A Theology of Connecting Chaos and Creation
One of my favorite archbishops of Canterbury is William Temple. He lived 1881-1944 and served in office only two years (1942-1944). I often use one of his blessings at the ends of Sunday services: "May the love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself; may the power of the Lord Jesus equip you in his service; and may the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your souls." We need Jesus' love, power, and joy as we navigate the seeming chaos of the world in our everyday lives. We need to know that in Jesus creation has been set right again, or at least that it is on the path to being fully set right again.
Temple once wrote, "Faith is not only the assent of our minds to doctrinal propositions: it is the commitment of our whole selves into the hands of a faithful Creator and merciful Redeemer." In following Jesus we come into a relationship with our Creator and Redeemer, learning that he can be trusted and relied upon. John Calvin believed that faith is "a steady and certain knowledge of the divine benevolence towards us." That is what Jesus worked towards with his twelve apostles.
I am currently teaching on the Gospel of Mark. Mark focuses on a theme of Jesus calling his disciples, who then follow him on a journey seeing him taking on the chaos of sin, disease, and death, restoring God's good creation. Ultimately, these men saw how they fit into and continued his ministry. I encourage you to read Mark, paying special attention as to how Jesus is seen having power over creation and battling chaos in people's lives. When you do this, you will be reading Mark "theologically."
Comments