Daily Lesson for April 10, 2015

Today's daily lesson comes from John chapter 16 verses 12 and 13:

12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

The United Church of Christ denomination has a campaign slogan with the tagline, "God is still speaking."  Sometimes I joke that most other denominations, including a lot of Baptists, are clinging to the old tagline of, "God is still smiting."

God is still speaking.

Jesus told his disciples very clearly that the final word had not yet been given. There was yet more revelation to come; but the disciples were not yet ready to receive it.  They could "not bear it now."

I believe in the continually unfolding revelation of God and God's will. It comes to us in its own due time and transforms our consciousness. This happened in the Church when the new revelation was given to Peter that Gentiles were not unclean but invited into the fellowship.  It happened in the 18th and 19th centuries when people of faith began to see the error and work for the abolition of slavery. It happened again in the early part of the last century when women began to take full part in the life of society and in the church including -- in some traditions -- even serving as pastors. It is still happening today.

One of if not the greatest dangers humanity now faces is the threat of those who believe all God has to say is now locked in a book and there is therefore nothing else to say, grow into, become, or change in thought. This is the terror of fundamentalism and it is in deep conflict not only with modern democracy but also with the continuing unfolding of God's work in the world.

John Robinson was the spiritual leader of the Pilgrims who died in England before he could make the journey across the Atlantic. Yet his parting words to those boarding the Mayflower in 1646 encouraged his fellow pilgrims to be open and ready for new revelation in the New World:

"[I]f God should reveal anything to us by any other instrument of his, to be as ready to receive it, as ever we were to receive any truth by his Ministry. For he was very confident the Lord had more truth and light yet to break forth out of his holy Word."

The New World always demands a readiness for new Word. The Holy Spirit is still moving.  What we could not bear yesterday we are ready for today; God is still speaking.

And as the old hymn, written in the time of the brewing storm over slavery in America, so powerfully says:

"New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth,
They must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth."