So, here’s the bad news:
your wound is incurable,
you bruise is grievous,
your wound is incurable,
you bruise is grievous,
your running sore has no remedy
and your lovers have forgotten you.
Your boat is being tossed by the waves
and the wind is against it.
This is life under the condition of sin
when we justly suffer the consequences of our sin.
and your lovers have forgotten you.
Your boat is being tossed by the waves
and the wind is against it.
This is life under the condition of sin
when we justly suffer the consequences of our sin.
Sometimes, of course, we get away with it,
at least for a time.
We don’t experience the consequences of our sin;
we even prosper and flourish and grow fat
on the fruits of our sin.
But, as God tells Israel through Jeremiah,
no one has escaped God’s justice:
“I struck you as an enemy would strike,
punished you cruelly.”
And when we are struck,
we come to a moment of realization
of exactly how dire our situation is,
exiles mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
at least for a time.
We don’t experience the consequences of our sin;
we even prosper and flourish and grow fat
on the fruits of our sin.
But, as God tells Israel through Jeremiah,
no one has escaped God’s justice:
“I struck you as an enemy would strike,
punished you cruelly.”
And when we are struck,
we come to a moment of realization
of exactly how dire our situation is,
exiles mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
And this is also grace.
It is grace to recognize that we are in exile,
to recognize that our wound is incurable,
our bruise grievous,
our boat swamped
and the wind against it.
It is grace to awaken to the truth
that our sin has placed us in opposition
to the very source of our existence.
It is grace to recognize that we are in exile,
to recognize that our wound is incurable,
our bruise grievous,
our boat swamped
and the wind against it.
It is grace to awaken to the truth
that our sin has placed us in opposition
to the very source of our existence.
But that is not the end of grace.
For Jesus walks toward us through the storm,
and calls to us:
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
And he calls us to come to him,
just as he called Peter.
He calls us to step into the storm unafraid;
as God says through Jeremiah:
“When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk.”
He calls us to trust that he comes
not only in justice
but also in mercy,
to heal the wounds of sin
and to rebuild our ruined souls.
For Jesus walks toward us through the storm,
and calls to us:
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
And he calls us to come to him,
just as he called Peter.
He calls us to step into the storm unafraid;
as God says through Jeremiah:
“When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk.”
He calls us to trust that he comes
not only in justice
but also in mercy,
to heal the wounds of sin
and to rebuild our ruined souls.
But, of course, the life of grace,
like life lived under the condition of sin,
is not a moment but…well…a life.
And these two lives are intertwined.
We like Peter feel faith flow and ebb,
grow full and drain away,
flourish and whither
over and again.
We boldly step into the storm at one moment
and flail and sink the next,
and so our lives are a continuous calling out:
“Lord, save me!”
And this is right and just,
for the storm that rages
is the flow of time in which we live,
it is our inconstant natures
that even under grace
suffer the sickness of sin.
like life lived under the condition of sin,
is not a moment but…well…a life.
And these two lives are intertwined.
We like Peter feel faith flow and ebb,
grow full and drain away,
flourish and whither
over and again.
We boldly step into the storm at one moment
and flail and sink the next,
and so our lives are a continuous calling out:
“Lord, save me!”
And this is right and just,
for the storm that rages
is the flow of time in which we live,
it is our inconstant natures
that even under grace
suffer the sickness of sin.
But the glad tidings is that this sickness
is not a sickness unto death.
For Jesus has called us to him
and Jesus has grasped our hand and caught us
and Jesus will not let us go.
is not a sickness unto death.
For Jesus has called us to him
and Jesus has grasped our hand and caught us
and Jesus will not let us go.
