Today’s Readings: Psalm 87; Joel 3:1-2, 9-17; Matthew 22:41-46; Ephesians 1:16-23; Psalm 139
There are many aspects of our faith that present enormous challenges for most people. Some of these aspects include how to understand why bad things happen to good people, how to wrap your mind around theological constructs like the Trinity, and how articulate your understanding of Scripture. Over the years I’ve found that most of these challenges stem from the same source: our insistence on making God understandable. I don’t wrestle with many of the questions that seem to consume others because I don’t buy into the notion that God is understandable. In fact, my theology is rooted in the belief that God transcends any and all boxes we try to stuff God into – including reason. As a result, I have a much easier time accepting the mystery that I believe is an essential component to our faith. In those instances where I do forget the futility of trying to neatly define spiritual things, I can always turn to today’s encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees in the reading from Matthew. In that encounter, the Pharisees came face to face with the limits of their understanding. They reached a point where they were totally unequipped to answer the Jesus’ questions. At that critical juncture in their faith journey, the Pharisees could have acknowledged the limits of their approach and opened themselves to a truth greater than their minds. Instead, they took the easy way out and simply shut down. I can read the story and do my best to avoid making the same mistake. All of this makes me wonder where are you at in your exploration of God? Is your exploration driven by the need to make sense out of the incomprehensible; or is your exploration of God grounded in both a sense of awareness of your limits and an appreciation for the limitless nature of God as revealed through Christ? Til next time…
There are many aspects of our faith that present enormous challenges for most people. Some of these aspects include how to understand why bad things happen to good people, how to wrap your mind around theological constructs like the Trinity, and how articulate your understanding of Scripture. Over the years I’ve found that most of these challenges stem from the same source: our insistence on making God understandable. I don’t wrestle with many of the questions that seem to consume others because I don’t buy into the notion that God is understandable. In fact, my theology is rooted in the belief that God transcends any and all boxes we try to stuff God into – including reason. As a result, I have a much easier time accepting the mystery that I believe is an essential component to our faith. In those instances where I do forget the futility of trying to neatly define spiritual things, I can always turn to today’s encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees in the reading from Matthew. In that encounter, the Pharisees came face to face with the limits of their understanding. They reached a point where they were totally unequipped to answer the Jesus’ questions. At that critical juncture in their faith journey, the Pharisees could have acknowledged the limits of their approach and opened themselves to a truth greater than their minds. Instead, they took the easy way out and simply shut down. I can read the story and do my best to avoid making the same mistake. All of this makes me wonder where are you at in your exploration of God? Is your exploration driven by the need to make sense out of the incomprehensible; or is your exploration of God grounded in both a sense of awareness of your limits and an appreciation for the limitless nature of God as revealed through Christ? Til next time…
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