“So the implication of all this is that the Resurrection is not a human prank but God’s most startling activity. Man killed Jesus but God wouldn’t take man’s no for an answer. He raised Jesus and gave him back to us, alive forevermore, to strengthen us, to guide us, to admonish us, to be our Paraclete, or Counselor. God raised Jesus not as an invitation to us to come to Heaven when we die, but as a declaration that He himself, through Jesus, has established permanent residence on earth. The resurrection places Jesus on this side of the grave, here and now, in the midst of this life. He is not standing on the shore of eternity beckoning to us to join him there; he is standing beside us and joining us here. The good news of the undisturbed graveclothes is not that we shall die and go home with him, but that He is risen and comes home with us.” (Clarence Jordan, in a letter to a high school student April 27, 1964)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Sweet Summatime
Summer 2012 has been great.
It looks like:
Going to weddings of dear friends
Having a birthday Fiesta, where your Mama surprises you and your roommates all wear Mexican dresses.
And your sister crushes the pinata...
And the coolest kids you know come and party waay past their bedtime (what awesome parents, these girls have!)
It looks like:
on the 4th of July, your community celebrates with a home-made slip and slide...
which people you love hurl themselves down for your amusement...
wearing trash bags for speed.
And you all celebrate life and summer and freedom and love
And then head to the park to watch the fireworks
which are loud and smoky, but somehow still very beautiful.
It looks like heading out of town at the last minute to the lake -- spending mornings skiing and afternoons reading, while being a part of a family that now feels like yours:
floating in the cool..
and flipping off the dock
It looks like dinner parties, and Moonrise Kingdom, and walks in the park and ice cream. It looks like picnic tables after church and swim lessons and outdoor concerts.
It tastes like fresh fruit and vegetables.
Like strawberries, blueberries and waterpumpkin
Like caprese with heirloom tomatoes, onions, cucumber, avocado, basil, mozzarella, salt and pepper
It sounds like:
The Avett Brothers (always)
and, of course, Aretha
It feels like youth and excitement and joy and tiredness and heat and love.
'Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul, and All that is within me...'
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting onthose who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting onthose who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!
Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Psalm 103
At the end of June, I had this joy of attending my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. Children and grandchildren gathered at Seabrook Island, South Carolina to honor a love so everlasting. It was, for me, such a restorative and encouraging time. I prayed with my uncle, meandered along the shore with my aunt, talked deep into the night with my cousins and grandfather. I got to see cousins transform from dark-haired children into fascinating and funny teenagers and young adults. I slept in a dorm, in a sandy bed, next to my mom. And then, in a chapel overlooking the dunes and sea, I listened to my grandparents tell their story, to see faithfulness. What a blessing.
Yet, a dim reflection of true Beauty and Faithfulness.
The psalmist exhorts us to Bless the Lord, to praise the uncreated one who dwells in eternal light and Being. He is unchanging and good and holy, we are not. Even our moments of transcendence and happiness are fleeting; death ever awaits. As for man his days are like grass. My grandfather knows this. A Jew, he remembers with His people the years of wandering, the fire and the pillar, the thundering from on high-- The Lord our God the Lord is one. But he also knows that God does not stand far off, but comes to His people and binds Himself to them in a covenant. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. Of course, neither we nor the people of Israel of old could keep the covenant or the Law but God was still faithful. He himself bore the covenant in His body, suffering for our disobedience, in unfathomable love. What comfort we have in this. Even the most sustained marriages cannot offer love from everlasting to everlasting, but when God covenants Himself to His Bride, the marriage is eternally kept. Though I often embody the words of the prophet Jeremiah--"Does the maiden forget her adornments or the bride her wedding dress? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without number",--God never forgets His promise. His promise of redemption and sanctification, of being united to Him for all time. Bless the Lord, Oh my Soul!
I am so grateful for the example of love and fidelity of my Nana and Pops. And grateful moreover, that it hearkens to something deeper and greater, the love of God for His people that extends throughout the ages in perfect covenant love.
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