A New Thing: Part 6

Gentle Reader,

Do not remember the former things
    or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
    now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

– Isaiah 43:18-19 (NRSV)

January was 400 years long. It’s always been my least favorite month. No more holidays to celebrate. Gray skies and gray trees and gray ground. If you look up the word “January” in a dictionary, one of it’s synonyms is “blah.” (Not really, but it should be). I’m a PNW lady and I always will be, but winter is definitely long in these parts. I can almost hear the Vitamin D leaving my body. So right now, today, even though we’re in the middle of the first week of February it still feels like January, and it’s difficult to see or sense the good, new thing.

So let’s look at some words that don’t appear in the original Hebrew: “I am” and the “I will.” We have to insert them in our English translations in order for the sentences to make sense. This doesn’t mean that anyone is adding to or tweaking the Bible. Without these additions, the verses would read: “Behold, do something new. Now spring forth. Aware? Even make roadway wilderness. Rivers desert.” It’s kind of fun to read that out loud, especially if you’re a fan of The Office and remember when Kevin Malone asks, “Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?” Fun, but doesn’t make that much sense. Although I do like that God is asking us, “aware?,” and I imagine God does so while gently tapping on our foreheads.

Anyway.

Whenever I see “I am” or “I will” in Scripture, I immediately think of God reaching out to Moses via a on-fire bush that doesn’t burn up. I hope there is an extensive video library in eternity, because I want to see this moment. It’s endlessly fascinating to me. It also make me laugh, because God makes a statement about Godself that has to be the first “mic drop” moment of recorded history. Some people may claim that God does not exist. God says, “I am.” That’s just so great. So solid.

God’s “is-ness” or “am-ness” is directly related to God’s “will-ness.” God is, and God will do what God says God will do. God is faithful.

Even when we are faithless.

Moses wasn’t searching for a burning bush that day. Moses encountered a burning bush. God reached out. God began the conversation. This is grace. This a red carpet rolled out for wandering humans, a carpet that leads to our real home and our true life. Faithless, fickle, frail humanity invited into the embrace of the faithful, solid God. Moses was changed forever in this encounter. So too are we meant to be changed.

In my theological tradition, we call that holiness. An arguably better term for what we mean is wholeness. Faithlessness becomes faithfulness, fickleness becomes steadiness, frailty becomes strength. As we are drawn into the unending love of God, we become, by the grace and power of God, the people God always intended us to be.

God says “I am” and “I will.”

Will we learn to say, as Moses did, “Yes, Lord?”

Today’s a good day to start.

GRACE AND PEACE ALONG THE WAY,

MARIE

Image Courtesy of Evie S.