Who
Wrote This Story?
Then I said,
‘As is written of me…, I come to do your will, O God.’
In the Bible, the world
can be a wonderful place. Angels take care of people. God gives great
blessings, protects his people, and brings peace.
Who wrote this? As
believers we know it is inspired by God and is sacred. But it is a divine
message interpreted by the human authors.
The writers see the significance
of even the lowly. They see the possibility of every person. God turns the unsettled,
uneasy, unhappy heart to himself; and, turned to God, every heart can be at
peace.
They also speak of God’s
redemption of his people. Words are written on salvation and even holiness. There
are the stories about the saints of God, the everyday lowly people who find God’s
glory as example of holiness that is attainable by all.
Let’s look at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is an ordinary
woman. In her time, she was distinguished as the wife of Zachariah who was barren
and not much more. But look at her life in
the Gospel.
Filled with the Holy
Spirit, she became a prophet. She recognized and announced the glory of Mary.
She gave us a prayer we pray today. She was a prophet to Mary, mother of
the Lord.
Elizabeth’s glory is this story. Brought to this place of glory by the closeness of the Lord; as the
mother of John; as the prophet to Mary, then nothing else about her. Elizabeth
found her glory in her closeness to the coming of the Lord.
Elizabeth, insignificant,
nobody important, became somebody.
Most people like
Elizabeth will live their lives quietly. Some may say they live insignificant
lives; but, they are happy.
In contrast some
peoples cannot be happy, because they believe they are insignificant. They
become angry and turn to violence to get attention.
Look world we live in.
Where are the angels, saints and blessings from God? Were is the peace in
the world, holiness in our hearts, and the glory in our lives?
Go the mall or Walmart and
look around. Listen to the news. Just this week there was a shootout on the
interstate cause by road rage. Look at the protests, hate, prejudice, racism, bigotry,
and violence that are put forward as faith in God.
Who wrote this story? It was not God.
It's a story lived out in anger, rage, and
violence. Despite what those who are misguided believe,
it is not a divine story.
The same ugliness and
the evil we see today have existed for all time. But those who wrote the scripture
didn’t let it overtake the deeper reality of God. The reality of God is where
we find grace. The reality of God’s glory and holiness is available for all.
Look at our lives and
ask who wrote this story? Is it God and you tell the story of his love, joy,
and mercy?
Shout,
“I come to do your will, O God.” Through grace have hope for the world. In Christ
no one is insignificant. Just like Elizabeth, an ordinary person who found her
glory in the coming of the Lord.
Let me give you an example in a dear friend of mine, who is in ICU fighting for his life. He was the one who said “Billy-boy you need
to be a deacon.” He wrote a letter to the Bishop recommending me for the
Diaconate. You read this reflection today because a man that many did not
know was a prophet to me. We come to do God’s will and in Christ, no one is
insignificant.
It is in simple ways that
God uses ordinary people. In ordinary people he sends angels and saints to lead
others to Christ. Through our lives, His greatness reaches to the lowly. He is
peace.
God inspires the story.
We interpret it by our lives as ordinary people, maybe to others insignificant.
Yet God sees the significance of even the lowly. Bring Christ to every person. Bring
the peace that turns the unsettled, uneasy, unhappy heart to God; and, turned
to God, every heart can be at peace. God
turns the world around.
The world of the Bible
is a wonderful place. Our world is too, it just depends who is writing this story.
Amen
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