The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.
REVELATION
Once a little boy came up to me and said, "I saw the ladder that goes up to God." I closed the book that I was reading, which happened to be "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," by a fierce sixth-century monk, John Climacus, and I listened... This boy had recently experienced that most fierce of childhood experiences, the death of a beloved dog... As the boy told me of his dream, I thought about Jacob, who during a crisis in his life had also seen a ladder going up to heaven. Jacob's response has always appealed to me; when he wakes, he says, "God is in this place, and I did not know it.
Revelation is not explanation, and it is not acquired through reading John Climacus, or anyone else. It is the revealing of the presence of a God who cares for all creatures, even a little boy who lives on a ranch in a part of America that has often been called "Godforsaken." A boy whose dog has died, and who needs, and receives, divine consolation.
This hits the mark with me. People try to take a book like Revelation or segments of the Book of Daniel and turn them into pieces of literature that predict future things. They often hold these books up as answer books that can mysteriously reveal a plan for how the world will end and who will "make it." What a limited and unfortunate way to see these beautiful books and their strange stories. Revelation is meant to be, as Norris puts it, divine consolation. It is consolation for it brings into the lives of ordinary people who may be going through the worst of times - a word of unbending and eternal peace and joy and comfort. Rather than trying to "decode" the revelatory literature and predict what will happen, the message tends to be much more simple and immediate. God Reigns and is victorious and will prevail. Duh!! But as you can imagine, such a simple and eternal message will never sell well for it is not mysterious enough. All we need to know is simply as much as that grieving boy: God is in this place. No need to be spooked or forsaken...rest in this word alone.
Connection: Instead of thinking of revelation as something that happens in extraordinary circumstances, it is a wonderful addition to the day to be surprised by an encounter with the presence of God...even in a fleeting moment...or the voice and presence of another...or the flip-side of a moment that is tragic and painful.
Lord God, open our eyes that we may see how you are present with us to keep our hearts assured of your love that will not let us go. Enable us to find in the ordinary your extraordinary and life-giving Spirit. Amen.
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