These
Reflections originally appeared as Signposts
in May, 2005.
Go
Forth
The novelist Kurt Vonnegut tells us that “an unexpected
travel invitation is a dancing lesson from God.” So, too,
do the unlooked-for opportunities of our lives often prove to
be.
On
the way is who we are
Abraham
and Sarah were the ancestors of the people of Israel, whose cultural
identity was destined to be tied up forever with their wandering.
But it is not just the Hebrew people who are strangers and pilgrims
in this world: so are we all.
Singing
the Lord's Song
It is painfully difficult to praise God among hostile strangers,
to sing of love and trust from the midst of captivity and exile.
Nonetheless, that is sometimes what we are called—and empowered—to
do.
Rescue
Sometimes we fall, and must be helped to rise again. And sometimes
we are caught in a trap, ensnared in a peril we did not see coming.
Food
for the Journey
Sometimes, when we are worn out and sunk in a kind of self-destructive
lethargy, God must wake us up and insist that we strengthen ourselves,
and then send us on the road again.
Lord
of the Dance
As
God uniquely called and sent Jesus, his only begotten Son, to
do his redeeming work in the world, so Jesus called and sent his
disciples—and so he calls and sends us, inviting us to follow
where he leads us.
Strong
Joy
We may forget that the most abiding perseverance is sustained
not by self-will but by joy.
For Christians, the joy of our Risen Lord is indeed what gives
us life.
The
Way
In Christ, the human dynamic of being creatures “on
the way” encounters the deeper mystery, the sacred dynamic,
of the One who is the Way: the God who is at once our
goal, our motive power, and the road by which we travel.
Perserverance
Undoubtedly there were times when the Israelites sojourning in
Sinai followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire
by night more doggedly than easily.
Guideposts
Sometimes we can only see the pattern in our lives by looking
back, only discern the meaning of an experience by returning to
it in memory.
Press
On
Like Lot’s wife, we sometimes lament to ourselves, “If
only.…” “What if?” we ask ourselves. And
we risk wasting time on what cannot be changed, while God is urging
us forward instead.
Staying
with God-with-us
Undeniably,
Ruth is an appealing image of the homesick pilgrim. But it occurs
to me that she could also be the emblem of a faithful disciple.
Away
from the Presence of the Lord
Sometimes
we “entreat God not to leave us,” as Ruth begged Naomi.
Sometimes, on the other hand, we can't get away from God fast
enough. Sometimes the presence of the Lord seems to be the last
thing we want.
Home
The English poets and the ancient writer of Deuteronomy share
the insight that God alone is our beginning and our end, our dwelling
place, our home.
