Happy New year.
Last night, like every good Christian should, I went to Rosh Hashanah services. Though I arrived late, was told I had to have a ticket (still not totally sure about that one) and sat alone without a book (an essential), I relished every minute of it.
I really love Judaism. My best friend in high school, and my debate partner (also a close friend) were both Jewish, and I had the amazing opportunity to learn a lot about Judaism, and about Jewish sub-culture in the south. As we all grew, so did our faiths, and two summers ago I spent 10 days with Katie in Israel. She was living there for a year- the first year of Rabbinical school- and I was fresh from a graduate assistantship in Italy. I sometimes like to think that I have changed so much, but when I am with her, I find that she reminds me of the consistency and loyalty a friendship that doesn't require the maintainance of weekly phone calls, but is always authentic when it happens. From her I have learned so much about friendship, but I have learned a lot about my faith, as well.
It is through Judaism that the promises are fulfilled. I love when Paul says that the root supports us. It is ONLY through Judaism that we are supported. To sit in the sanctuary of the temple on Highland Street in Birmingham, Alabama, and to hear the Shema recited-- to hear anyone calling on the name of El 'Elyon, the MOST HIGH God. I close my eyes and wonder what RoshHashanah services would have been like 2030 years ago. Many of the apostles still observed and followed Jewish customs. What would they have been thinking to hear a sermon on the beginning of another year, waiting for redemption, and know that the prophesy had been fulfilled. It takes my breath away, and I wonder if we have forgotten who the true El 'Elyon is?
Because Jesus became personal do we forget of the vastness of God?
I think about the way that Judaism is replete with ideas of social justice and I wonder...
Because Jesus fulfilled the promise of redemption and justice, do we now not offer it to our own brothers?
Have we, as believers of the fulfiullment, missed something by not understanding what it means to say, "How long oh Lord?"-- Yearning for a long promised king? Or, just as they were waiting for the messiah, Have we simply replaced the question, failing to live the kingdom here on earth, and saying, "How long oh Lord" until you return?
In essence are we still waiting? Are we living in 5766?
3 comments:
Has anyone told you lately that they admire you and appreciate how you think, becuase they really should. :0)
Thanks for the thoughts. It sure beats logical empircism.
hello sister and fellow defender of the faith. love your thoughts, they move me and challenge me to more..
uh, i don't really have many pics from the lake, brianne does and she sent an email w/ them, did you get that? i actually just got back the few pics i did take, and i'm putting together a little scrapbook for our beecher friend, i'd be glad to scan em and send em though! i'll try to do that this weekend, as i don't ahve easy internet access nor scanning abilities, but i can get it done! love you! see you at the wedding???
Part of what has been lost, at least what occurs to me while reading your post, is what it means to be an apocalyptic community - living on the end of time.
I'm not talking about the Left Behind mentality (oh please! let's leave and let eveyone else suffer), but the immanent expectation and other-worldly focus of the early church. That view led them to subvert social order by love (not legistlation) and uphold justice, because the promise was fulfilled.
Our living of history's edge is not that we bring a message of doom, but live now the reality of what is in hte process of coming - a Kingdom of love, justice, goodness, etc.
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