Living in Expectation
Thankfully, most slavery is illegal. Abolishing slavery is one of the clearest measures of progress in history. Yet Paul calls us slaves. His audience included citizens, women, foreigners, as well as slaves. How are all people slaves? We face a choice about what to follow. Do we follow sin or righteousness? Which side are we on? The direction is up to us, but the banner under which I travel is not mine. The error for the ancients was accepting slavery. Our error lies in thinking that my face flies on the banner above me. We don’t travel by our own power. We do not rule. Our being lies in another. I find myself in the one who is greater. That is how humans are free. The choice remains mine. The banner belongs to another. Torn by a tough decision, we stop to listen. At a crossroads we ask for help. In a crisis our senses sharpen. But how do we stand ready during the long years of ordinary life? Swallowed up by the tasks at hand, we don’t hear the knocking at the door. The gospel writer, like a cross parent, uses threats to scare us awake. Stay watchful. Keep seeking. Always remember. Be faithful. Don’t drift. Each day matters. Live in expectation. God is coming. God is near. |