Dear Faith Family,
Last week, I invited you into an epiphany moment I'm having. One of those (sometimes drawn-out) moments where what you know--what's latent in your understanding, beliefs, faith--suddenly comes to the forefront and is observable in real life.
At least for me, such occurrences are often sparked by encountering the familiar in an unfamiliar way or an unexpected place. In this particular instance, the freshness was kicked started by this translation of one of Jesus' well-known statements,
Now that I've put you on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:16)
At this point, let me offer again an invitation to continue with me into the depths of Jesus' insistence, as well as an opportunity to not! While I'd very much like for you to keep reading, if you don't, know that I love you, I am grateful for you, and I long with you to see your life lived whole and holy in Jesus!
Now, if you're still with me, I assume you've meditated at least some on Jesus' assumption that daily we know and experience the generosity of our Father in heaven. Our Father's generosity, as Jesus said, comes in the midst, and often through, the trials and tribulations of daily living by faith, what Paul calls the "birth pangs" of the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Hopefully, the Spirit has both encouraged and challenged you (as he has me) to understand that our existence is built on and lived out of God's generosity--amid every difficulty and goodness. If that's so, then the question becomes, where do we go from there?
The answer is nowhere! Or rather, we're already there. Notice the location (and how we've got there) of the opening line of the verse, "Now that I've put you on a hilltop, on a light stand..."
Where are we, "Now"? On a hilltop and a lampstand. How did we get here? God put us here. Simple enough. However, if you are like me, I am often on the lookout for what's around the corner, the next thing in life and faith that will help me be or do what I desire. In other words, I'm often looking out for somewhere else. Do you ever catch yourself doing the same thing?
Now, if I'm honest, my rather persistent (and societally encouraged) surveying of the terrain often leaves me feeling that a full and fruitful life is "always a day away," in the ever-elusive "Tomorrow, tomorrow..." (Fun aside, Lily's been singing those words for the last couple of months as she was in an abbreviated version of the musical Annie earlier this summer...and did awesomely!)
Back to our epiphany! While hope always has a forward gaze, the tension within me that Jesus' words raise is that he assumes tomorrow is today. He's not on the lookout for what's next, but the fullness of what is. Without rehashing the intended symbolism of a hilltop city and lampstand, suffice it to say that Jesus assumes that right now we are where (geographically and relationally) true life, in all its goodness and beauty, can be known and shared.
Do you believe that? Do we believe that every day, as long as it's called "today," is lived at the peak of life, for the joy of all life?
Jesus believed it was and assumed that we would too. So what keeps us from believing and thus knowing and sharing? We'll need to answer that question if we want to keep going on our journey.
So, let Jesus' assumption poke around your heart this week. Use it to invite the Holy Spirit to examen your ambitions and anxieties. Think about how often your mind wanders into "tomorrow" and how much of your resources (mentally, spiritually, emotionally, as well as financially) are spent there. If Jesus assumes tomorrow is today, what here today am I missing out on with my love (or worry) for tomorrow?
There's still more to get into in our verse, and we will. But Jesus assumes that right here is where we'll find it--to God's glory, our good, and the joy of all the earth (Ps. 48:1-2). May it be so for us this week.
Love you, faith family! God bless.