Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:7-8
Then Moses called Joshua and, with all Israel watching, said to him: “Be strong and fearless because you are the one who will lead this people to the land the LORD swore to their ancestors to give to them; you are the one who will divide up the land for them. But the LORD is the one who is marching before you! He is the one who will be with you! He won’t let you down. He won’t abandon you. So don’t be afraid or scared!”
Thought for the Day: It is interesting how multiple unrelated conversations can merge into a single thread. A week ago, I had lunch with some clergy folks and we got into one of those nutty/geeky minister discussions. No matter your profession or hobby, there tends to be those insider exchanges that will only cause others to be confused or roll their eyes. That was probably our clergy lunch. A few days later, I am reading an article as I was pondering a sermon for this fall. The article seemed to brush against those same ideas and stir my thinking. And then a friend who is starting a new church (something pretty unique) sent me a question by email. It connected to this same line of thinking. All of a sudden these seemingly disconnected streams of consciousness merged within my brain. Someone else might have seen absolutely no connection whatsoever, but I did. And it guided me to the following thought:
Moses’ depiction of God as ever-before us is beautiful and poetic. I can picture God – you know the One, tall and sporting a well trimmed white beard – marching ahead of us and clearing the path with those big feet. Of course, that’s my third grade depiction of God that sadly sneaks into my adult consciousness and shapes my thinking of the Holy Other. We tend to anthropomorphize God, adding human characteristics and traits to that which is not human. On one level, this can be helpful as we attempt to picture something far beyond our capacity to imagine. At the same time, it can slip into idolatry very quickly. We did not make an idol out of stone or wood, but from our own imagination. If God is the Eternal Other, Alpha and Omega, then God is forever in front of us and forever behind us and forever within us. I too often attach limits to God as my very limited imagination hits its edge, and at that point solidifies into something that I conjure up as God… but is so far from God. This Eternal Other that I describe with the three letters, GOD, is not bound by space or time. In fact, what I know of God is woven into the very fabric of space and time – woven into it in what I call love. In my weakest moment, I need to picture a God who is walking ahead of me and gently coaxing me forward. On my better days, my mind catches a glimpse of the Spirit as it shatters some unbeknownst conclusion I have placed upon God. This glimpse of something other is, what I believe to be, a hint of the divine essence…but only a hint that stirs my yearning to know more.
Prayer: Let me enjoy the love I know and experience from you, Amazing God, but keep me from arrogantly believing I’ve got you all figured out. Amen.
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