Epiphany 4 / OT 4
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles....
-- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
In many ways, Christians are divided into two camps. There are those who want to base their faith on signs. The proof of their faith is contained in the miraculous stories of the unexplainable. A young man is filled with cancer, and with prayers of the faithful, he is suddenly free of cancer. A woman is overwhelmed with economic problems, and suddenly a check arrives in the mail for the exact amount she needs. No wonder Jesus was tempted to throw himself off of the temple and demonstrate a miraculous rescue. The dramatic has drawing power. Another camp wants their faith to be fully rational. God must obey the laws of the universe to be acceptable. Miracles are but primitive descriptions that, with sufficient wisdom, can be explained. The demons Jesus exorcised were really psychological blocks that, with deft insight, Jesus overcame. The resurrection was but a metaphor for hope. In between those camps, Paul preached Christ crucified, which is neither a miracle nor a logical way to overcome evil. There are events in our lives that defy rational explanation. We can give thanks for such events but clearly cannot control when they occur. Our faith operates largely in a rational world. Yet in this world, when evil occurs, we know that God is not powerless to defeat such evil. Because of the cross, we know that God can take that which is evil and transform it into redemptive possibilities. "For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength."
-- 1 Corinthians 1:23-24
In many ways, Christians are divided into two camps. There are those who want to base their faith on signs. The proof of their faith is contained in the miraculous stories of the unexplainable. A young man is filled with cancer, and with prayers of the faithful, he is suddenly free of cancer. A woman is overwhelmed with economic problems, and suddenly a check arrives in the mail for the exact amount she needs. No wonder Jesus was tempted to throw himself off of the temple and demonstrate a miraculous rescue. The dramatic has drawing power. Another camp wants their faith to be fully rational. God must obey the laws of the universe to be acceptable. Miracles are but primitive descriptions that, with sufficient wisdom, can be explained. The demons Jesus exorcised were really psychological blocks that, with deft insight, Jesus overcame. The resurrection was but a metaphor for hope. In between those camps, Paul preached Christ crucified, which is neither a miracle nor a logical way to overcome evil. There are events in our lives that defy rational explanation. We can give thanks for such events but clearly cannot control when they occur. Our faith operates largely in a rational world. Yet in this world, when evil occurs, we know that God is not powerless to defeat such evil. Because of the cross, we know that God can take that which is evil and transform it into redemptive possibilities. "For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength."
