Devotional Thot 3

This last week, I was in charge of introducing the topic in the first service, and that meant that I didn't need the accountability afforded by the internet. I also didn't want to post my devotional thought and spoil it for the hoardes who are regulars of both Crapilano and the casuist... In either case, here is the belated post. It is longer than a standard devotional thot. It might even be more properly considered a "thought."

There is a grave temptation, when you are asked to be the speaker, to search for something profound, something new, a realization that no one else has ever made; the communion service is not the place for theological prognostications, it is a place for being reminded of what we already know. It is a place where we renew our confidence and hear the same story, the old story, of sinners ransomed from the fall. I am tempted to find something post-modern and intellectually rigorous to say, and all week I was disappointed, a little Jonah perhaps, knowing that I would end up talking about God’s love. God’s love! As I got closer to the moment when I would speak, I remembered that there is nothing ordinary or infantile about the realization that we are loved by God – it is (at best) an implausible message that has become routine and predictable in the retelling. It is good to be reminded that we are gathered at this table because God loves us. Perhaps it is a vestige of my upbringing; somehow I still believe that anything worth saying is worth saying in three points.

1. God’s call is personal: God’s call competes for our ear with so much noise. All around us are advertisements, subtle and not so subtle, that offer satisfaction. “Snickers really satisfies you.” Imagine my disappointment when I learned that snickers is a kind of chocolate bar! So many things clamor for my attention, so many temptations and distractions and promises, but God knows my name. God is seeking me. God knows us; has known us since before the foundation of the earth, and still loves us. I admit I cannot understand why. I am here because God loves me.
2. Without love, the rest doesn’t really matter. We’ve been taught since birth, and rightly so, that it is faith alone that saves us. But if we only believe, if we do not love God and the people around us, then what will distinguish our faith from the faith that James describes in the second chapter of his epistle? “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” (James 2:19) James goes on to tell us exactly what he means, a message that is summed up by Paul in Galatians 5 verse 6: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Faith is more than mere intellectual assent. It’s more than just believing the things, or committing to memory the right principles. Faith does more than merely saying the right words. And this bring us to the final point…
3. Love is not, and cannot be merely our knowing God. It is larger than that. Since birth, I have been taught about God. I have learned about his history and covenant with the people of Israel; I have heard about his character; I can recite a list of truths about God and his ways without even really breaking a sweat. But I have been learning that this is not enough. Amazingly, it is not enough for me to know God. God loves me, and as hard as it is to believe, God wants to know me. In Galatians, Paul makes a special point of pointing this fact out when discusses the change that has come for those who formerly did not know God. Galatians 4:8 “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God – or rather are known by God – how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles?” The point I want to stress is the same point that Paul stops to emphasize to the Galatians: they know God, and just as importantly, God knows them. I want to ask you to imagine sitting down with a friend, and asking him about his new marriage. He smiles, and gazes languidly into the middle distance, and, with great sighs and a visible affection, he holds forth. “She’s wonderful, man. She’s… she’s everything I ever wanted, and she’s a bunch of things I needed and never knew to ask for. She’s lovely, she’s kind to me, she smells wonderful, and I don’t think she knows the first thing about me. She buys me little gifts, and sometimes she sings when she first gets out of bed… and… yeah, the best part is, she doesn’t know me at all. Frankly, I don’t think she’s even interested to learn!” I don’t need to tell you, there is something misplaced in this relationship. It is tempting to be silent and secretive, particularly early in a relationship; if they don’t know the truth about your secrets and your flaws, maybe they won’t be able to gather enough evidence to leave you. I guess this is something akin to the wisdom of the sage who advised, “Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” But a relationship is not possible without communication and knowledge in both directions. I have always been struck by the fact at what Jesus tells those who called “Lord, Lord” but did not do the will of the Father. (This is recorded in Matthew 7:21-23) “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.’” It seems important, that Jesus says, not “You never knew me,” but “I never knew you.” I have struggled for years to admit my failings, the failings that I know he has seen, to God. But above all things, I want to be loved by God, and this is a part of that.