August 07, 2005> 10:23 PM
the whole thing
We had a good time of discussion in the midst of our weekly liturgy tonight with the Vine & Branches crew. The lectionary led us here. That whole walking on water thing is always interesting - Jesus, then Peter, then not Peter, etc. I don't want to go on and on with this but I do want to say where we basically ended up. Our discussion was guided softly by the Holy Spirit I believe.
We saw the unexpected, God being places and doing things that we don't expect in all the readings - the small whisper on the mountain, the new way of Jesus and not the same traditions we've always known, and then a "ghost in the darkness" walking on the water in the middle of a storm.
We saw Peter "jumping the gun" - his zeal carrying him for a few steps and then sinking - trying to walk the walk of Jesus when he wasn't quite "there" yet. The process - not appreciating what a process it is to be recreated in the image of Whom he saw.
And finally, we saw and discussed "the whole thing." I mean to say we saw that this passage wasn't told so much for how it would apply to our particular lives and situations, but as a part of a whole story of Jesus bringing in the reign of His Kingdom and us stepping into that process. Why walk on water? Well, we could say why anything Jesus did. In particular, they all are sort of odd, but panning out a bit, we see them set in the whole story of His introduction of the Kingdom of God into the world again, through and in people. That's complex.
What do we "know"? I think we know it's a long process, this transformation thing, of us and of the whole cosmos. It's huge and we're a part of it. It's not just about us, but we are significant. It's big. Back up and see the whole story, the whole process. Intentionally step into it. Open yourself and allow Him to move you, move us, move the world where we all need to be. Like I said, good time tonight.
August 07, 2005
> 10:23 PM
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