He has Called the Earth
AM Psalm 50 • PM Psalm [59, 60] or 66, 67
Joshua 9:3-21 • Rom. 15:1-13 • Matt. 26:69-75
“The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken;
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals himself in glory.
Our God will come and will not keep silence.”
I think it is a common illusion within the great religious traditions that God calls us mainly from the ancient past. This is understandable because our traditions and scriptures are old, have given us so much life, and a place to stand. But oddly, from these same old voices, we hear that God is calling us from everywhere—even from the future. We are wrong to think of this only as a coming Judgment. It is also a deep Song drawing us forward into Beauty.
Within each moment many things mingle: the past that births us, present possibilities and confusions, a pull of anticipation, and the unmistakable sense of a plea. These all work in each of our lives—push us from behind, infuse us, and call us forward. This ongoing revelation is sometimes frightening, sometimes beautiful. I have to relax, for in the moment it is never clear to me what all it could mean.
One of the little things I have learned working as an artist/craftsman is that the ancient past, the present, and the future will work together—they can and do hold hands. They seem to know and care for each other. The old traditional tools and ways do not begrudge new insights. And thoughtful, new ideas are not at war with the old. Here is the gist of a routine conversation with apprentices:
Apprentice: Why do I have to do things this old, complicated way?
Me: Because wood and metal are so strange and complex, you cannot possibly anticipate the many forms of trouble we are playing with. These old methods have evolved to give us a chance.
Apprentice: Oh. Okay.
Me: But so very glad you are asking. Hold onto your questions. In six months or so, you must be exploring your own developing thoughts and experimenting with new approaches. It will all come together.
God’s deep voice swirls around us from all directions—full of gifts, beauty, and warnings. God calls the earth—continually drawing us forward into new worlds. Of course, there are rival voices, too, with less to offer. Wisdom and attention are vital as ever. But it is not old versus new.
Written by David Orth
David is trying to understand Alfred North Whitehead’s mind-bending process philosophy and the process theology it soon stirred up. David is alternately inspired and completely stumped.