Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Dealing with Clutter

Jim:

Jeremiah 32:16-25
Jeremiah’s recounting of the history of God’s involvement with the people of Israel (actually with all creation) ends with the recognition that God had told Jeremiah to “Buy a field for money and get witnesses…” (verse 25). I doubt that this was Jeremiah’s main point, but it shows again how the God who creates planets and solar systems, who guides the affairs of nations, who stands over and against time itself is also intimately involved with individuals, with single lives. With armies poised at the gates ready to overrun Jerusalem, God tells Jeremiah to ”buy a field for money and get witnesses,” in other words to follow the correct procedure. God is paying attention to the details! What a profound sense of God’s presence, and what a testimony to God’s love and care for each of God’s people.

Romans 12:1-21
Over the years that I have followed the daily lectionary I have underlined particular verses that have struck me at the time I read them. Romans 12 is completely underlined! Every verse! Today, for whatever reason, verse 18 caught my attention. “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” This is good practical advice because life is just easier when you get along with folks. But there is a spiritual element to Paul’s words as well. I’ve gone to writing workshops where the leaders have made the point that clutter has the tendency to squelch creativity. One of the first steps they recommend is to clean up your writing space so that you can think and work positively. Well, disputes and rancor with our neighbors causes clutter in our lives, too, clutter that makes it more difficult to live spiritually and in awareness of God’s grace. To avoid conflict with others (so far as it depends on us) is to allow ourselves more space in which to relate to God.

Luke 8:1-15
Clutter plays a role in Jesus’ parable about the sower, especially in verse 14, “As for what fell among the thorns, these are thorns who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.” Conflict with others is not the only elements of life that can sap us of spiritual energy, “the cares and riches and pleasures of life” certainly can rob us of our ability to see God’s hand at work, or to respond to God’s grace with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. What we chose to focus on, then, is extremely important in how we live as God’s people. It’s ironic, though, that God led Jeremiah to possess a field as a sign of grace, and Jesus warns the disciples that worrying about possessions can sidetrack our lives of faith. But God’s activity is not static or fixed. God is able to react to the circumstances at hand, to work with events and with individual people according to “where they are” in their lives. If we are wise we will trust in God and avoid as much clutter as we can.

No comments: