We pause roughly mid-way through our New Testament resurrection jaunt to simply take a reflective moment to fall in love. For me these reflections have become such an integral part of my daily tether to Jesus and also to each of you dear brothers and sisters. Whether near or far geographically we share the profound privilege of standing together, shoulder to shoulder, at the very throne of the Kingdom of the Heavens! Our liminal threshold, our spiritual gateway, our magical wardrobe (please tell me you know this reference, please?!) to our Heavenly Father are the Holy Scriptures themselves, the written words transporting us all to the Living Word Himself. Please do not mistake my misty-eyed appreciation. I do not, will not and never will worship the Bible. For as much historical, textual and liturgical engagement as we bring to scripture, the Bible is not merely history, text or mere biography. I believe scripture to be one of many portals Jesus uses to meet us on this side of the Kingdom of the Heavens, a “forward outpost” if you will. We worship Jesus, risen and resurrected and now glorified yet intimately with us as Matthew just reminded us yesterday. We anchor our faith, our perspective on everything now, our identity and our vocabulary upon the tested wisdom embedded in scripture.
As I pen this section of our daily reflections my fingers are pounding the keyboard, words flying out in increasingly rapid succession. Books are cranked open and stacked all around me, old dear spiritual professors and reliable biblical guides like the towering American Roman Catholic scholar Raymond Brown and my newer prof British Bishop N.T. (Tom) Wright providing invaluable insight which I struggle to summarize for you. My bible pages are beginning to fold, fray and tear from my daily assault, and I am having the time of my life here with you! We have just surveyed the resurrection narratives from Paul, Mark and Matthew. Tomorrow we launch into Luke, John, Luke again, a surprising bit of Paul again, then finish with another surprising resurrection source. I am falling in love all over again with these creative, resourceful, dedicated and passionate author-evangelists who were writing furiously against time to capture Jesus’ life sufficiently to pass their faith patrimony to the future. It is humbling to be the living beneficiaries of their sacrificial labor as we experience their brilliant re-telling of the old, old story made ever new. Can you fall in love all over again this Eastertide?!
- I will repeat an earlier question again (uuwwwhhh double tautological point tally there!): To which passage, verse, story, evangelist are you being most drawn this Eastertide?
- Why?
- How do the answers to these queries inform and impact your faith journey going forwards?!