Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Accuse me, let us go to trial; set forth your case, so that you may be proved right.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, December 16, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
This reminds me of a story told by Holocaust-survivor Elie Wiesel. The Jewish leaders in the concentration camp where he was held actually put God on trial. They wanted to know whether God had violated God’s covenant with God’s people by allowing the Holocaust to happen. In the end, they convicted God of violating the covenant. Then the rabbi in charge said, “And now it’s time for our evening prayers,” or something along those lines.
A covenant is a two-way thing. That means either party can and should hold the other accountable if it’s not going well. The Hebrew Bible is full of such accounting. God’s people are not just invited but actually encouraged, even obligated, to stand up to God and argue. If it’s just a one-way street—God sets forth the law and punishes the people for not obeying it—it’s not much of a relationship. That’s not what God wants. God wants God’s beloved children to be fully engaged with God, in conversation, in distress. God has promised to protect people, and where God has not held up God’s end of the bargain, the people can raise a stink.
This isn’t limited to the Jews of antiquity. We, today, are obligated to wrestle with God and hold God accountable. We need to make space for lament. When we just sit back an accept what is as “inevitable” or chalk tragedy up to “God’s will” we’re abandoning our side of the covenant. It’s okay, even in the midst of Advent—maybe especially in the midst of Advent—to lament the evils of the world and remind God of God’s covenant promises to us.
What is something I need to “have it out” with God about?
