Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 119:65-120; Isaiah 6:1-13; John 5:30-47; Revelation 22:16-20
Today’s readings are all rich with imagery involving themes of coming times. The opening passages of Isaiah, for instance, use powerful imagery to describe a vision the prophet has of God on the throne. The passage from Revelation uses dramatic imagery of the culmination of days. In the midst of all of these bigger-than-life images, there was another smaller – less dramatic use of imagery that caught my attention today. It was the imagery used in verse 10 of this morning’s passage from Isaiah. In this passage the prophet uses various body parts to establish a link between senses and our spiritual insights. The first two pairings are to be expected; the prophet links eyes with seeing and ears with hearing. But then things get interesting. In the third pairing the prophet links understanding not with the brain (as we modern folks might expect) but with another part of the body: our heart. Over the last several decades we mainline folks have increasingly approached our spiritual lives as if the brain were the epicenter of our experience of God. We analyze Scripture using extensive historical and cultural tools; we study methods that others use to connect with God (i.e. methods of prayer and meditation); and we apply the principles of marketing to better understand outreach/evangelism. In other words, we do a WONDERFUL job feeding our intellects and gaining knowledge. But how are we at using our hearts to gain understanding? Today, I invite you to take a risk and take a few steps out of your head and into your heart. See if perhaps the Spirit’s leading in the process might bring you a little more understanding as together we inch ever closer to the manger in Bethlehem. Til next time…
Today’s readings are all rich with imagery involving themes of coming times. The opening passages of Isaiah, for instance, use powerful imagery to describe a vision the prophet has of God on the throne. The passage from Revelation uses dramatic imagery of the culmination of days. In the midst of all of these bigger-than-life images, there was another smaller – less dramatic use of imagery that caught my attention today. It was the imagery used in verse 10 of this morning’s passage from Isaiah. In this passage the prophet uses various body parts to establish a link between senses and our spiritual insights. The first two pairings are to be expected; the prophet links eyes with seeing and ears with hearing. But then things get interesting. In the third pairing the prophet links understanding not with the brain (as we modern folks might expect) but with another part of the body: our heart. Over the last several decades we mainline folks have increasingly approached our spiritual lives as if the brain were the epicenter of our experience of God. We analyze Scripture using extensive historical and cultural tools; we study methods that others use to connect with God (i.e. methods of prayer and meditation); and we apply the principles of marketing to better understand outreach/evangelism. In other words, we do a WONDERFUL job feeding our intellects and gaining knowledge. But how are we at using our hearts to gain understanding? Today, I invite you to take a risk and take a few steps out of your head and into your heart. See if perhaps the Spirit’s leading in the process might bring you a little more understanding as together we inch ever closer to the manger in Bethlehem. Til next time…
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