29 March 2019 - like the dewfall

Today's Readings

(Audio)

You are right in saying

The scribe knows that Jesus gives the correct answer.

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

But there is still a difference between knowing that Jesus has the answer and knowing that Jesus is the answer. It is this difference that scares us. It is why we try to substitute a predictable moral law for a Messiah who might call out beyond our comfort zones.

And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Our trouble is often that we hedge our bets. What is at its root a deficiency of faith on our parts is covered over by backup plans and worldly distractions. This Lent God is calling us to rely more on him and to set aside the things we use to anesthetize ourselves.

Assyria will not save us,
nor shall we have horses to mount;
We shall say no more, 'Our god,'
to the work of our hands;
for in you the orphan finds compassion.

We need to believe in God's love for us. We need to believe that he wants us to lead lives that are completely fulfilled, joyful, and peaceful. If we don't, we'll seek fulfillment elsewhere. But to the degree that we find it in God we need nothing else.

I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

The beauty of God's love for us is more than poetic verse. The dew for Israel, especially in word and Sacrament is really and truly meant to sustain us and make us blossom. That is why we pray "Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall".

God really does want to bless us. But to receive it we must first believe it.

"If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
I would feed them with the best of wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would fill them."