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DonateJuly 29, 2007 |
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Hosea 2:1-10
Psalm 85
Colossians 2:6-15
Luke 11:1-13
We must challenge certain scriptural passages in order to be faithful to the gospel. While Hosea is often cited as an example of God’s redemptive love, it also paints a picture of divine abuse and misogyny that can neither be theologically nor ethically justified. If we choose this passage as part of our sermon, we have to be honest about its explicit violence and the harm such passages have caused throughout the ages.
The same critique can be applied to Psalm 85. Despite the closing images of a glorious day when “steadfast love and righteousness will meet” and “righteousness and peace will kiss each other,” the Psalm also speaks of God as wrathful, indignant, and angry. While the Psalmist expects God’s eventual blessing, the God portrayed in this and other passages is either emotionally abusive and arbitrary or a reflection of our experiences of alienation and fear; neither of which can ground a healthy theology. While divine justice may seem like anger and the consequences of our injustice may seem like divine punishment, existentially speaking, healthy spirituality depends on a god who is faithful and steadfast in God’s love, a god who can be trusted despite our untrustworthiness.
Colossians describes a faith that is rooted in intimacy with God. “Live your lives in Christ.” Christ is our deepest reality, whether or not we are aware of it. As source of beauty, grace, and transformation, Christ is the reality that moves within every experience. We can live in Christ because Christ lives in us! The “fullness” of God that dwells in Jesus lives in us as well. Grounded in God’s immanence, we are “little Christs” (Luther) who can mediate that same Christ-likeness to others.
Our ability to dwell in Christ, according to Colossians, is grounded in sound and healthy philosophy/theology as well as the experience of gratitude. This scripture provides an opportunity for the preacher to encourage her or his congregation to take theological reflection seriously. Some visions of God, for example those found in Hosea, need to be challenged as both unworthy of the gospel and ethically dangerous.
Mainstream congregations suffer when they fail to reflect critically on the theological issues of the day. The current debates related to creation and evolution as well as marriage equality result from inadequate theological reflection and biblical study. A vital church is a thinking church, whose spirit is large enough to embrace a variety of theological options in light of the gospel. Good theological reflection nurtures congregations that are theologically diverse yet spiritually united.
Luke’s gospel presents a passage worthy of solid theological reflection. The counsel to “ask, seek, and knock” can inspire as well as destroy the faith of those who put this passage into action. Seen apart from its context, the admonition to “ask, seek, and knock” sounds remotely like The Secret. If we get the right prayer formula, God will be at our disposal. Like a genie, God will grant our every wish. Yet, The Secret’s
”law of attraction” and the Pentecostal’s “name it and claim it” theology is far too one-dimensional and linear to reflect the complexities of our spiritual lives and relationship with God. In addition, both approaches “blame the victim,” that is, ourselves, when things don’t work out as we had hoped.
Those who take a deeper look at the passage will note that “asking” is not primarily about us, but our relationship to God’s reign in our lives. Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that we utterly depend on God’s graceful and forgiving presence for our spiritual and personal well-being. The faithful God calls us to live faithfully. God is giving us good gifts in each moment of experience. God weaves together our deepest needs and the needs of the world in such a way that our quest for wholeness enhances the lives of others. As we are aligned with Christ, we will know what to ask for, where to search, and how to knock. Further, if we wish to join the gospel with the epistle readings, we can become aligned with Christ because Christ lives in us! Contrary to Barth, there is always a “point of contact.” Even we fail to notice God’s presence, God is still working to transform our lives.
Still, we are encouraged to ask God to respond to our deepest needs, even though God is constantly seeking the highest good for us and those for whom we pray. As one scripture suggests, we have not because we ask not. Making our requests known to God, joined with the energy of our seeking and knocking, enables God to more fully make God’s vision known in our own lives. Prayerfully asking creates a spiritual field of force in which God’s vision can be more effective and clear in our experience. Still, neither our prayers nor God’s energetic vision are omnipotent. They shape, but do not compel, the future movements of our own life and the dynamic and intricate world in which we live, move, and have our being. While quantum leaps of divine-human energy are always possible, God’s aim is usually manifest within the possibilities lying within our current life situation.
Today’s progressive Christians need to be bold in our expectations of God’s ability to transform our lives as well as our own ability to be co-creators with God in mending the world. The God whose vision grounds each experience has the wisdom to bring forth beauty and wholeness over the long haul in every life situation.
Bruce Epperly is Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at Lancaster Theological Seminary. He is the author of twelve books, including God’s Touch: Faith, Wholeness, and the Healing Miracles of Jesus (Westminster/John Knox) Healing Worship: Purpose and Practice (Pilgrim), and Walking in Light: A Jewish-Christian Vision of Healing and Wholeness (Chalice). These books are available from Flux Books.
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