Monday, May 12, 2008
1 John 1:1-10- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
(1 John 1:3)
Saturday's OT reading was from Ezekiel 36, another one of my favorite OT Scriptures. It speaks of being sprinkled clean with clean water and given a new heart and a new spirit - even God's Spirit. And yesterday's OT lesson in church was a parallel passage from Ezekiel 11. These wonderful Scriptures evoke a similar frustration as I shared the other day about Jeremiah 31, and the promise of a new covenant and of the law being written on our hearts.
That frustration, again, is simply the honest reflection that in many ways I don't seem to have a new heart. This cry is further intensified, for example, in our Tuesday night study of the Sermon on the Mount - "how do I get this new heart?!" Or, acknowledging that I have a partial softening of my hard heart, or some newness in there, or seeds that are indeed sprouting to some degree, is there anything I can do to enhance the new life in me?
I'm mulling this over this week in anticipation of preaching this Sunday, Trinity Sunday. I see some direction and encouragement in John's epistle today. He says he's telling us the story of Jesus in order that we might share in fellowship with them and the Father and Jesus. Whatever it all means, there's something extremely important about being in fellowship with the Father and the Son (and the Spirit) and with God's people. I think, or I hope, that there's something about being immersed in the community of life that can marinate my heart and keep it the soft heart of flesh God put in me.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in eternal relationship of giving and receiving, of glorying in, and glorifying, one another, of loving and blessing one another... some have called this an eternal "dance" (eg. Larry Crabb in Connecting, I think). If I'm brought into that community, in one sense I can liken it to a line dance or a square dance, where just by taking a hand I join in. I'm not forced to do it, or threatened if I won't, but while I may not really want to dance, if I take a hand on either side I'm kind of swept into it - the fellowship, the big story, the sheer joy, all kind of overwhelms my heart and I might even get a smile on my face (!).
"Have mercy on us, Son of David."
"Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord."
"According to your faith, be it done to you ."
(Jesus and 2 blind men, Matthew 9:27-31)
Praise the LORD!
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
(Psalm 106:1)
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