Imagining the Lectionary: a sense of God's presence energises us for Mission and inspires us for Life (Proper 23A; Ordinary 28A)
contributor: David Perry
Description
Imagining the Lectionary: a sense of God's presence energises us for Mission and inspires us for Life (Proper 23A; Ordinary 28A)
Reflection accompanying images “energised for mission”, “inspired for life” and “a sense of Gods wholeness”
There is something deeply human about trusting in what we can see, touch and comprehend. In these matters of trustworthiness, reliability is prized and to be dependable is a real asset. Small wonder then that the people of God craved regular and tangible signs and reminders of the divine presence, because these were what they felt they needed in order to keep them on track. Their plea to Aaron in Exodus 34 could not be clearer: "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” The fickle and fraught nature of their attachment issues blights their faith and their sense of God's presence is in fact more accurately described as an abiding fear and suspicion of God's absence. The fact that God has led them out of Egypt and taken them from the 'there' of servitude to the 'here' of freedom doesn't really impinge evidentially or substantially on their collective faith-consciousness. A golden calf they can see and touch: God they cannot. And Moses is nowhere to be seen either. That these raw feelings are narrated in such an up-front way is a sure sign that there is a vital object lesson being communicated here: faith demands a different sort of perception of presence and a more demanding basis for trust.
Continues...
Reflection accompanying images “energised for mission”, “inspired for life” and “a sense of Gods wholeness”
There is something deeply human about trusting in what we can see, touch and comprehend. In these matters of trustworthiness, reliability is prized and to be dependable is a real asset. Small wonder then that the people of God craved regular and tangible signs and reminders of the divine presence, because these were what they felt they needed in order to keep them on track. Their plea to Aaron in Exodus 34 could not be clearer: "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” The fickle and fraught nature of their attachment issues blights their faith and their sense of God's presence is in fact more accurately described as an abiding fear and suspicion of God's absence. The fact that God has led them out of Egypt and taken them from the 'there' of servitude to the 'here' of freedom doesn't really impinge evidentially or substantially on their collective faith-consciousness. A golden calf they can see and touch: God they cannot. And Moses is nowhere to be seen either. That these raw feelings are narrated in such an up-front way is a sure sign that there is a vital object lesson being communicated here: faith demands a different sort of perception of presence and a more demanding basis for trust.
Continues...
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