The Power of Abstract Thought Made Manifest Through Grace

The Power of Abstract Thought Made Manifest Through Grace

Good Morning Friends,

Ok I am barefoot as I am writing this. Maybe it is not Holy Ground but then again maybe it is a calling to respond to a burning bush’s enlightenment connecting thought and grace stirred up by faith…a faith that rests on the power of God as the source of inspiration. And what I am thinking about is the life of Moses, the Exodus hero, and how the law giver brings us iconic stories of how to live with guilt while believing in an invisible God that would deny him entry into the promised land and how Jesus leads us through these stories, making them his own, even to the point of becoming guilt so Moses and we too might be set free through The Power of Abstract Thought Made Manifest Through Grace.

Scripture: After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, “My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:1-9 (NRSV)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

Matthew 17:1–9 (NRSV)

Message: The Transfiguration of Jesus is an episode in the Gospel narrative in which a miracle of Jesus happens to Jesus himself. But it also happens to Moses. What happens is that Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light and becomes radiant upon a mountain. One of the amazing things about it is that here in this moment Moses makes it into the Promised Land and hears as Jesus hears God call Jesus “Son” which is also the Egyptian name of the meaning of Moses. Here is a moment of grace in a conversation we can only imagine. Friends, when we live story formed lives in the covenant of Abraham, blessing others because we have been blessed… when our feet walk on the holy ground that brings experience of God’s presence in our life… when as a burning bush’s flames our passion and the promise of God to Moses is ignited… when we cross the Jordan with Joshua in the courage and boldness of leadership…  then we get a glimpse of Christ, the Word made flesh, the wisdom and the way of Jesus leading us on the path to the real Promised Land.
We too often like the Hebrews come out of the wilderness on a journey where we must fight battles to conquer our isolation and so claim the intimacy of a committed loving relationship that has been pledged; we too must overcome the stagnation of wandering in the desert of life so we might become productive in generating stronger community. But then, as we mature, we fight and finally the war is won but not of our own doing. This is the journey of our lives and in them God conquers in and through us, touching our hearts so that we might leave behind old miracles to claim a place of grace in the continuing story of the Kingdom of God. Think about the connection from old to new. We too are in a foreign land under the sentence of death and in bondage, but take shelter under the blood of the lamb. Our mediator led us out, and we crossed over. Now we’re on our way to the Promised Land, though we’re not there yet. But he has given us his law to make us a community, and he has given us a tabernacle because we must live by grace and forgiveness. And he is present in our midst, and he will stay with us until we arrive home in the Kingdom to come. Friends, God has given us the gift of abstract thought through our collective belief in an invisible God and then manifested its power in an active personal principle of the in working of the Holy Spirit of Grace so we might experience God’s truth.

Pray we experience the miracle of grace in the present and future Kingdom. Pray we become servant leaders in God’s story. Pray we
look to the future with a vision of faith. Pray we realize that every leader must be trusted or they cannot lead. Pray we not ignore the command that we are to possess God’s promises.  Pray we are obedient. Pray we act according to God’s good purpose. Pray we live in the love and the Word of God with integrity. Pray we ponder what it means to be a leader like Joshua…a leader like Moses…a greater leader like Jesus.
Pray we are courageous and strong in facing life’s battles. Pray we are never paralyzed by the past.  Pray we understand that we need grace to believe. Pray we love to be in the powerful presence of the Lord. Pray we realize we can fail but we also can experience God’s forgiveness. Pray we realize that we can have victory if we follow God’s directions and affirm His love. Pray we realize that this is not something we do for ourselves but something God does for us. Pray we trust God’s wisdom not as something abstract but a very tangible model of life which manifests
and support this adherence through the grace it confers. Pray we realize that abstract thought is only the beginning of the journey not its end.

Blessings,

John Lawson