Sunday, April 19, 2020
Sunday Reflection: Professing
Sometimes I get to be an expert on TV-- I've opined on CNN, MSNBC, CBS News, ESPN, and many others-- and it is kind of fun and interesting. But watching this debacle has made me realize the limits of what any of us should opine on. I have worked in the field and studied criminal law, sentencing and clemency, and I probably have reason to hold myself out as an expert in those areas. And, of course, I have no problem opining about things I experience directly, like church (including online church). Outside of that though, I don't want to be Dr. Phil. And even in our areas of expertise, we are often wrong.
It's fascinating to me that people draw out many different main themes from the Bible, and particularly the gospels. For some it is about justice, or community, or righteousness, or (oddly) abortion. For me, the main theme is humility. That value is written into every parable, every story, every step of Jesus's path and words.
There is a God. I am not God. Those two statements, taken together, profoundly challenge the way many of us (including me) are inclined to think. It means there is a always a force greater than ourselves. There is always something beyond our understanding. There is always something we do not see. We can never be certain, other than of those two facts, so long as those two facts are true.
