 Those of you who've read DR might be surprised to learn that I don't, in fact, know the lectionary by heart. Not even close. So when this past Sunday's Gospel lesson was read, I was pleasantly surprised by it. You see, I based an entire, almost-completed sequel to DR on its premise: that not only does God work in mysterious ways, S/He is, by human standards, completely insane. Yep, you read correctly. Insane. Wacko. Freakin' no sense whatsoever. Don't try to apply logic to the Almighty. It just doesn't work. Calm rationality is touted as the way to solve human problems, especially interpersonal ones. I get that. Nothing happens except hurt and maybe violence and bloodshed if two people or groups or nations are screaming at each other so loudly they can't possibly hear anything, let alone a dissenting voice. And when leaders make decisions that affect a larger group, they have to make choices that will do the most good for the most people. I get that, too. But we, as human beings, are limited by space and time and available resources. We need to be rational about our decision making. Not so God. God is infinite, without limits. Therefore, God doesn't need to abide by rationality. | So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous persons who need no repentance. |
In fact, God is wondrously, amazingly, gloriously free from constraint. God is love. Love cannot be constrained, contained, understood, or rationalized. Love can only be felt. In a way, God is all id and ego, no superego - a self-aware entity motivated by impulse, with no need for the "internal policeman" because God is all in all. There is no imperfection in true love.
Look at that Gospel lesson. Whoever wrote it was just brilliant. Jesus says, "Which one of you does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one who is lost?" He makes the statement as though it were perfectly logical, when, in fact, he's actually asking, "Which one of you WOULD leave the ninety-nine and go after the one who is lost?" Think about it: would a responsible shepherd actually abandon the most valuable, obedient portion of his flock and go after the one who's naughty or stupid or both? No, because there's no logical gain in it. We'd probably fire that shepherd's ass if those were our sheep.
And, okay, I suppose we might all go crazy looking for a lost coin (a silver denarius was equivalent to a day's wages), but would we then call all our friends and have a rave when we found it? That party probably cost more than the coin. It's irrational. Crazy, even. Completely impulsive and extravagant.
But here's the thing: God, who is not limited by time or space or resources, is therefore not compelled to operate in the same way that human beings are. God needn't choose between the one and the many, or to decide when to cut one's losses, or to be thrifty with love, which is, after all, Him/Herself.
God withholds nothing. God works on the individual level, one-on-one, one sheep or coin or person at a time (except of course there is no "time" for God). I'll repeat: God withholds nothing. There's no logic, no rationality, no sense. God withholds nothing, not even Him/Herself to find us, connect with us, save us.
In my sequel, Max does a completely crazy thing: he gives up everything for a completely worthless person. He's only human, of course, but he gets a lot of good advice and the periodic kick in the pants from a really good source. He somehow finds it within himself to set aside selfishness and be brave enough to go into the wilderness after that one sheep. He gives up everything - for what? Well, you'll have to read for yourself, but trust me, it's worth it.
Here's my hope: that everyone who reads this little post will come to see the astonishing brilliance of God's foolishness, what Madeleine L'Engle calls "the Glorious Impossible." I love you all. Peace!
Look at that Gospel lesson. Whoever wrote it was just brilliant. Jesus says, "Which one of you does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one who is lost?" He makes the statement as though it were perfectly logical, when, in fact, he's actually asking, "Which one of you WOULD leave the ninety-nine and go after the one who is lost?" Think about it: would a responsible shepherd actually abandon the most valuable, obedient portion of his flock and go after the one who's naughty or stupid or both? No, because there's no logical gain in it. We'd probably fire that shepherd's ass if those were our sheep.
And, okay, I suppose we might all go crazy looking for a lost coin (a silver denarius was equivalent to a day's wages), but would we then call all our friends and have a rave when we found it? That party probably cost more than the coin. It's irrational. Crazy, even. Completely impulsive and extravagant.
But here's the thing: God, who is not limited by time or space or resources, is therefore not compelled to operate in the same way that human beings are. God needn't choose between the one and the many, or to decide when to cut one's losses, or to be thrifty with love, which is, after all, Him/Herself.
God withholds nothing. God works on the individual level, one-on-one, one sheep or coin or person at a time (except of course there is no "time" for God). I'll repeat: God withholds nothing. There's no logic, no rationality, no sense. God withholds nothing, not even Him/Herself to find us, connect with us, save us.
In my sequel, Max does a completely crazy thing: he gives up everything for a completely worthless person. He's only human, of course, but he gets a lot of good advice and the periodic kick in the pants from a really good source. He somehow finds it within himself to set aside selfishness and be brave enough to go into the wilderness after that one sheep. He gives up everything - for what? Well, you'll have to read for yourself, but trust me, it's worth it.
Here's my hope: that everyone who reads this little post will come to see the astonishing brilliance of God's foolishness, what Madeleine L'Engle calls "the Glorious Impossible." I love you all. Peace!
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