Simple citizen and patron requests for our appearance, summons from on high, prepare us for the holiest one. An authority that we must respect and answer hails us to come. We either submit to the requests, or we ignore them and suffer the consequences. What do we practice?
Memorial of Saint John Vianney, Priest
Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22
Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23
Matthew 14:22-36
Matthew 15:1-2, 10-14
When I summon him, he shall approach me;
how else should one take the deadly risk
of approaching me? says the LORD.
You shall be my people,
and I will be your God.
(Jeremiah 30:21-22)
Right there in the middle of those verses is the bottleneck that rattles our courage. These “deadly” words are from the mouth of God. “How else should one take the deadly risk of approaching me?”
How else?
We must recognize that God is dangerous. Jeremiah spends chapters and verses identifying the might and justice of God.
For thus says the LORD:
Incurable is your wound,
grievous your injury;
There is none to plead your cause,
no remedy for your running sore,
no healing for you.
All your lovers have forgotten you,
they do not seek you.
I struck you as an enemy would strike,
punished you cruelly;
Why cry out over your wound?
Your pain is without relief.
Because of your great guilt,
your numerous sins,
I have done this to you.
(Jeremiah 30:21-22)
This detailed list should give us pause. “I have done this to you.” Incurable wounds of injustice, running sores, and lost lovers. The brutality of our treacherous lives is laid out in front of us. And, because God allowed these horrors to take place, punishing us in cruel fashion for our “great guilt,” we recoil at the idea that being summoned by God awaits us.
Still, after establishing the actions and consequences of a sinful life, God insists that when we are summoned — even though he has allowed harm to come to us, and even though we have treated him badly — we should approach him.
We know the angst of a summons. Every unflinching notice we have found, in a letter or taped to our door, bears the weight of dread. We failed to pay our water bill last month, for any of a dozen reasons, and we’re threatened that the city will turn off our water.
Or, how about that jury summons? “You will appear at court on the 24th of October at 7:00 a.m.”
These notices come to us from both failure and duty — our negligence and our mere existence. We “must” respond.
Simple citizen and patron requests for our appearance prepare us for the holiest one. An authority that we must respect and answer to hails us to come. We either submit to the requests, or we ignore them and suffer the consequences. What do we practice?
The first notion, that an authority demands our respect and obedience, says it all. We learned this recognition as a little child. Few of us did what we were expected to do. Parental authorities are the proving ground for our adult life.
Yet, what authority can claim to be the source of every overseer, every Mom, every city administrator, and every judge? “All authority comes from God” (Romans 13:1).
God has every right to speak to us in this way. When we ignore or refuse him, we forgo all logic. To deny God’s desire for us to be drawn to him comes with “deadly” results.
It’s not a matter of no water, or a large fine for not showing up for jury duty. It’s worse than that. We can’t lie our way out of showing up for God’s summons. Avoiding or hiding from God isn’t foolish. It’s ridiculous. It is, frankly, stupid.
If you’ve spent a lifetime ignoring authorities, forging your innocence, and demanding to be left alone, it’s time to adjust your behavior. The summons from God has no exit door.
So when is this summons from God? The clearest answer is at every moment. But the dramatic answer is when we are afraid. “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
What do we think God is going to do? We already know. We have the wounds. Some deformities and damage have come to us unbidden. We didn’t ask for the pain through our guilt. God still allowed it. We have a limp. We can’t see out of one eye. “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Isaiah said it first: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Peter said it last: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
Our trials are our opportunities for witness. But more than that, they are our entry into our necessary intimacy with God. We are his collaborators, his friends, and his charges answering to his summons.
If that is not enough, then consider the endgame, the final picture.
Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)