Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
O ur faith is built upon a confidence that God speaks to us collectively and personally. As creatures of a dynamic planet whose waters saturate, while the atmosphere envelopes, a rocky core, we must listen to the Word. We do not know the future, have scant knowledge of the past, and have so little time to figure it out. Even our desires, impulses, and fears, emerging from the interior depths of the soul, mystify us. How can we expect to know what we need to know if we will not listen to the Father who created us from the dust of this dangerous, beautiful Earth?
Rationality offers few explanations and less defense against constant, furious change. Our post-modern age continues to invest heavily in STEM -- science, technology, engineering, and math. (Adding the letter a to create STEAM offers the "arts" only as a handmaid to the other four.) Without fidelity to the God who reveals himself, rationality gropes like a blind man in a stampede. We have only to witness the titanic struggle of America's two parties to witness how rationality reacts to threats.
Our faith begins with an obedient, confident response to God's command,
"Hear O Israel. The Lord is our God, The Lord alone. Therefore, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, mind and strength."
There is no point in testing the Lord. If his word is not true and his will is deceptive, we have no reason to hope.
Today we stand at a crossroad between Trump's terror and our traditions of constitutional law. The American experiment in middle class democracy may finally collapse. When our spiritual ancestors paused at the crossroads of Shechem, Joshua commanded them to make their decision, and then he declared,
And we responded,
“We will serve the LORD, our God, and will listen to his voice.”
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.