that means we will not listen because we do not want all to be within the saving community with us. Sometimes that means that we will push our God and one another to open up the gates and remove the gate keepers so that the fullness of God's Reign will wash over everyone - without exception. The dialogue cannot end. We cannot simply throw up our hands and say God will do it. Rather, God will do it - with us. In the meantime, we are invited to be engaged and at times enraged but always willing to bring ourselves to the table of discussion - even if it is on some mountainside in the Sinai.
Connection: When we sing "take it to the Lord in prayer" there is an element of saying that we are not going to let our God be as distant as we something try to make God. Rather, God is at the table with us, quite like when we say at the dinner table, "come, Lord Jesus, be our guest." Not distant...right within the discussions of the day.
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and encourage us to see our God as with us and pursuing us so that we will be a part of this dynamic saving community. Amen.
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