How do you answer
God’s call to relationship?
The prophet Baruch
seeks to console the people of Israel who have lived in exile in Babylon, for
God has released them from captivity at
the word of the Holy One. Although
they have done nothing to deserve it, God is restoring them to relationship, for
the children of Jerusalem are remembered by God. In so doing, God removes all barriers,
sustaining them as they advance secure in
the glory of God. God wants nothing
more than relationship with us. And so
the psalmist can sing, in Psalm 126, The
Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. The people are able to give thanks to God who
has restored them to their home, fulfilling their every longing.
Their response to the restoration of relationship is one of joy!
In Jesus’ time,
the restoration to relationship depends first on John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance, a life-altering
moment for the people, who can no longer return to their past identities. John calls them to metanoia, to change from
their self-centered, self-dependent lives to lives that are God-centered, God-dependent. This is how we, too, are to prepare, to answer
God’s call to relationship. When the
Word of God comes to you, it’s not an option, it’s a direction – an incitement
to conversion, to change, to transformation.
And, as for past peoples, God removes all barriers to relationship: every
mountain and hill shall be made low, Luke says, so that, as Paul will later
tell the Philippians, their (and our) love
may increase ever more and more.
Nothing stands in their way, just as nothing stands in our way – nothing
stands in the way of our relationship with God, who wills us to be restored to
God, that we might be joyful, joy-filled, filled with joy in God’s
presence! What better way to respond to
God’s call to relationship than to rejoice in that relationship, secure in our
love for Christ, and for the world.
This post is based
on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordle.net
No comments:
Post a Comment