But God is not finished with His creation, thank goodness. He has not wound up the world like a clock, as the Deists said, and then left it to unwind on its own. Very early on, He chose Abraham to walk with Him, to learn from Him, to receive blessings from Him, that in turn, Abraham could 'redeem' the world around him--rescuing Lot, his nephew, from the clutches of evil, transforming a barren land into a source of blessing, and "sending forth his teachings like the dawn" to those who would follow him.
God has always wanted to be intimately present to mankind, to "walk [with us] in the cool of the evening." He has always wanted communion with us, to "pour out [His] Spirit on everyone...your sons and daughters, your old men, and your young men....even on your sevants and handmaids (Joel 3:1-2). The problem is that, because He made us with free will, he needs those who will consent to His request to be present in and to the world through us. He needs those who will be empty of themselves and filled with His Spirit, who will love unconditionally enough to redeem the world from its ugliness.
Through us, He wants to shine the Light of the original creation. Through us, He wants to brood over the chaos as a mother over her chicks. He does not want us to 'escape' from the evil, but he wants to protect us in its midst. If we escape, He cannot be present to redeem the victims of evil. He wants us to be channels of His grace, of His love, of his presence to the world.
Like Mary, we have to be empty/ virginal to receive the grace of God. He will not "fill the rich," but only the empty. If we are 'rich,' it means that we are filled with much that is not God, that we are not transparent to Him. Being "empty" means that we know that God does not demand great things of us; He only wants to be Himself through us. He wants to be great in us.
Elizabeth said to Mary, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has spoken would be fulfilled in her." And Mary's response:
My soul does magnify the Lord
and my spirit exults in God my Savior;
because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid.
From this day forward, all generations will call be blessed,
for the Lord has done great things for me....
Our world will be redeemed only to the extent that we allow God to be Himself in us, that we allow Him to re-create and make all things new through us, that we allow ourselves to be empty and waiting for His action in the world through us. Where he is, sorrow and sadness and oppression must flee. Where He is, the earth must once again renew itself and become fruitful. Where he is, children will be nurtured and women loved, and our weapons will be beaten into plowshares.
"He wants to brood over the chaos as a mother over her chicks."
ReplyDeleteIt so saddens me that we continue to see manifestation of God in motherhood, but refuse to call God anything other than "He." I understand why this was in the early days of having people follow a patriarch, but we should be long-past that prejudice against mother-leaders now.
Godliness will always be spoken of in personal manifestations of power. I know of no greater manifestation of power on earth than a responsible mother whose babies are threatened.