February 10th, 21

The Most Sensible Thing We’ve Ever Heard

Leviticus 13-14 and Acts 17. We are reading through the NLT.

They called him a babbler – a teacher of strange things. That’s what they said to Paul when he appeared before the philosophers of Athens. How is it that even the most enlightened among us can hear the good news and end up interpreting it as babble.   They said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up.?” (Acts 17:18)  They think it’s babble because they are blind.  

Only God reveals God. Ours is to participate with God who reveals himself, God is already at work, Paul knows this, that's why he looks out over all the people of Athens and he says, ``You are all already “living and moving and having your being in God.” He’s already here, he is already with you, you just don’t know it yet.  I’ve come to tell you who he is.  To tell you how good he is, how he has already purchased for you the freedom and the life that you so deeply desire.  

The Gospel is the good news that God has come to us in our blindness, and opens our eyes to behold what is, his love.  And When our eyes are open, we see that we are his children, and we did nothing to bring that about.  That God was always at work in my life, long before I had any clue. That this God who loved me, has loved and embraced the whole world.  He has looked upon the whole human race like a good father looks upon children he loves.  The world doesn't  know that yet.  To many it all sounds like babble, because they are blind.  But God will reveal God, and he has come to let the whole world know that they are loved, and we like Paul are invited to see what God sees, to participate and proclaim good news.  In Athens, in Portland, in New Jersey, in Houston. He’s already there, people are living and moving and having their being in him. And he is opening eyes of the poor, the blind, the divorced, the mourning, he’s making himself known.  And we can join him in this, participate with him.  And as we do, we will learn and know his joy. 

You are loved!