Do You Really Believe in God?
This
marks the third and last week on our journey through the magnificent book of
Job. Two weeks ago we examined dangerous theological questions the author dared
to ask. In the face of the Deuteronomic Code which states if you are good, good
things will happen, but if you are evil, you actions will catch up to you, the
writer of Job explores the question of bad things happening to good
people. This question leads to a
difficult examination of who is God and where is God in the midst of tragedy.
Last
week we followed our burdened traveler as Job moved from conversations with his
friends to an attempted confrontation with God. Job had questions that begged
to be resolved. But God would not operate on Job’s timetable. Job’s rants
resulted in silence, perhaps suggesting God sometimes grows weary of our
constant complaints.
Bravely,
and I hope anxiously, we approach Chapter 38, the centerpiece of this great
work. God finally speaks and while they are not exactly the words Job desired,
they perfectly illustrate the author’s intention to remind us that God is God,
and we are not.
Instead
of answers, Job receives his own set of questions. “Where were you when I laid
the foundations of the earth? Who determined the measurements? Who laid the
cornerstone? Can you make it rain? Can you send forth the lightening? Did you
give wisdom to the mind?”
Where were you?
Who
are you?
What
do you know?
Thirty-five years ago I
took basic theology under John Leith at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Leith
lectured for fifty minutes, never lookimg up from his notes. At the end of the
class he wrote our assignment on the board and headed for the door. A classmate
respectfully called out, “Dr. Leith, I have a question.” Dr. Leith turned and
uttered these words. “Sir, this is Theology 101. You do not know enough to have
a question. Would you take advance Calculus before knowing 1 plus 1 equals two?
When you have learned enough theology to ask questions, I will answer them. But
that will not happen this semester. ” With that, he left the room.
Who doesn’t desire
answers to the mysteries of the universe? Job pushes theological buttons no
other book in the Old Testament dares address. But then, in an incredible
demonstration of faith, the author of Job not only refuses to answer the very
questions raised, he reminds us, in a most condescending way, that there is an
unimaginable gap between the mind of God and humankind.
Who are we?
Where
were we?
What
do we know?
If
we believe in God, do we dare question the intentions of the Almighty? God’s
discourse out of the whirlwind is intended to show us our lack of power and
wisdom. But does this demonstration limit our conversations about God? While I hope
not, it reminds believers to begin any faith conversation with the affirmation
that this is God’s world.
William
Sloane Coffin was one of my favorite preachers of the last thirty years. He tells
the story of an incident when he was an undergraduate student at Yale. In a
tragic accident three of his friends were killed in an automobile crash. At the
funeral, Coffin was sickened by the piety of the priest when he quoted from the
book of Job, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blest be the name of
the Lord.” Coffin was so outraged by the response he wanted to openly confront the
priest after the service. But a voice inside his brain asked, “Coffin, what
part of the phrase are you objecting
to?” Coffin’s initial response was how could the Lord take away his friends?
But
then a strange realization came over Coffin. He was really protesting the initial
statement, “The Lord Gave!” For the first time in his life Coffin was keenly
aware that this was not his world. At best, he was only a guest.
Who are you?
Where were you?
What do you know?
James
and John were having a casual conversation with Jesus when they boldly asked,
“When this is all over, can we sit at your right and left hand?” They were
boldly asking to be given the best seats at the table. They knew Jesus was the
guy, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be nominated for best supporting
actors.
Jesus
looked at them with a face that must have expressed the pain of the world. “You
have no idea what you are asking? Can you drink of the cup which I am about to
drink? Are you willing to bear the sins of the world?”
Who are You?
Where were you?
What do you know?
Believing
in God is a no brainer when one looks to the Blue Ridge Mountains on a day like
this. But do we modern folks still
believe that ghastly and dehumanizing symbol of the cross really matters? Evangelicals preach the cross but only as it
relates to individuals after death. Progressive Christians say less and less
about the crucifixion, preferring to preach ethics and human responsibility. Is
Jesus in danger of becoming another example of an innocent victim? Will the
impact of the cross and the concept of grace disappear from our theological
language?
As
progressive as I imagine myself being, I still believe in the reality of sin. I
still believe sin not only enslaves me, but corrupts the whole of humanity. I
still believe the cross, God’s holy intervention, was necessary to rectify
something we cannot do for ourselves. I am well aware we avoid the language of
sin. Perhaps, contrary to all the evidence before us, we doubt we are really sinners
and believe we are perfectly capable shaping an ideal world.
So how are WE doing?
Where were WE when God imagined the
universe?
Where were WE when God intervened
against the powers of sin and death?
Sometimes,
when the questions are too large or my heart too heavy, despite my love of theologians
such as Brunner, Tillich, Moltmann, and Borg, I put them back on the shelf and
return scriptures like Psalm 116.
I
love the Lord because God hears my voice.
When
the snares of death are upon me, when I have suffered distress or anguish, I
cry out.
Despite
the darkness in my soul a small voice sings,
The
Lord is Gracious, Righteous, and Merciful.
The
Lord is Steadfast in Love.
What
shall I return to the Lord for all of God’s bounty?
I
will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
Who
am I?
Where was I?
What do I know?
Regardless what the stock market does, regardless who
is killed in Baltimore or the Middle East, regardless which politician implodes,
and regardless if my team wins or loses, the leaves are still turning orange,
the geese are still headed south, and a nip of fall is still in the air. Regardless how often I am overwhelmed by the
weight of this world, when I stop, and look, and remember, I am astonished at
what God has done and what God promises to do tomorrow.
Bless the Lord, O My Soul. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment