Last evening at church you couldn't help notice, poinsettia's, Christmas trees, lights and the three wise men. The other thing you couldn't help noticing...it's October! So you're thinking has " The Place " wandered into a new dimension of time, put the church calendar in the re-cycle bin. Nope, we've just begun a journey. We've opened the door of Luke's gospel, and have barely crossed the threshold into what Luke saw, and heard.
Sherri Priestly picked up the Story from Luke 2:1-20. What I love about scripture, is it's like a gem. Each of us can hold it in our hands, and some how divine light can hit, refract, reflect, revealing different angles of God's incredible story. The reflection that seemed to catch Sherri's eye, was the overwhelming sense of humility. We often come to the story of the foot washing that preceded the last supper in the upper room. The image of God, humbling himself to wash the filth from the feet of humanity. But the image of God, as new born, absolutely dependent for nourishment, nursing from the breast of a marginalized young woman. That redemption, and the story of new creation could be dependent on a very young couple not really sure what the hell is going on, starting a family alone, in the filth of a barn. They had three things...a reality that they were part of God's story, faith, and willingness to enter into the story however bizarre it seemed.
Last night before I drifted off into the land of deep sleep I re-read the verses from Luke. As I held the gem, scripture in my mind, and the light hit it. These thoughts flashed brightly...
God is unorthodox.
That the Good News is an incarnational reality. God, through Mary birthed Jesus into the fringe, into a marginalized space of humanity. Mary and Joseph new what homelessness was.
The Good News was delivered out side the religious establishment of the day, outside the power of earthly empires. The Good News is not ours to keep, it has to be delivered, has to be birthed by us into every moment of our daily living.
These thoughts are half baked, in the oven of my mind. I invite you to add a few seconds in the comments to fully bake it. Lets see if it comes out of the oven fully cooked, with some wisdom we can all feast on.
What caught my eye was this: "
What I love about scripture, is it's like a gem. Each of us can hold it in our hands, and some how divine light can hit, refract, reflect, revealing different angles of God's incredible story."
With all of the bickering and/or disagreement about what the Bible is and isn't, I appreciate the way you can both value it immensely and yet not necessarily see the same thing as someone else. That is a great way to see scripture.
Now for the half-baked ideas! I like your second one: Good news is incarnational. If the good news is truly good, it actually has flesh and blood and moves into the neighborhood (John 1:14, The Message). We, too, become the Word, the Good News in flesh and blood--and we are only good news if we actually can be found out and about, and not just having warm fuzzies in our gospel hothouse.
Posted by: Al | October 05, 2009 at 07:24 PM
Where does the "God is unorthodox" quotation come from? It sounds very Ron-esque (perhaps an earlier post?), but I can't place it.
Posted by: Randy Hein | October 06, 2009 at 08:31 AM
Just upon reflecting Sundays scripture, Mary and Joseph were believed to have been part of the Essene's rigid religious and communal life. God impregnates the living word made flesh into an unwed teenage girl.Our sense of orthodoxy might have ended the story there.Rain falls on the good...and bad. Those who will be last, will be first.Forgive once, how about seven times seventy.Grow up, no be like a child.Our orthodoxy always seems tip the balance towards us...God seems to tip it away from us.Orthodoxy killed Jesus...unorthodoxy raised him from the dead.
Posted by: ron cole | October 06, 2009 at 05:15 PM