Then I came home and opened an essay by Dr. Willie James Jennings, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. There is something about his mystical yet practical perspective that lifts my burden, right in the midst of the struggle, and sets me free.
Reflecting on Jesus's call to disciples in the gospel of Luke, Dr. Jennings writes:
"Jesus' stunning work intensifies what had been the case with the earlier prophets of Israel. The prophets always stood in a particular moment and invited the people of God to step into the depths of their faith by entering a future with God. They were asked to believe in a future that they could not see, because faith is never only for today. It is also always bright hope for tomorrow."
In Dr. Jennings' understanding, "God enters the everyday struggles of creatures and, from within the everyday, draws us toward our destiny in God. Jesus shows us the God of time moving in our time, walking with us in it, and working with us through it... Jesus invites us to bring our lives into the divine life by following God's time. We must enter into God's time so that we are not overwhelmed by our times."
To Professor Jennings, Jesus does not encourage pessimism or passivity. "Certainly," he admits, "we can see in some events the operations of evil and of human sin, which must never be taken lightly," yet he encourages us "to frame this world within God's love and embrace" and step into "a Jesus-shaped present."
Rather than run or hide or give up, we are called to join with Jesus in this present moment and to participate with him in God's ever-creative love.
Dr. Willie James Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. His reflections, quoted here, can be found in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary, Year C, Volume 1, p. 14-16.