Reflections on Academic adventures during the week of October 9
This week the main topics were:
- A revisiting of the Sanctification Gap (Lovelace) by Steve Porter, Ph.D.
- A discussion of Jesus' Sabbath healings and their function in dismantling the Maccabbean ideology (Hellerman).
I think the truth of the kingdom, the truth of being like the Son, is possibly more than we are able to bear. And if our finite, earth-filtered minds cannot grasp it, what are we to do? Howa re we to embody the kingdom and be like Jesus? Could it be that “natural means” are handles or skyhooks, if you will, helping us grasp what is, for now, beyond our reach? Might the human activities of dining, studying, painting, playing football, exegeting Scripture, and a host of other things—might they be guideposts, bringing us from the reality of messy life on earth to the ideal of holy life with God?
Tag(s): theology
See CC License
“Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” http://www.esv.org/
Laura, I have been reading Eugene Peterson, "Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places". In a chapter entitled "Christ Plays in History" he writes (p 148):
ReplyDelete"My choice for grounding Christian identity in the historical reality in which salvation is revealed and received is Exodus and St. Mark's Gospel. These two texts in combination are paradigmatic for revealing the presence and work of God in history, the play of Christ in all the circumstances and events that occur in time and place. Game, used as a metaphor, is useful for gathering up all that goes on in history into a coherent image. Salvation is the name of this game that is history. But it must be understood that this game is no diversion from the main business of history. This is the main business. Salvation is the game that brings everything that happens, including everything that happens to each one of us, onto the playing field of history and into the play of Christ. This is a game in which there are no spectators - we are all in it; the meaning and outcome of our lives is at stake. The results are eternal."
This seems like a bigger idea than our minds are able to grasp - the purpose of the history of the universe being salvation. But I think it is the top down perspective on your thought about our daily human activities ...
Agreed. As a side note, that book has come up a number of times and may well be added to my early summer reading list (or maybe even January...we'll see).
ReplyDelete