06-10-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 10, 2021
Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:10-11
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

Thought for the Day: I think that first one in the scripture is a fair request, and not one with which most folks will argue. Of course, the rest of this passage has been used to burn or to kill in some other fashion all kinds of people throughout the centuries. I always found it a bit hypocritical for righteous people to burn witches, and to do so using a passage that says, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire.” The people who were burned for sorcery or casting spells were someone’s child. And of course, who were the first foreigners to worship Jesus? They were Magi, a nice way of saying astrologers, or those who interpreted omens or dreams. And here is an important confession – I like the Harry Potter movies, and I bought my kid a magic wand to go with his Harry Potter costume. Of course, the passage never suggests we kill any of those listed here. Christians simply took it upon themselves to finish what they thought God would want. In fact, this portion of scripture was trying to caution this young vulnerable community known as the Israelites when it came to interacting with those who were different. When you are trying to form yourself as a community, it is often easier to do so by saying, “We’re not like those people.” So often tribes and clans and other groupings of people have defined themselves based upon what they were not. It is interesting how Jesus always seemed to form community around the positive, around who he believed they could be. Defining who you are based upon a common enemy works quite well, except that you really do not know who you are. Jesus wasn’t so much interested in telling people what they were not, but inviting them to live as they were created to live – as those who live for the sake of love.

Prayer: May my life always embody what is holy and life-giving, those attributes found in the life of Jesus. Merciful God, continue to encourage me as I explore who you are calling me to be in this moment of time. Amen.

---

---

via WordPress https://ift.tt/355xWmL