Living in the moment is often
offered as “good” advice, but such counsel can be and is fraught with peril.
The prophet Joel presents a different instruction— live in the big picture. In
each season, rain may fall or drought may come upon the land. Tragedy may meet
us one day, joy the next. In the moment, things may be great or they may be
awful. But wisdom comes to us when we step back and see the cycles and the
peaks and valleys over time. The ups and downs of day-to-day living are
dramatic, but over time all things average out.
When we see all of life, we
remember the good with the bad, the comfort with the affliction, the joy with
the tragedy. And when we see the whole rather than the parts, it is much easier
to see the hand of God in all. The assurance of God’s providence is the key to
our perseverance. Each time we encounter distress or loss or discomfort, we
stand fast in the knowledge that it will pass with the season, and we will once
more know peace and comfort and calm. The sufferings of the present moment will
pass away, and we will know once more the great love and care of God.
In the most trying and taxing
times, we remember to turn to God, the source of our salvation. This is the
true gift of prophecy— to remind us what we should know, but sometimes forget
when times get tough. We often think of prophecy as foretelling the future, but
true prophecy is the means by which God speaks the Word through human beings.
Joel does nothing more than allow God to speak God’s Word— all things will
indeed work for good with those who love and believe.
When I was in seminary, one
memorable chapel service began with the worship leader taping pieces of paper
onto one of the doors in the chapel. That was our call to worship: a recreation
of Luther’s historic posting of his ninety-five theses on the door at
Wittenberg. At the time, I believed that the seminary was in a period of
transition. I’m not sure that those of us who were students during that period
would refer to what was going on as “reformation,” but I suppose it was.
It felt like turmoil at the
time. In Aotearoa it was a time of accepting gender equality, a time of Maori
renaissance leading to the culture of the indigenous people taking its rightful
place within Church life and the antiapartheid activities during tours by the
racially chosen South African Rugby team. For me at the time I remember feeling
rather uncertain as to how to react. The turmoil in the college left me feeling
as though the place I had come to trust was not quite as safe as I had thought
it to be. We never know exactly what will come of our taking a stand, whether
it be nailing the truth out in plain sight or in finally admitting to God where
we have fallen short.
Our brother Martin Luther
never intended to split the church or to start a movement. He did not wait for
a safe time or a safe place, but rather worked from within the church he loved
but saw as flawed to bring about lasting change that mattered. One wonders who
will be the Reformers of our day, especially as here in Australia we seek
marriage equality. Who among us will say, “Here I stand, I can do no other”?
True transformation requires us to take our eyes off the ones next to us— even
the Pharisees— to fully see and realise grace in our midst. In that light, I
would like to say may God pour out the Spirit on us today!
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