the church of the
ascension
in the city of
new york
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday, March 23
Psalm 89:1-18 / Jeremiah 16:10-21 /
John 6:1-15
Did God change?
Somewhere between the Old and New Testaments, did he suspect he was messing up as a parent? Did he have a symposium with Benjamin Spock and Lee Salk and decide to give up on corporal punishment and send us a little love instead?
In Psalm 89, the writer extols God's "steadfast love." His "faithfulness ... as firm as the heavens," praising Him for David and the covenant with His people. But, suddenly, at verse 38, God has "renounced the covenant," "spurned and rejected" David and the people. Yoiks!
Another example of apparently horrifying, capricious parenting comes up in our section from Jeremiah: "because you have behaved worse than your ancestors refusing to listen to me ... I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have known ... for I will show you no favor." However, in the next breath, God says that later, after the Babylonians and Egyptians finish bashing the Jews, he "will bring them back to their own land" that he "gave to their ancestors."
Segue to the New Testament, to John's account of the loaves and the fishes. Could there be a more generous, loving Father? He sends Jesus, not to knock our heads together, but to miraculously feed us — with love and compassion and forgiveness for our "stubborn evil will." Then again, there was Jesus' hideous murder — was that God ... or was that us?
Did God really change? Or is it our perception? There are still devout people who perceive a punishing, retributive hand in natural disasters, wars and disease. When "stuff happens" to me, personally, is it God? Is it me? Where do we draw the line? Do we draw a line? Or ... is there a devil in these details?
— Gretchen Dumler
John 6:1-15
Did God change?
Somewhere between the Old and New Testaments, did he suspect he was messing up as a parent? Did he have a symposium with Benjamin Spock and Lee Salk and decide to give up on corporal punishment and send us a little love instead?
In Psalm 89, the writer extols God's "steadfast love." His "faithfulness ... as firm as the heavens," praising Him for David and the covenant with His people. But, suddenly, at verse 38, God has "renounced the covenant," "spurned and rejected" David and the people. Yoiks!
Another example of apparently horrifying, capricious parenting comes up in our section from Jeremiah: "because you have behaved worse than your ancestors refusing to listen to me ... I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your ancestors have known ... for I will show you no favor." However, in the next breath, God says that later, after the Babylonians and Egyptians finish bashing the Jews, he "will bring them back to their own land" that he "gave to their ancestors."
Segue to the New Testament, to John's account of the loaves and the fishes. Could there be a more generous, loving Father? He sends Jesus, not to knock our heads together, but to miraculously feed us — with love and compassion and forgiveness for our "stubborn evil will." Then again, there was Jesus' hideous murder — was that God ... or was that us?
Did God really change? Or is it our perception? There are still devout people who perceive a punishing, retributive hand in natural disasters, wars and disease. When "stuff happens" to me, personally, is it God? Is it me? Where do we draw the line? Do we draw a line? Or ... is there a devil in these details?
— Gretchen Dumler
