Posts Tagged ‘10-17’

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Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52

What makes for a powerful encounter with God?  Our scripture readings today are chock full of them.  Power filled life-altering encounters with God.  Do you long to experience that kind of power?  Or does that seem silly?  Does that seem like the sort fantasy not worthy of serious, intelligent people.  I’ll confess, I find myself mixed with awe and wonder, as well as doubt and a fear of disappointment.  And I wonder what this does when and if I approach God in prayer.  Job and Bartimaeus experienced the power God in dramatic ways and their stories are preserved for people of faith to make their own.  What can we make of them?

Most people have the general idea of the parable of Job from Hebrew Wisdom literature.  God enters into a little wager with Satan who thinks people only worship God when they have nice things, so Job gets caught in the crosshairs and God allows Satan to slowly strip away all comfort and joy from Job.  But, Job doesn’t give up, God wins, and replaces everything that Job lost and more.  It sounds nice when you tell the story quickly and skip to the end.  But it robs us of the place where our lived experience tends to dwell, in that place where things are unfinished, painful, and confusing. Read More