Week 20—Wednesday Luke 15:20-24
Week 20—WEDNESDAY
“IT DOESN’T PUT ITS ARMS AROUND MY NECK”
We ended yesterday with the episode of Elisha sending a servant with a dead staff to lay upon the face of a dead child, and saw the fruitlessness of that method. Only when life in Elisha touched death in the child did the child come to life. Before the Incarnation of Jesus, many servants came with their dead staffs of precepts and teachings and exhortations and philosophies and moralisms to lay on the face of the dead humanity, but the verdict was and is: “The child is not awaked.” So Jesus came personally and laid his lips to our lips, his eyes to our eyes, and his soul to our soul—and humanity came to life. It was the only way—“he has visited and redeemed his people.” And the “visited” turned out to be more than a visit or a visitation—it turned out as identification. He was baptized between sinners as one of them and died between two thieves as one of them.
A father told the story of the three bears every night to his children. “This is silly,” he said to himself. “Why not have it recorded and played for them.” He did. Then he sat and read his paper in peace. But after listening to the recording the little boy came downstairs and climbed into the father’s lap. The father, surprised, said, “Son, didn’t you hear the story, and wasn’t it my voice?” “Yes,” said the boy, “but it doesn’t put its arms around my neck.” Any faith which lacks the Incarnation is a faith whose god doesn’t put his arms around the neck of his children. On the veranda where I write, there are wooden sticks hanging by strings. When the wind blows the sticks hit upon one another and utter noises that sound like the chirping of birds. But it is no substitute for the song of birds. It is wooden music.
O Jesus, you stooped to share, but how far you stooped we shall never know, but we shall explore forever. And in that exploration we shall be lost in wonder, love, and praise. We see enough to send us to our knees. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Without real love, I shall be a tinkling stick—wooden music.