Sunday August 26,
2018 21st Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)
Where Shall We Go?
The tie in between
today’s readings: Faith Grounded in History is Trusting for the Future.
Psalm 34: 2-3 and 16-21,
Joshua 24: 1-2 and 15-18, Ephesians 5: 21-32, John 6: 60-69
So, I’m watching
TV when an advertisement for a Mutual Fund comes on. The narrator is explaining
to me that this is a great investment because of the success it has had in the
market for the past five years. Despite
the disclaimer that past performance doesn’t indicate future outcome, he still
asks you to trust them and buy their fund because of history. Like investments,
trust or faith is grounded in history and tries to make a sensible calculation
of the future. At times you will be wrong, but try to live your life without
it. Buying a gift, planning a vacation, or even getting married: it all takes
faith. In the Bible, our faith pleases
God because it acknowledges His attributes and gives Him credit that He’ll do
what He says. Faith has you act with a
divinely ordered set of priorities as you live your life based on God’s
promises and direction.
Our reading is
Joshua chapter 24. Joshua gathers the nation together and reviews their history
with God from Abraham up to their present situation. Based on this, the people
pledge their faithful to God for the future. David, in Psalm 34, also
encourages us to trust in God for our future based upon his own history with
the Lord. Jesus speaks spiritually about
Himself being the Bread of Life. No one understands it. No one believes it and
the crowd leaves, shaking their heads and thinking that the man they wanted to
be their earthly king is nuttier than a Pay Day© bar. Jesus asks the Apostles
if they will also leave Him. They don’t know any more theology than the people
turning away, but they know Jesus. Their history leads them to trust Him. Peter
asks a perceptive question: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of
eternal life. We have believed and come to know that You are the Holy One of
God.” It’s all faith based on history.
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Now the hard part: In the Christian life, faith
translates into obedience. “God said it. I believe it. That settles it!” Great
in theory, but the real challenge is when God tells you to do the hard thing
that grates against your very fiber: like forgive your enemy, or give up a
habit, or even submit to your husband. In today’s reading, Paul in his letter
to the Ephesians gives a beautiful picture of how the marriage relationship
mirrors the union of Christ and His Church. This passage is often resisted by
the wife in this age of feminism. There’s a breakdown somewhere. It’s difficult
for a woman to let herself become venerable. Can you blame her? Look at the man she is supposed to be
subordinate to. Husbands have the daunting task of loving, caring, and
cherishing their wives as Jesus cares for His bride. A lot of times they’re
MIA. Guys! Your wife’s submission has to be earned by a consistent Christ-like
walk within your relationship. So, love her, die for her, and take out the
trash!
Bottom line is:
we walk by faith not by sight. We have a personal God who does not lie or fail.
We know that, in this case, past performance does indicate future outcomes. We
believe that the One who has proven Himself in history can guide us through the
flow of life. A door closes, another opens. A struggle comes and is overcome. We don’t have to understand it all and we’re not
going to. But, we can face life’s challenges, as they come, with confidence,
knowing that the One who loved us, even to die on a cross, hasn’t brought us
this far to drop us now. Where else would you even want to go? The Christian
life is an adventure with God. All adventures require faith; why have faith if
you can’t test it?
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