Wednesday 3 June 2009

In writing about salvation, Willimon leads us into the Scripture to see the shape of this saving story.

A good place to begin is with attention to one of Jesus' greatest hits, the so-called good Samaritan (Luke 10). A man on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho is victimized by thieves who rob him, beat him, and leave him half dead and in the ditch. Down the road comes a priest. This officially religious man will surely be the salvation for the man in the ditch. No, the priest passes by on the other side. If the clergy won't save you, who will? Then come as pious Bible-believing layperson - who passes by on the other side. last comes a despised Samaritan. You have lost a lot of blood. This is your ultimate hope for rescue but you are aghast to learn that your hope, your salvation is none other than a good-for-nothing, anything-but-poor-and-pious, lousy Samaritan.
"I'm OK," you protest. "It's just a flesh wound. Don't bother yourself," muttering under your breath, "I'd rather die in this ditch than to be saved by the likes of you!"

I find it interesting how the tone of a day or the agenda at hand can find its way into the reading of Scripture. For example, I really liked the way Willimon puts the emphasis on the person beat up and left for dead. For one...it is me the reader! The one who comes into my wounded and bloodied state is the worst of the worst...the blasphemer...the rejected one...the outsider...the no-good...the "other" (and we all have a list of them). But then I was caught up on how I started to apply it. In the ELCA we are trying to work our way into and through a discussion and then a decision about whether we can let gay and lesbians who are in loving, life-long relationships become or stay in the office of pastor in our church. For some it is a deafening "NO!" that includes a denunciation of "them" and what they "do" and some king of purity of the office. But here in this story, the one who saves and comes close and risks life and nurtures and cares beyond what is considered enough...is one of these ones to whom some would shout "NO!" Sometimes, age-old, written in stone, cannot accept notions and laws must pass on so that the saving action of our God can break through to all of us and this God of ours will truly be "pro nobis" - for us....for us all.

Connection: Who would it be difficult for you to have come and be your aid in times of trouble. We really do all have a list.

Risking God, you come to be at our side even when we refuse to see you in the form in which you come to us. We would change you to fit our ways and yet you persist and come as the God who is crucified, buried, and raised from the dead so that no one - no one - would ever have to live without you at our side. Thanks be to you, O God. Amen.