Thoughts on the Lectionary Text
This week I am coming back to blogging after a long break. The break was less for writer’s block and more in line with being in an interesting period of my spiritual journey. I am sensing the long distance I have from my head to my heart on where God is working in my life. In all honesty when I get the sense of being overwhelmed with where God has called me, I revert inside myself. The good side to this is it offers time for reflection, and the down side is I still tend to move from where God is. I am sure I am not the only one that has this struggle and I guess I am still learning to run toward a God who is in the habit of coming near to his children instead of trying to be a Lone Ranger.
This week’s lectionary text from the RCL seems to be a fair commentary on where I am finding myself and offers some wisdom and direction for God’s children in what to do when God shows up, talks to you, and you either have something to say or find you have no words. For those reasons, I will only be focusing on the 1 Kings reading (1 Kings 3:5–12) and the Romans reading (Romans 8:26–39).
Let’s begin with everyone’s second favorite king- Solomon. Solomon is famous for many things in the Scriptures, but perhaps he is most famous for his wisdom. How did Solomon come by that wisdom? The man is credited with both the book of Proverbs (or at least a majority of it) and Ecclesiastes. Two books very heavy on the wisdom, direction-giving, life-helping type of stuff. It comes down to an encounter through a dream that Solomon has.
“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’” (1 King 3:5)
God seems to be a fan of dreams and visions, perhaps because in these mediums we as humans are more open to the divine communication because we are more relaxed and in position to more readily receive God’s presence. In any case, for Solomon God is very straightforward in telling Solomon that he has the freedom to ask for what the Lord should give him. What should we ask God for? What would you ask God for? I don’t know what I would ask for. I would be trying to figure out what the best thing would be to ask for and probably bumble and mumble, in the end saying “I don’t know!”
This for Solomon is a golden opportunity to ask for something to benefit his kingdom and his reign. Many would be tempted to ask for wealth, increase in land, their enemies to be subdued or for their reign to not be usurped. All of this seems rather temporary and in the end petty. If history has taught us anything is that all earthly kingdoms fall or come to an end. What is Solomon going to ask for?
“…I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom who you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this great people?” (1 Kings 3:7b-9)
Solomon asks for what is needed to wisely and justly lead the people God has entrusted him with. What he asks for is not only for his benefit but the benefit of the people. In my interpretation of the text, this where the Holy Spirit is interceding for Solomon in a moment of holy inspiration. The Holy Spirit saw what was needed for Solomon to rule, as Solomon recognizes his own inability, I am only a little child, and gives what is best suited for Solomon in his position as king.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit works for us and is our benefactor in our lives. We are directed towards God and what he has done in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther writes about this in his explanation of the 3rd article of the Apostle’s Creed.
“I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith.”
St. Paul recognizes this as well, that the Holy Spirit is essential to our daily lives and our relationship with God. We are all little children who are in the process of growing in our relationship with God.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words…the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26–17)
As we grow in God, I think we learn to depend more and more on the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit knows us better than we know ourselves. In the process of learning to lean on and be open to the Spirit, we remember that there is more freedom in the movements of the Spirit than there ever is out on our own. Solomon could not have ruled without the wisdom of the Spirit or the dependence on God. Likewise, we cannot become who we are fully intended to be with the intercession of the Holy Spirit. What the Holy Spirit does for us is always grounded in the actions God has taken on our behalf. St. Paul reminds us of these:
-He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?
-It is God who justifies!
-It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. (It is the whole Trinity working together as one, always coming to us in the way we understand and receive best)
And if we need to be reminded of the power of God’s love in our lives, the reason we are in the same position as Solomon to ask and receive, a reason for our confidence and why the Spirit works on our behalf, here it is:
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus is the anchor from which our lives in God stem. The Holy Spirit becomes what animates, motivates, and grows us not only as disciples but as children of God. It really is a powerful and beautiful thing that the same Spirit that hovered over the waters of creation flows through us. And as frightening or unbelieving as that can seem I really believe it is all for our good and the good of our neighbors because we are called and claimed according the holy purposes of God.
Pastor Laura