| Walter Brueggemann continues to write about the importance of the liturgy in the life of the people of Judah who had to face life in exile under Babylonia. We may imagine that this liturgy provided focus, coherence, and assurance that made the exiles less vulnerable to the threats and to the seductions of Babylon. This tradition, however, championed not only order, but also presence. Thus the Priestly materials also provide the exactitude of authorizing (Exodus 25 -31) and construction (Exodus 35-40) of a tabernacle as a place suitable for God's dwelling in the midst of Israel. With great care and attentiveness, according to this imaginative tradition, Israel is able to host the holiness of God, thereby acknowledging that even severe cultural dislocation cannot impede Israel's ready access to the God it love and serves. If you remember the stories of the book of Exodus, this God was forever with them. They could see - by the fire at night and the smoke by day - that God was on this adventure leading the people. God was to be ever available and with the people no matter where they might "bed down." To the community that eventually is in Exile in Babylon - homeless in other words - the storytelling of God's presence among the people was a vital stream of thought that was needed to give the exiles that push to remember and to stay faithful and be courageous. There in the midst of God's people is the God who sustains and nurtures and bring life. Again, the liturgy and the presence of this "place for God" becomes the another way that the community marks itself with life even as the world around it works to dismantle it. Connection: For us, the liturgy and the gathering of people who are baptized in Christ, Jesus, are a part of what is meant to give us a look at life that is promised. God is always present with us - and yet, we need to see signs of that presence in the life that is around us. Gather us into your love, O God, and remind us of the shape of our day that begins and is fed by your presence as we come to listen to your Word and join in the fellowship of all your saints. Amen. . |
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