S.O.A.P. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) is a way of encountering God through the Bible each day, following a prescribed pattern of reading so you cover the whole Bible over a period of time.
Its a good discipline for a disciple because we need to let God loose on us through this source (written word). Watching for God and listening to God through other sources (like, say, the beauty of the golf course!) has a tendency to allow us to build God into what we think God should be. Paying attention to the bible can do that too, of course, if you are less than honest. But if you are honest and let the wrestling with God commence, blessings occur.
So, a S.O.A.P from Wednesday May 12 2010 and my daily reading of that day.
“Supper is Ready”
Love and Enemies
Scripture
“All were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their hearts. Eagerly they sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side”
2 Chronicles 15:15
Observation and Application
Last night at my Diakonia Class I included my “Parable of Salvation” (see below) as part of my lecture. The whole thing about finding God is not that we cannot but that we will not. And when we do see him he forces us to sit down at the table. We will not sit down on our own. We are forced to sit down. It is the force not of violence but of love. We are overcome by the unconditionality of it all – we have nothing to bring to the table, this feast, and our pride on the one hand, is shut down because, no, we are not allowed at this feast to bring any fare. We are served, unconditionally, by Christ. And our despair, on the other hand, is rejected because at this table no one, for any reason, is turned away. We then are forced, against our will, our will being destroyed by the fire of this love. Christ’s heart-melting (or piercing) gaze takes us beyond the choice of sitting down. It is too good not to be true. And so we do sit, we do find him, we do feast, after he has found us out, and we enjoy his presence.
And then there is the “rest from the enemies.” I think of Psalm 23 and the table set in the middle of enemies. Think about that. Our enemy is just as likely to be sitting at the table with us as to be standing on the side causing all kinds of distraction (the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is noisy and obnoxious) so that it’s a serious challenge to actually enjoy the hospitality of God. Our enemies are everywhere. You could say the Enemy is everywhere: anything and everything that would be bent on keeping us from celebrating this meal – this life of unconditional love by God. No matter, though, where the enemy is or what he does. As Paul exhorts (Romans 8), nothing can separate us from this love of God in and through Christ. The party has started and nothing is going to shut it down.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, today my enemies surround me. Can you bring the food from the kitchen pronto, with lots of wine too please, so that in my hunger I don’t get up and walk away and really, then, be in a fix!
Amen.
A Parable of Salvation
Heaven is like a huge banquet hall in which God has set a table setting for every single person in the world. At each table setting is the name card for each person, signifying their invitation and the desire of the Host of the banquet to have each person join in. The door to the banquet hall is open to all. There is no admission charge. There are no credentials that must be shown in order to enter. The Host has paid for the entire banquet and has posted an open invitation. When guests arrive they are shown their place at the table and invited to be seated. Many do, and thus enjoy the service and hospitality of the Host. But many do not, for many reasons, not the least of which is that they feel there must be something they should offer to help with the festivities. In fact, when they entered the banquet hall they did so with the question if not the objection of an offering of some sort by saying “Is there not something I can bring?” There is an awkwardness, if not a resistance, on the part of the guests to letting the Host be totally responsible for all the fare. No matter that their place is reserved and open for them, they refuse to actually sit down to be a part of the party. Always gracious, the Host does not insist they participate but also is not interested in having “spoil-sports” interfere with the festivities. He asks that those who refuse to sit down and join the fun to then go off into another area of the Banquet Hall, albeit empty of banquet items, where they can commiserate or perhaps rethink their invitation.
© Johan Bergh 2006
Johan, I appreciate your post and your story of the banquet. It reminds me of the quote from St. Bernard, "Jesus is my bee; he comes not to sting, but to bring me honey." It is useless to try and tell the bee what to do and where to go but he provides a tasty and nutritious meal for all who show up.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are those who percieve the honey as a messy, sticky nuisance and therefore preferably to be avoided.
Thus, the need to be inviatational remains urgent. The banquet hall is open 24-7-375!
Brian
Jesus does not come to sting, but his arrival does just that...because we will not have it. We will not have him. His banquet is too easy. All we do is feast! We can't have that! We need to provide the credentials and boundaries for the whole thing.
ReplyDelete