1) Yes, there are some miracle stories that seem unbelievable: Sun "frozen in the sky"; Jonah living in the belly of a giant fish. But I have to be careful not to disregard them on face value, or literally embrace them. As a Christian, I believe in the greatest miracle of all: the resurrection of Jesus. So, if I believe in that, why can't I at least entertain the possibility of all the miracles as real? God created and sustains HIS universe. He can do whatever he wants with it. But I think we need to look for deeper meanings in many of the "hard-to-believe" stories in the Bible. As I said earlier, something can be true on a level deeper than reality.
2) In the past I have accepted miracles as God's sovereign actions. I have believed them as literal, though not understanding how some could be. I was taught not to question, just accept. Though not particularly helpful, at least I did not fret over it. God is God and I am not. As I have gotten older, my problem isn't so much with miracles, as, it seems, the way they capriciously do or do not occur, e.g., why are some people healed and not others? Why a tornado misses one house and strikes another?
3) "Getting out of the boat" means acting on faith, sometimes in spite of the circumstances. It means choosing to participate, to be involved with God's kingdom work, no matter how mundane or daunting it appears. My latest "jump" is becoming involved with RLC's (our church) Refugee Project. We are going to be a host congregation for refugee families arriving in Tucson. We are just beginning but I see it as a clear example of "welcoming the stranger" in our midst. (Matthew 25:34-36)
1) Jonah and the fish is a bit strange and unbelievable. Jesus walking on water,and calming the storm, has always seemed very personal, that Jesus is present in the chaos of our lives. But when Jesus heals the demoniac man by sending the spirits that possessed him into a herd of 2000 pigs who then rush down a bank and drown in the sea, well, that is strange, but in a way bold and delightful, considering they were in Gentile country and the Jewish dietary laws against pork,
2) I believe that all of creation is God's "sandbox", and he can do with it as he pleases. So, every "miracle" could have literally occurred. But I also believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus, not some "spiritual" resurrection, "where he is always present in our hearts." Miracles don't need to be real to be true. Jesus "touched" the untouchables, breaking down cultural and religious barriers. Miracle enough, I think.
3) I like what RHE said: "So perhaps a better question than "Do I believe in miracles?" is "Am I acting like I do?" " Am I touching the untouchables in my culture: homeless, sick, gay, stranger, etc. "Am I behaving as though life is more than a meaningless, chaotic mess, that there's some order in the storm?" Am I working to make a "community spacious enough for everyone?"
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1. I love your statement about the resurrection. It is a great point. For the sake of answering the question though, there are Bible stories I have always wondered about…whether it is being blind and seeing, walking on water, the feeding of the 5,000, etc. Maybe some of the stories are not as literal as they may seem.
ReplyDelete2. I’ve decided that, a lot like Evans has stated, the Bible is a bunch of stories. How they impact our lives, in a lot of ways, is up to us. With many of them, accepting the stories has had positive meaning in my life. I am OK not pushing any farther in most cases because of that.
3. I have tried to spend my life doing what is right, as best I can. For example, two weeks ago I talked to a dad of one of the girls on Macie’s softball team after I saw something I did not like and asked him what good came from how he treated his daughter. It was not a comfortable conversation to have. He defended himself (and did apologize) and then I asked him…I obviously don’t know the full background but is that the father you want to be, regardless? I am not a perfect person…and in particular I need to find better ways in my relationship with Evie to connect with her in more effectively. I know that though and I am trying to get better every day. Many days I fail right now unfortunately, but I am not going to give up trying.
4. Instead of talking about the stories here, I want to make the point that one of my favorite things about Jesus is that he was attracted to those on the fringes. He was not a part of the in crowd, so to speak. I love that about who his was/is.
5. I have mentioned this before, but I am always intrigued how different religions/backgrounds can take the same story and see it in completely different ways. It is one of the most fascinating pieces of the Bible for me.
6. It is basically the definition of having faith, right? It is pretty rare to completely understand something. So, you have to decide, regardless of what it is referring to…whether we are talking about something tied to faith or not…is worth it to trust a little more than is comfortable?