On Omnipresence

Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (NIV).

Friends…  Remember that part when I’m fighting really hard against the temptation to be a liturgical snob?  I think I wrote about it a couple of days ago.  The struggle is still real.

I need to confess that I hid fake Lego Baby Jesus!  My intent was good.  I want Advent to be a time of intense waiting and anticipation, as we look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ!  However, I am concerned that I may have sent Kindergarten aged children into mass confusion regarding omnipresence…  Oops…

So here’s the thing.  Jesus has (of course) already come!  We can already celebrate that, and we should… Alpha… Omega… Beginning… End… Everywhere… All the time.  But here’s the other thing.  I was reminded (first on my podcast recording and then in my guest’s newsletter, found here) the other day that we probably shouldn’t get so wrapped up in the incarnation that we forget about all of the other time and space in the history and the future during which God has been, and will continue to be, present to us. 

It can be freeing to recognize that I have room to grow in my knowledge and understanding and expressions of faith (and liturgy)…

Humility matters.

I was deeply moved by these simple words (actually written twice) in the daily office, first found in Amos 3:7, “So the Lord relented…” (NIV).

As a human being, I fully admit that it is difficult for me to relent at times… particularly when I start to think I have it all together.  And yet, even God has been known to relent.  That probably says a whole lot about what our response should be!

I was also struck by the following words from Psalm 25:10-11, “All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.  For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great” (NIV).

I don’t know if anything I’m currently processing falls anywhere near “iniquity” on the scales, but I do know that I want to be loving and faithful… that I want to keep the commands of covenant… and that I want to continue to be transformed, every second of every day, with better understanding and practice.

But I’m still keeping fake Lego Baby Jesus in hiding until the Christmas Eve service…

 
L.

Sometimes Scripture is Rough

The daily office, today, seems to be the opposite of hope.  It is lament and death and destruction all around!  I don’t want to write about that at Advent!  But things aren’t always what they seem…  And things can change…

Amos 5:12-15 was really getting to me:

“There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.  Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy…”

I was having a difficult time wrapping my mind around how it is prudent to be silent in the face of injustice while being charged with bringing justice, and then I thought of Santa Claus… no kidding… either because I’m seriously sleep deprived or because I’m the mother of one kid who still thinks reindeer fly or because I am desperately hoping some magical being might actually fill my list, this year (and don’t go all materialistic on me, because my list is an anomaly… mostly… I promise).  OK, so I was really thinking of St. Nicholas (and I know I’m a couple of days late for this post).

So often, we assume our action must be loud and in the spotlight in order to count for anything, but there are times when subversive disruption actually does more good.  This is not to imply that we should always be silent… or that we should suffer in silence… or that we should watch others suffer in silence.  I want to add my own resounding “enough” to the cries of those who have had more than their share of pain.  But I do want to underscore the thought that talk is cheap.  Action is more useful, regardless of the dynamic in play.  If we really lament, perhaps we should repent.  Perhaps we should even take responsibility for wrongs in the world for which we are not directly culpable.  Lord, have mercy…

Who can we help… who can we free… who can we resurrect… as we wait?

L.