Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Revelation 3:14-22

“Sometimes the curse of the wicked sounds better in God’s ears than the hallelujah of the pious.” 

This saying by Martin Luther was popularized in the 20th century by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and is said to have led to the long friendship between Bonhoeffer and the Swiss theologian Karl Barth.

This, and verses 15 and 16 from today’s reading (“‘I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.’”), may seem a little strange upon first glance. You’d think that God would graciously accept our measured and polite acknowledgements, like a neighbour nicely accepting a gift of undercooked cookies. But the response, according to this passage, is the same— both the disgusting cookies and lukewarm response to God’s call ends in regurgitation.

Both today’s reading and the quote from Luther, with their outrageous language, are (to continue with the baking imagery), a bit like a particularly chewy, doughy cookie. It takes some time to chew and digest them adequately. They are perhaps like Zen koans that seem non-sensical, but can bear much fruit when reflected upon with patience and diligence. 

May we follow the example of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph, and John the Baptizer, who responded to God’s call with a red-hot, whole-hearted “YES.”

-Matthew Kieswetter