permission pending from Adam Barker

2. Try to rewrite verses 2b-5 as if God is speaking to Watershed.

NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION:

Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.
5 Some will say, ‘I belong to the Lord’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
    and will take the name Israel.

NEW WATERSHED VERSION:

Don't be afraid, Watershed,
for you are precious and belong to me.
I will provide for you, as I have in the past.
When you become tired and cynical in your old age,
and maybe even feel irrelevant and apathetic,
I will provide new refreshments and hopeful imaginings.
Your offspring at times will seem so foreign to you,
yet I will wander with them down unfamiliar paths
I will reveal myself to them,
and they will become a source of hope
as they put my plans
    into new language and practices.

- Penny

3. What is an idol? What is it about idols that attract us? What are some of your idols?

I love how Brueggemann reminds us that verses 9-20 are meant as comedy. The community is meant to have a good belly laugh. I imagine Stephen Colbert reading these verses, pondering which lines would evoke audience laughter. I imagine the ancient community gathering around a campfire with the prophet debunking Babylonian idols, like the child who blurts that the emperor has no clothes. 

Laughter is a good remedy for how serious idols make us. I think they attract us because they make us feel like we’re accomplishing something; like we’re in the right camp. Reminds me of that quote, “Man makes plans and God laughs."

The inscription at the base of my idol would read, “Being Good”. During the pandemic, I’ve noticed my compulsion to rush to be a helper. It flares up constantly and chronic survivor guilt sets in. Why am I not on the front lines? Why am I not substitute teaching? At the least, why am I not baking muffins for daily giveaway? I have this propensity towards being industrious, and my motive is wanting assurance that I’m good (and worthy of love). I think that’s called meritocracy; earning God’s favor through effort and merit. I’m embarrassed to admit how vain it is to think I’m that important. It’s not all on me. I can do my small part, and right now oddly my part seems to be vocations like the quiet work of theological reflection.

There’s a quote from a Pete Enns podcast that has stuck with me. At her ordination, Emilie Townes was told, “Leave some work for the Lord.” It stayed with her all her life (and her mom frequently reminded her). Just the other day, when I couldn’t do all I’d wanted, Lyle teased, “Oh good you left something for God.”

I love the phrase in the passage that it’s like eating ashes. No life-giving fruit there. No wonder the prophet is warning them and poking fun. The people are threatened by assimilation into powerful pagan cults, and these discouraged captives need reminding of the covenant that sets free. Beauty from ashes. 

- Lydia

What is an idol?  An idol is a created good that is made to be an ultimate Good. I worship it as the organizing center of my desires and attention; the focus of my longing.    It can also be a negative thing that deforms my existence, which I worship -  and form myself around.   Absence is one of those things that  - like Thomas - I keep wanting to put my fingers into the nail holes.  The old places of injury.      

Recently, an open sore that God has cleansed with oil and bandaged has been a hunger for a father.  Reorienting me towards a mutual but incommensurate relationship with God. Assuring me that the gifts and connectedness that I have received through others are still accessible to me.  God  encourages  me towards the means of Grace that caulk over the crack in my soul.    

It reminds me that Jesus has entered my life with a healing presence, and says, "Peace be with you."  

- Marilyn

Two weeks ago I got an email from a CSA I follow telling me of their sale on handmade soap. Great, I thought. I will buy a bunch and make little stocking stuffer gifts, which is something I love to do this time of year. So last Thursday I went to their Instagram account...and saw they were sold out! Usually I don’t start my Xmas shopping in earnest until middle of December. Suddenly I realized this year that everybody had more time on their hands and there would be shortages. A perfect storm to hook my ever-present scarcity myth. Add to that the constant low drone of spiking COVID cases. I found myself torn between manic activity and indecision about simple things like making next week’s menu.

After centering prayer and a bit of journaling, I realized once again I’d been convinced by my fear of death into agitation. The virus is the embodiment of randomness and chaos. In spite of my objective low risk (I hardly leave the house), its proximity reveals to me the controlling nature of my activity. “Keep busy and keep death at bay,” is my controlling mantra.

Reading Isaiah 44 showed me the futility of my manic activity, and strangely turned out to be a gift. Randomness and death have always been there. Denying these facts makes idols of life and time. Like eating ashes. Admitting my fears feels vulnerable but opens me to seeing how God is with us through these ups and downs. It makes me see that God in Christ is the source of life, even in the face of death. Which allows me to relax and enter life vocationally, in spite of randomness. 

- Linda

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