|
What
shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk
slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
O
Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh
restore me to health and make me live!
Behold,
it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have
delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
For
Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you; those who go down to the
pit do not hope for your faithfulness.
The
living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known
to the children your faithfulness.
The LORD
will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days
of our lives, at the house of the LORD.
Isaiah
38:15-20
|
Thus
says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my
salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.
Blessed
is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the
Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
Let
not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will
surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say,
"Behold, I am a dry tree."
For
thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the
things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and
within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will
give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.
"And
the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love
the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath
and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant-- these I will bring to
my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house
shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered."
Isaiah
56:1-8
|
I was speaking
with my friends Tommy and Chris about the challenge of reviving the dialogue
between Christians and Jews – both, Your people Adonai, though each claims
favoritism in Your sight. Tommy emphasized his ongoing efforts to enter into
midrash – the quest for deeper understanding of Your spiritual/historical
narrative – with Rabbis and Christian pastors, only to be rebuked by both. The
Jewish people still resent how they have been treated throughout history by
Christians, while we followers of Jesus, whether intentionally or by ignorance,
have claimed false rights under a banner of Replacement Theology. Many in the
Church today suggest that the Jews are “Non-players” in the End-Times story
which is unfolding. After all, Your first chosen people reject Jesus as
Messiah, how could they possibly still be acceptable in Your sight?
Father
in Heaven, it frustrates me to no end that we, as Christians, have become so
dogmatic. In fact there appears to be more to the story than meets the casual
study we have put into Your text. As well, the Hebrew spiritual culture has
also drawn a spiteful line in the sand, claiming authority that does not appear
(anywhere that I can find) to have been granted them in Your word.
At
this time of year especially, Your history presents an opportunity. I look at
two celebrations: The Festival of Lights – Hanukkah; and that of the entry of
Hope into the world in the birth of you, Jesus, whom we Christians claim as
Messiah. Immediately
Lord, alarm bells might be going off in the hearts and minds of those from both
camps who may be reading these words. Each will wonder at the audacity to
suggest any connection between these two events. And so I pray for Your
midrash, not ours, to enter in.
As I understand,
Hanukkah focuses on the efforts of the priest Matthias and his supporters
during the Greek/Syrian occupation of Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem
resisted and ultimately won a great victory establishing their right to worship
You. During this revolt, the Temple mount had been desecrated and the priests barricaded
themselves in the Temple in protest. Part of the rituals performed in the
temple included keeping an eternal flame – Your light – burning at all times
using consecrated oil. During the eight-day Temple blockade, only one vessel of
oil – good for one day’s illumination – remained. The priests prayed and fasted
during their occupation and You answered by keeping the flame lit for the
eight-day duration – demonstrating to the people and to their aggressors, Your presence and commitment to honor
Your covenant with Israel.
To
me, the celebration of Christmas centers on the birth of a child, Jesus of Nazareth,
during the reign of Herod the Great. Prior to the birth, the child’s mother, named
Mary, was visited by the Angel Gabriel and told that she would conceive a
child, through Your Spirit, who would fulfill the Messianic prophesies – weaving an extraordinarily human component into the
telling – offering great hope for mankind, even speaking of a star, guiding kings
and dignitaries from foreign lands, to offer tribute and honor to the child who
would one day also be proclaimed Savior and King.
So
how does it start – the dialogue and quest for unity - the willingness to find the deeper meaning You have always meant for all of us to possess? How do we join with our
Jewish brothers and sisters – our “kin” – in the hunger to understand Your
desire? What (or who) can change our hearts and compel us to take first steps
together onto common ground? Only Your Spirit, of course, has the ability to
move us in the same direction. Are we ready to hear… to “Shema”?
I’m certainly
not the first to connect the dots regarding these two events, El Shaddai.
Others have noted the reference to light and Your Shekinah Glory – Your tangible
presence – being involved in both Hanukkah and Christmas. You, The God of the
universe doing something no-one would expect, reaching out with a plan to save
people – who don’t deserve saving – from physical and spiritual desolation.
But being first
or last to recognize the power of Your love is not enough. It’s what we do now
with Your love received. HaShem, prayer appears to be where understanding and
common ground always begin. What would happen if Jews and Christians actually
prayed together for enlightenment regarding one another’s traditions and
beliefs? What could happen if we found commonality in Your words and Your
blessing for all of us? What might each of us learn and how might we be
inspired?
I
have no idea because, frankly, I’m just a voice crying in the wilderness. I
don’t hear many others asking these questions or wanting the answers.
You,
Master, in Your wisdom created light so that we could see to become righteous.
And that righteousness, in Your eyes, requires us to walk with our eyes open –
not only to make sure we’re headed the right direction in seeking You, but I
suspect also to avoid bumping into all the others that You are inviting to Your
table. As I heard my friends discussing the dilemma of dialogue between Old and
New Testament, a new word popped into my head: “Brighteousness” – the sight of
those who walk, regardless of their past, toward a completed understanding of
Your kingdom to come.
So Elohim, I pray for a beginning –
where two or more gathered, might grow to become a multitude of worshipers, all
as one, reaching out, all seeking Your love. All finding in Your ancient
scripture, new revelation: tearing down the walls of separation and
denominations; inviting to both Jew and Gentile, reconciliation and
restoration.
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and
Brighteousness to all His children,
Mark C.
Zevah ha-shelamim (Join me in sacrifice)!
