Saturday, October 17, 2020 (today’s lectionary)
Dominion
One of our buddies in Austin, another guy named after King David, talked this morning about his life. He retired in his early forties, sitting on a big nest egg he made from selling an idea, a successful method for investing. Since then he has been a plumber by trade but never been paid, an electrician, a designer, builder, and most of all, a spiritual helper and guide. He calls himself an amateur counselor and spiritual director, but he’s no amateur.
Hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.
One Tuesday each month, he hosts a group of about 60 guys for an evening called Houseboat. They meet on the shore of Lake Travis, talk awhile, have a meal, then circle up and check in with each other, anyone who wants to talk for two or three minutes. The only requirement is that they skip the usual church positivity and talk about “the bad stuff,” what they are finding difficult. No crosstalk, and the leader helps them to “land the plane,” say what needs to be said and then listen to the next guy.
Do not worry about what you are to say, Jesus told us. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment, and give you the words you need.
There is nothing complicated about this, at least there shouldn’t be. It’s no surprise to any of us that listening is far better medicine than preaching any day of the week, including Tuesdays. To sit in a circle saying something like, “Hi, my name is Dave, and I’m an alcoholic,” and then realize that no one has looked away and no one is going to interrupt, can be the most therapeutic moment in my week, or month, or even my life. God’s love is never more present and never more complete.
God does not countenance our sin, but he accommodates us in spite of it. Think of Adam and Eve, naked and ashamed in front of God. God covered them and then protected them from certain despair and death by putting them out of the garden before they could “eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in their sin.” From the very beginning, God showed how much he loves us, always giving us another chance to love him back.
You have made him and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands, and put all things under his feet.
Not that we deserve this responsibility or handle it very well. Much of the time we leave nature and even relationships worse when we leave than when we arrived. God might get angry, but he never stops talking with us. God might even despair (if there is such a thing as Godly despair) but he always comes back and invites us to come back too. There is joy in the morning.
David keeps track of the comings and goings in his neighborhood. The founder of the Southwest Music and Film Festivals lives a few doors down. Sandra Bullock lives behind a big white gate a mile or so away. Joe Rogan just bought a place. We drove by, and this month Joe’s fence and gate are decorated with wonderful silver Halloween skeletons sitting up there holding pumpkins and laughing at us all. I guess Joe has a good sense of humor.
We drove this way because we were on the way to see his friend Brian’s retreat center for pastors. Obviously, there are lots of ways to spend money, lots of ways to take dominion, lots of ways to live.
God is with us all, every day. God bless us, every one.
