11-13-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 13, 2024
I’m always a little anxious when people are overly confident when it comes to knowing the will of God, or at least some of the specificity of certain aspects of life. I tend to speak of God’s dream for this world, and at least from our vantage point, I believe this dream is best summarized as love. And if love is the dream, then love does not dictate or force its will. Instead, it invites, beckons, or woos us while always being fully loving. In Mark 8:34, Jesus called to the crowd that had gathered, saying to them, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.” If that invitation is not a choice, then I do not know what faith is. If that is not a choice, then I do not know what it means to have a loving relationship with the Living God who say, through Jesus, “Come follow me.” At the end of the day, I think God loves us so much that God is always going to give us space to say YES or NO or probably, like most of us, sort of stumble between YES and NO in our search for faithfulness.

May my life be an ongoing pursuit of your dream for creation, O Holy Initiator of Love. Help me trust in the power of love, even when others seek to rely on unhealthy uses of power over people. Amen.