ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 16, 2022
Have you ever changed your mind? I have met some folks recently who have experienced a dramatic (probably too soft of a word) shift in their thinking in regard to, among other things, what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The Apostle Paul, before he was Paul, persecuted those who followed Jesus. He drew upon words from Deuteronomy that said how those who hung from a tree were cursed. In his mind, there was nothing good or righteous about Jesus because his execution had him hanging from a tree. Paul (then Saul) was reading the passage out of context, and that happens often. Yet those very words that drove Paul to persecute the followers of Jesus would need to find new meaning after his transformation. Long after that encounter along the Road to Damascus, Paul found himself reinterpreting the passage from Deuteronomy, suggesting that Jesus became a curse to redeem us from the curse. To be honest, it is a bit of a stretch from my perspective, but what I hear from Paul is one attempting to make sense of what he once believed in light of what he currently believes. We may experience significant change, but we do not immediately discard what was once fundamental and now appears to be untenable. It is a part of us, and different experiences can cause the old to flood back even when we no longer find it helpful or reasonable or faithful. If you are in a time of change, be very kind to yourself. Anything becoming new takes time, especially if the new is going to be healthy and life-giving.
When it is time to leave behind what needs to be left behind, may you guide me. Holy Spirit, you continue to beckon us toward a future that may require a few changes within us. As change is necessary, I lean heavily upon the encouragement of your grace. Amen.
