Having Nothing but God

There’s a song in “Porgy & Bess” in which a guy–Sportin’ Life?–sings, “I God Plenty of Nuthin’ and Nuthin’s Plenty for Me”. I admit to a bit of ambivalence: my Franciscan side tells me that all things are from God, and therefore good; yet this weekend’s scriptures insist that we need to rid ourselves of all things superfluous. Or at least not value them so highly. Ah, NOW we’re getting at it…

JEREMIAH 17:5-10 makes me a bit uncomfortable. It’s a matter of trust, isn’t it? If we trust in God, our roots will find the water of life in the river; otherwise we’re like a dried shrub in a seasonal desert, enjoying–maybe thriving in!–the occasional shower. But in desert days, we grow weak; we have no resources upon which to fall back. Jeremiah calls each of us to ready our hearts for regular searching: our fickleness again demands that we trust the heart of GOD more than our own.

St. Paul goes to great lengths to tell the CORITHIAN Church that Christ has really been raised from the dead (I 15:12-20). Does God really value physical existence when so many people have died from war or starvation or some other malady? For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus (and ourselves) is central to our belief system, otherwise Christianity would be reduced to only a morality suggested by Jesus. Perhaps this is where Martin Luther is coming from when he espouses the doctrine of Sola Fide.

LUKE 6:17-26 remembers some uncomfortable teachings of Jesus, the “Blessings” and the “Woes”. These contrast the attitude of God towards those that have everything and those who have nothing. The passage sees to tell us not just to eliminate things that clutter our lives, but also to devalue and give away things that are important to us! Even my stamp collection? It’s evidently not our THINGS that separate us from God, it’s the value we ascribe to them! “God is turning the world upside down, and taking discipleship far beyond a simple ‘follow me’ to a level of sacrifice that is nothing less than daunting.” (David L. Ostendorf, in FEASTING on the WORD C 1:358)

Therein is our woe. God doesn’t accept our partial housecleaning. How much can I empty myself, turn away from the System and have nothing but God? Do I need anything more?

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

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