Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Redeemer Devotions - January 5, 2012

Adventures... in Hope - Redeemer Devotions 

What makes this story of Satan fall apart - we say the cross. Here are some more ways of looking at that dynamic - again, Rene Girard.
 
Satan is the prince of this world because he is first of all the Prince of Darkness. The Christian revelation dissipates the darkness of the founding murder by showing the innocence not only of the one victim, Jesus, wrongly accused by Satan, but of all such victims.  
 
I will add to this tomorrow. but it is here that Jesus is really present. Jesus is present in the midst of all victims as the one who will stand with and never leave any victim to the destructive power of Satan (please read here the wider notion of Satan). All powers -grand and global or simple and nearby - creates victims in order to sustain themselves. As long as there is someone or some people or some other 'power' that must be beaten down, Satan rules. Need we say anything more about who rules here?! And yet, one voice - like that of Jesus - cracks the silence that keeps things going as they have from the beginning. One voice that will lift up a word of truthfulness lessens the grip of the evil powers. That one voice may be put under just like Jesus - but we are told the voice will never die - it will rather begin another way for more and more people to live. More and more people who hear the witness of the light of the Christ, Jesus, will bring forth more and more light to another way to function as people. In the middle of this enlightened truthfulness about who we are comes a resistance movement that does not destroy but rather confronts with a non-violent innocence that can be crushed - but will be raised up as light for others.

 

Connection: The 'truly Human One' brings the violence that has shaped us all to an end by not participating in that violence. That is why the coming of the 'truly Human One' (son of man) was greatly anticipated. I think such a truly Human One is still available to us - as us. The Church claims that it is the Holy Spirit that brings such a life to the world. It is always within the blessedness of dialogue that keeps the way of Jesus in front of us.

 

As you walk with us, O God, keep our eyes and our hearts tuned to the coming of your beloved Jesus, among us and with us.  Amen.

  

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