Saturday, January 3, 2015

GENESIS 7-8:

Noah obeys God and takes into the ark the animals...God shuts the door and floods the earth. After 371 days, Noah, his family and the animals depart from the ark.  Noah makes a sacrifice to God and God makes a pledge to Noah:

"Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done..."(8:21)

MATTHEW 3:

Thirty years have gone by...John is preaching out in the desert.  Despite his strange and rustic appearance people came out to the desert to hear him preach, confess their sins and be baptized. At the same time many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came out to observe.  John is openly critical of their motives.

"You brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

Jesus now enters the scene and though John tries to deter him, he demands that John baptize him.

"I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

Jesus is baptized and as soon as he comes up out of the water...

At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 

JOURNAL:

Work, action, doing...it is a blessing and a command from God. Many times, work and taking action are the last things I want to do.  Often the "good life" is represented by not having to work.  Being able to rest, relax and do nothing.  Yet, here in scripture from Noah to Jesus, actions are required. 

Noah is required to build an ark, and then to repopulate the earth.   Noah's reward for a life of obedience to God is enduring the nightmare of caring for animals for over a year cooped up in a wooden boat.  Definitely not material for retirement commercials.  

Jesus' obedience is represented here in his participation in baptism itself. Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, makes a statement, by aligning himself with the strange outcast in the desert and sets himself opposed to the "holy" and revered leaders. He begins to therefore walk the path of rejection and ultimate crucifixion.

I guess this is why we are given a day of rest.  The other six are to be spent working and doing...not what I want to hear, yet the more I obey and do, the more motivated I am to continue.  God created us that way, my body, mind and spirit work best when I am active and engaged. 

"All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today." ~ Pope John Paul VI