Today’s Readings: Psalm 50; Genesis 41:14-45; Luke 4:31-37; Acts 17:29-34; Psalm 94
Today’s reading from Genesis reminds me of an important role that we folks of faith often end up playing in the lives of others. That role? Interpreter. In Joseph’s case, this meant interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams. Most of us these days, however, don’t interpret in quite that way. Instead, we interpret in many other ways. In the days following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, for instance, many of us were asked to interpret what it meant to be in relation with a God who would allow such attacks to occur. In these days of economic distress, many of us are asked to interpret what its like to be in relationship with a God of hope at a time when hope seems so far away. And of course some reach out to us at times of great personal distress (i.e. a terminal diagnosis or a death of a loved one) and ask us to interpret our experience of being in relationship with a loving, life-affirming God when the world around us can seem so cruel. The important thing to remember at these moments of interpretation is that it’s not solely up to us to provide the clever words that help others make sense of everything; the important thing to is that we open ourselves up and trust that - by being fully present in the moment - we will be transformed into an interpretative vessel that can help facilitate others’ understanding and experience of God. Til next time…
Today’s reading from Genesis reminds me of an important role that we folks of faith often end up playing in the lives of others. That role? Interpreter. In Joseph’s case, this meant interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams. Most of us these days, however, don’t interpret in quite that way. Instead, we interpret in many other ways. In the days following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, for instance, many of us were asked to interpret what it meant to be in relation with a God who would allow such attacks to occur. In these days of economic distress, many of us are asked to interpret what its like to be in relationship with a God of hope at a time when hope seems so far away. And of course some reach out to us at times of great personal distress (i.e. a terminal diagnosis or a death of a loved one) and ask us to interpret our experience of being in relationship with a loving, life-affirming God when the world around us can seem so cruel. The important thing to remember at these moments of interpretation is that it’s not solely up to us to provide the clever words that help others make sense of everything; the important thing to is that we open ourselves up and trust that - by being fully present in the moment - we will be transformed into an interpretative vessel that can help facilitate others’ understanding and experience of God. Til next time…
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