Wednesday 8 July 2009

Again we are staying in the area of this Eros of God.

God's love desires not only our assent but also our participation. Jesus doesn't just want us to adore him but to follow him. We are told by Jesus that we are to take up his cross daily (Luke 9:23). Every day we must wake up, jump out of bed, and be surprised by the scope of our salvation in Christ. Our "yes" thus becomes "yes" again-and-again, more-and-more as we grow in grace. As Barth said, we are all "amateurs" when it comes to our faith in Christ. We keep having these fine moments of recognition and recognition in which we once again are "surprised by joy" (C.S. Lewis). In the Lord's Prayer, note that we again and again, as if for the first time, ask God for the gift of our daily bread.

This love of God sounds organic. It fits Luther's use of in,with, and under as he talks about the real presence of our Lord in the sacraments. God's love is the pulse that brings us to life. It is not distant - it is the very essence of this "God loved" life that is ours for the living. This is where I think the joy is found. We are in constant touch with that which God love - me...you...the stranger...the whole creation. At hand in every moment is the opportunity to experience the joy of the Reign of God. It is already at hand...it is already among us...it is already bringing forth gift upon gift even as we meander through the ordinary and everyday stuff we can so often walk right by looking for something else. I find that we must expect to be surprised by even the mere twinkling of God's Reign being exposed within this day. It will not take much and yet it will bring us back to the remembrance of grace offered boldly for all.

Connection: I'm never sure how I will be surprised by God's love. I do know that when I am not able to consider its presence, I will look away and look for something else to shape me. I like to say that the Holy Spirit "tickles" us so that we will look again at the ordinary and see God's gushing love in ways we usually would not consider.

Tickle us with your Spirit, O God. Tickle us and keep us awake to see your power of love present and available for each of us as we move through that which is so often routine and mindless. Amen.