The Daily: Thursday June 6, 2024

Daily Lectionary Reading: Psalm 130 (NRSV, The Message); 1 Samuel 4:1-22 (NRSV, The Message); 1 Peter 4:7-19 (NRSV, The Message)

The ark of God was captured...
1 Samuel 4:11 (NRSV)

For the ancient Hebrews, the ark of the covenant, or ark of God as described here, was the residing place of the presence of God in midst of the people (see Raiders of the Lost Ark or, maybe, the Bible). It was placed in the holy of holies, where only the priest was allowed entry at certain times of the year, in the tabernacle.

Of course, the problem with putting God in a box is that box can be easily stolen or manipulated. In this case, the Philistines, after some initial fear, said "Hey, we'll just take their God!" I know and love so many Christians in the past few years who have woken up to their God-box being stolen or twisted beyong recognition by those who would make the Philistines look like the Peace Corps. What are we to do?

Maybe we as Christians could take a note or two from our Jewish siblings. Their understanding of God, God's presence, and their relationship to the Divine exanded and evolved. For them God no longer lived in a box or building. When the empire (in this case, the Roman variety) destroyed their temple (ummm, sound familiar?), they came to understand and live into the reality that God was no longer confined to human-made walls.

Our God is an awesome God - the Ground of All Being. They are  far larger than any words or ideas, or dogma or doctine. And They certainly won't be contained by any empire or political system. That is the God I want to know. That is the God I AM a facet of - and you are too!