Getting Ahead

My father-in-law had a knack of saying funny things without realizing it. One day when Marie and I were first engaged, he and I were discussing my life-prospects and possibilities. I told him, “Someday, I’ll get ahead”; to which he replied, “Yes, and you’ll probably need one”. {!!} Scriptural texts read during worship on the upcoming weekend are two cautionary tales plus some ways of doing the Christian life.

JEREMIAH 2:4-13 finds our boy immediately (?) taking on the people of God, grown careless about their part of the Covenant. He says that they’ve forgotten their ancient holy-history and derisively chortle, “Where is the Lord?” They’ve addressed things as equally important as YHWH: “But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.” Two evils are noted–1) that they’ve forsaken God, the fountain of living water; and 2) they’ve dug out cracked cisterns that can NEVER hold living water… It’s a small leap forward to our own culture, where many things and values are idolized.

The Letter to the HEBREWS gives us some possibilities of living the life of a disciple (13:1-8, 15-16). I especially like the bit about offering hospitality to all, ’cause they might be angels! Among other things, we’re encouraged to reverence those who introduced us to God’s Presence: “Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Nothing particularly new about this; it’s a reiteration of the message God gave from the beginning. “Do not neglect to do good [by following the way of Jesus] and to share what you have…”

Ah, how great I am! LUKE 14:1, 7-14 recalls a story that Jesus offered about choosing your seats at a dinner, or maybe standing last in line at the pot-luck. It’s supposed to make us uncomfortable, since most of us think more highly of ourselves than others do! King Arthur had the right idea by making his table round…and we read with horror the concluding legend of the knights’ vanity as they fell away from the “brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.” Compare this with the Table of Our Lord, which shares a holy essence with ALL who come, especially the imperfect and the downtrodden.

So…how do I get to be more humble? How do I pull down the idols of my shiny toys which stand between me and the God of Forever? Maybe I should start to follow the way of Jesus more closely, and to share my many riches with others who could use them? Tomorrow…

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My ruminations about the texts assigned for the upcoming weekend continue each Tuesday: come help me chew over what I believe to be a message from God.