When does an Irish potato
change its nationality?
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In times of crisis we cry out almost instinctively for a power beyond our
ReplyDeletesituation. In the midst of tragedy we seem to recognize that the thought
of a sovereign God is comforting.
I once read an essay in which the author, a Zen Buddhist, recounted the
fateful day his plane came just moments from crashing. As the plane
literally dropped from the sky, he recalls being completely shocked by his
response, astonished by the words that came out of his mouth. He writes,
"When all seemed lost, it wasn't Mu I had cried out, or even Buddha, but
of all things, Jesus—in spite of everything else I had ever believed or
done."(1)
The Gospel of John describes a similar situation.(2) In the chapter
following the exchange between Jesus and the woman at the well, Jesus
is confronted by a member of the king's circle. The two accounts sit
powerfully beside one another. One life was weary from a hopeless
reputation, the other weary of a hopeless situation; both seemed to
recognize in Jesus a sovereign comfort. The official, who was most likely
an officer of Herod Antipas, had traveled from Capernaum to Galilee to see
him. His son near death, he found himself crying out to Jesus, in spite
of everything else he had ever believed or done. In the midst of tragedy,
his own titles and authority seemed lifeless, the king's sovereignty wholly
inadequate.
Like many today, the royal officer believed Jesus was a unique person. He
saw more hope in making the long journey to plead with Jesus than he saw
in any other option. But also like many today, he had not fully considered
the uniqueness of Christ until the peril of this moment, until Jesus
himself tested his cry.
His son teetering between life and death, the official called to Jesus
pleading that he come to his house and heal his son. The cry for help
was persistent. But Jesus did not offer what the troubled father asked for.
He only offered words: "You may go. Your son lives" (4:50a).
This moment becomes absolutely pivotal when you realize the man was given
only a word of assurance from a man who spoke many words people that were
unsure about. The grieving father faced a defining decision about the
words of Christ that day. Jesus tested his cry for life with a potent
inquiry: "Will you believe in my words or do you only ask for a miracle?"
We are then told, "The man took Jesus at his word and departed" (John
4:50b). He was asked to recognize the matchless sovereignty of the one he
cried out to in the midst of tragedy. He chose to believe there was life
in the words of Christ. On his way home, his servants met him with news
that his boy was living.
The psalmist declares what we seem to recognize in times of crisis, "The
LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble"
(9:9). He is our refuge in the midst of tragedy, the name above all names
to cry out when all seems lost. He is also so much more than that. Even
as his son draws near to us, his words test our cry: "Who do you say that
I am?" (Luke 9:20). "I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he
will never see death" (John 8:51). "I am the resurrection and the life,
whoever believes in me will never die" (John 11:24). Is this not the
unique promise and unparalleled comfort for which we cry?
- - Jill Carattini
(1) Clark Strand, At the Root of It All, as printed on beliefnet.org
(2)John 4:43-54
AN ANNOTATED THERMOMETER
ReplyDelete(degrees Fahrenheit)
+50
~ New York tenants turn on the heat
~ Minnesotans plant gardens
+40
~ Californians shiver uncontrollably
~ Minnesotans sunbathe
+35
~ French cars don't start
+32
~ Distilled water freezes
+30
~ You can see your breath
~ You plan a vacation in Florida
~ Politicians begin to worry about the homeless
~ Minnesotans eat ice cream
+25
~ Boston water freezes
~ Californians weep pitiably
~ Cat insists on sleeping on your bed with you
+20
~ Cleveland water freezes
~ San Franciscans start thinking favorably of LA
~ Green Bay Packers fans put on T-shirts
+15
~ You plan a vacation in Cancun
~ Minnesotans go swimming
+10
~ Too cold to snow
~ You need jumper cables to get the car going
0
~ New York landlords turn on the heat
-5
~ You can hear your breath
~ You plan a vacation to Hawaii
-10
~ American cars don't start
~ Too cold to skate
-15
~ You can cut your breath and use it to build an igloo
~ Miamians cease to exist
~ Minnesotans lick flagpoles
-20
~ Cat insists on sleeping in your pajamas with you
~ People in LaCrosse think about taking down screens
-25
~ Too cold to kiss
~ You need jumper cables to get the driver going
~ Japanese cars don't start
~ Minnesota Twins head for spring training
-30
~ You plan a two-week hot bath
~ Minnesotans shovel snow off roof
-38
~ Mercury freezes
~ Too cold to think
~ Minnesotans button top button
-40
~ Californians disappear
~ Car insists on sleeping in your bed with you
~ Minnesotans put on sweaters
-50
~ Congressional hot air freezes
~ Alaskans close the bathroom window
~ Green Bay Packers practice indoors
-60
~ Walruses abandon Aleutians
~ Minnesotans put gloves away, take out mittens
~ Boy Scouts in Eau Claire start Klondike Derby
-70
~ Minneapolis residents replace diving boards with hockey nets
~ Ridgeway snowmobilers organize trans-river race to Buffalo, WI
-80
~ Polar bears abandon Baffin Island
~ Girl Scouts in Eau Claire start Klondike Derby
-90
~ Lawyers chase ambulances for no more than 10 miles
~ Wisconsinites migrate to Minnesota thinking it MUST be warmer
-100
~ Santa Claus abandons North Pole
~ Minnesotans pull down earflaps
-173
~ Ethyl alcohol freezes
-445
~ Superconductivity
-452
~ Helium becomes a liquid
-454
~ Hell freezes over
-456
~ Illinois drivers drop below 85 MPH on I-90
-458
~ Incumbent politician renounces a campaign contribution
-460 (Absolute Zero)
~ All atomic motion ceases
~ Minnesotans agree that it's getting a "mite nippy"
~ Chocolate is a Vegetable: Chocolate is derived from cocoa
ReplyDeletebeans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar
CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them
in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.
ReplyDeleteWhen does an Irish potato change its nationality?
When it's french fried.