Nougat 20

Blessings to the Fathers on this your day! I pray that the fullness of God’s Grace equips you to love, live and lead your children as an example of how God loves us all. Here in Geneva, we observed Father’s Day two weeks ago, nevertheless we salute fathers on this more traditional day.

Please receive today’s Holy Nougat

“So the Jews told the man who had been healed, “This is a day of rest—a holy day. You’re not allowed to carry your cot today.” The man replied, “The man who made me well told me to pick up my cot and walk.”” John‬ ‭5:10-11‬ ‭GW‬‬

The man’s body seems to have made the decision for him; he was happily headed for home with scant regard for what day of the week it was. It makes sense too, as sabbath only meant that he probably saw more people pass him by on their way to worship. And, when we consider that in those days being visibly/physically sick often resulted in mandatory ‘quarantine’ (ie, the sick lived outside the well community’s space for fear of contagion) in short order; it is expected that the man would have been invisible.

But note the irony – the laws that deemed the man invisible was also challenged by his restoration to wholeness. The teachers of the Law could NOT understand what would cause the man to ‘break the law’ by carrying his bed on a holy day.

There went the man, totally basking in his healing, failing to regard the sanctity of the day when he was spotted by the teachers of the Law. Bound by legalism and dedicated to maintaining religiosity, they opted to chastise, rather than ask the obvious questions.

Permit me to digress for a quick moment, as I can’t help but hear the echoes of colonialism in such actions. Slavery permitted the colonial systems to flourish, and under the systems Black were considered inhuman. We were separated from society and relegated to ‘chattel’, ie we were counted as stock. When we moved from mandatory enslavement, the leaders and crafters of the Law, sacred AND secular, had NO idea what to do with us. And it was the Law that was (and continues to this day) used to keep us shackled. But thanks be to God – who the Son set free is free indeed.

After 38 years, few would recognize the upright man walking around with a bedroll. Nevertheless a different question could have provided the answer without the condemnatory tone attached. And therein lies the problem with many of us in church – we are more prone to judge and to condemn than to discern the truth before us. I suspect that this response was included as a warning to each of us to avoid such attitudes.

When we see someone acting contrary to our customs, laws and traditions; do we jump to condemnatory conclusions or do we attempt to discern the Truth? For I believe that our God will provide the answers we need if we only ask.

Siblings in Christ, Mayo ur attitudes be more open to grace as we minister and bear witness to our Faith.

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May all we seek be found in Christ