Abiding Hope in the Capacity of God AND Personal Responsibility

Let us pray:

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Amen.  -Ps. 25: 4-6

 

This prayer from Psalm 25 articulates putting trust in God. Reflecting on this prayer, Prof. Paul O. Myhre more specifically describes trust as an ‘abiding hope in the capacity of God to impact one’s life for the better.’

Paired with our scripture readings for the day we are confronted with trust and abiding hope in God amid the complexity of life and faith.

The conversation in today’s scripture considers a theme of fairness or rather unfairness. The complexity of the theme visits theologies of justice, righteousness, the nature of God, and sin; it exposes human dispositions and attitudes, talking about blame, responsibility, discernment, and action.

 

In Ezekiel the people -God’s people- are in exile. They are blaming preceding generations for the plight they find themselves in. Exile was the fault of previous people; their sin, their actions, their choices. Ezekiel’s audience is not taking his words to heart, because they believe the words should have been directed at those before. How could the words possibly be for them? The people hearing Ezekiel consider themselves innocent and are shedding any responsibility for their own part in where they are.

The current generation is taking absolutely no responsibility to change what is, they are just complaining about the unfairness of God, that God should do something!  Ezekiel argues that each generation stands on its own. Each generation is responsible in and to the time they have. Ezekiel also commends individuals taking responsibility for their own choices and actions, both ritual and ethical.

 

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul once again is encouraging a group of people who are Christ followers, to act individually for the health of the whole community. Through Christ’s suffering and death everything changed, revealing kindom at work, God-in-the-present going to great lengths to demonstrate unconditional love and grace for creation. The love continues through kindom living shown in the unity of faithful followers loving one another. Paul encourages the Philippians, each to turn attention to self and take responsibility for what is in their ability to be responsible for. Each person is accountable for their actions and decisions. These individual actions added to the individual actions of others grows and unites the faith community.

 

In Matthew justice has appeared in the unexpected, angering the religious authorities, upturning all that is Empire. People have chosen action by going to John the Baptist in the wilderness to repent and be baptized, to take responsibility for themselves amid the circumstances of the day that included hardships under Roman occupation. People have also chosen to approach Jesus, rather than religious leaders, to receive healing and the casting out of demons. They choose to follow Jesus to hear his teachings and parables. Jesus’ parable upholds those who choose repentance and responsibility and does so in juxtaposition to the smug religious elite and authorities who came asking holier-than-thou questions.

 

On Wednesday Canada marks our yearly observance of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. The themes from today’s scriptures appear in our current conversations. Although not in the position of exile or occupation, how many of us or those we know, blame past generations for today’s problems. We blame the British crown and French explorers for the taking of Indigenous land, previous governments for the 60s scoop and residential schools, past generations for the Indian Act and treaty infringements. We claim innocence and wipe our hands of responsibility. The collective ‘we’ continues to profit from systems that are unfairly just.

 

We believe in living Word. The scripture that is read and heard here is not just stories about the past for the audiences of bygone days. The words spoken are as much alive and applicable today. What is Ezekiel, Paul, and Jesus saying to the church – to this community of faith?

Ezekiel commends individuals – commends us- to take responsibility for our own choices and actions, both ritual and ethical.

Paul encourages, listeners – us- to turn attention to ourselves and take responsibility for what is in our ability to be responsible for. We are to be accountable for our actions and decisions.

Jesus upholds people – us- who chose actions of repentance and responsibility, directly in opposition to the operable systems and empire of the day.

 

The Canadian government website writes that the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is a day when Canadians are “called to acts of remembrance, reflection, and reconciliation.” This is a collective journey, for we are all treaty people. Generations represented here are all responsible.

 

I am a doer. I am a problem solver. I like situations that I can fix. I like to have a plan. I work with schedules and to-do lists. Thankfully I am also a hope-filled optimist who believes that one person has the ability to change the world they have contact and relationship with. Every choice and action makes a difference.

On my checklist for worship this morning was: say a land acknowledgment, wear an orange shirt, include Indigenous peoples and reconciliation in the prayers, and address the same in the sermon. For me these

ritual choices were made as hope-filled optimistic ethical actions. That I can repent and change my ways. That I can take responsibility. That I can do what seems small or insignificant, and TRUST that the choice and action dispels the hold of empire; in that moment God’s kindom is present. I can TRUST --- abiding hope in the capacity of God to impact one’s life for the better, mine and the lives of those who bear witness to the action.

 

I grew up in the territory of the Saugeen Ojiway, specifically the land of the Chippewas of Na-wash. I am an intuitive for whom the land, particularly its trees spoke to me – in my formative years it is my relationship with Trees that nurtured my prayer life and the land that grounded God-experience. What I learned in scripture and through faith community, I lived out in the land. I have always felt connected to the land, but fall short in connecting with Indigenous people. One of my practices to remind myself of responsibility to the work of reconciliation is to return again and again to devotional words of an Ojiway writer, Ricard Wagamese. I close with his words – living word – that sounds a lot like Ezekiel, Paul, and Jesus.

 

To be struck by the magnificence of nature is to be returned again, in all-too-brief moments, to the innocence in which we were born. Awe. Wonder. Humility. We draw them into us and are altered forever by the unquestionable presence of Creator. All things ringing true together. If we carry that deep sense of communion back into our workaday lives, everyone we meet benefits. That is what we are here for: to remind each other of where the truth lies and the power of simple ceremony.                                               

  – Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations,” pg102