What is God Doing? Anything At All?
A reading for Tuesday, August 5, 2014: John 1:19-28.
Do we believe God is doing something in the world around us? Anything at all?
When the Levites and the priests come and ask John the Baptist why he is baptizing, perhaps this is the question behind their question. What they really want to know is whether or not what John is doing is of God, or not?
So they ask the only questions they can come up with to test whether or not it's God. Are you the Messiah we have been waiting for? The Messiah was the one chosen by God to come and save the people. Are you Elijah? The prophet was prophesied to come before the Messiah. They are looking for something out of their own experience of faith and Jewish life to identify God.
But John says, No, God is doing something new. Just as God said, "make straight the way of the Lord." God is doing something, and John was the one to participate in making a way for people to begin to understand. "I baptize with water," said John, but the one whom you do not know that is coming is so much greater than I. God is doing a new thing, and it is too wonderful to even imagine in our old ways of imagining.
What about us? Do we believe God is still doing something in the world around us? Anything at all? Perhaps we too are like those that came to John asking the wrong questions trying to discover what God is up to with us?
Are you the one who can make our churches bigger and fill our budgets with resources? That's how we measure what God is doing in our churches. Or are you the one who has written the latest book, and is now in high demand to speak and to teach? Surely God is doing something important with that well know pastor or that famous leader. Right?
What if God isn't about any of those ways of measuring anymore? What if God is doing something new? Something we haven't seen before? Maybe we need another set of questions if we are truly to determine what God is up to in the world around us?
Truth is we believe God is still on a mission to create, redeem, sustain, rule and transform all things and all people. Our job, like John, is to participate in what God is doing. God is doing something and it is too wonderful to even imagine in our old ways of imagining.
Do we believe God is doing something in the world around us? Anything at all?
When the Levites and the priests come and ask John the Baptist why he is baptizing, perhaps this is the question behind their question. What they really want to know is whether or not what John is doing is of God, or not?
So they ask the only questions they can come up with to test whether or not it's God. Are you the Messiah we have been waiting for? The Messiah was the one chosen by God to come and save the people. Are you Elijah? The prophet was prophesied to come before the Messiah. They are looking for something out of their own experience of faith and Jewish life to identify God.
But John says, No, God is doing something new. Just as God said, "make straight the way of the Lord." God is doing something, and John was the one to participate in making a way for people to begin to understand. "I baptize with water," said John, but the one whom you do not know that is coming is so much greater than I. God is doing a new thing, and it is too wonderful to even imagine in our old ways of imagining.
What about us? Do we believe God is still doing something in the world around us? Anything at all? Perhaps we too are like those that came to John asking the wrong questions trying to discover what God is up to with us?
Are you the one who can make our churches bigger and fill our budgets with resources? That's how we measure what God is doing in our churches. Or are you the one who has written the latest book, and is now in high demand to speak and to teach? Surely God is doing something important with that well know pastor or that famous leader. Right?
What if God isn't about any of those ways of measuring anymore? What if God is doing something new? Something we haven't seen before? Maybe we need another set of questions if we are truly to determine what God is up to in the world around us?
Truth is we believe God is still on a mission to create, redeem, sustain, rule and transform all things and all people. Our job, like John, is to participate in what God is doing. God is doing something and it is too wonderful to even imagine in our old ways of imagining.
Comments
Post a Comment