Finding Love in the Ruins

What is a girl who has been taken from her country and made a slave in a foreign country doing helping the man who enslaved her? Why do we find God setting a table “in the presence of Israel's enemies and feeding them instead of slaughtering them? Why are lepers feasting when a city is starving and mothers are eating their children? Why do we see a poisoned pot of stew made whole and a lost ax head float? What has all of this got to do with the Kingdom of God? For those of us who are “too spiritual for our own good,” apparently nothing. But for the people of God who needed a Word from God, apparently everything!In II Kings 3 - 8:1-6 we have a series of seemly random events happening in and around Israel. The country is still going to hell in a hand basket. The leaders are mostly corrupt, as is the clergy. The laws of the land tend to exploit the poor and further alienate the marginalized. We also see one of Israel’s enemies, an actual “lord of war,” become a devote follower of God. We have to ask ourselves this question, “What have these scenes from normal, mundane, everyday domestic life have to do with the larger Kingdom of God and bringing down the powers that be?” Apparently everything!Shocking, isn’t it. We cower because we think that because we have no power, or are too small, we have no impact in the Kingdom God is bringing. That kind of thinking permeates our religious cultures now as it did in Jesus' day. This Sunday we will see that God’s Kingdom is always taking place amid the cultural ruins. God’s Kingdom is always an affirmation of life in a culture of death. God always works in the domestic sphere, muddy rivers, out of the way places, and with marginalized, lepers, and outsiders.So, this Sunday before you come read this strange text from II Kings 3 - 8:1-6. It is a strange few chapters in the grand scheme of the book, but I think it is a pointed Word from God to his church today. Here is what is true - there is love in the ruins! You may not see it. You may not see how you have a part in it. You may be too discouraged to even believe God is at work. God begs to differ. God is still on the throne, there is on panic in his face or sweat on his upper lip. Join me as we see how God uses his people to actually create love, joy, and beauty in the the ruins around us.Also, if you are new and want to know more about St. Patrick, join Josh Smith and I at 9:15am this Sunday for our Inquirers' Class. In this class you will get to know people’s names and also get to know what St. Patrick values and how you can get connected.Hope to see you all Sunday,Blessings,Jim