God is Not Done

With me. With us.  With God's creation

I ponder that this morning as I read today's scriptures and Richard Rohr's meditation and reflect on my life.

God is never done with me, with us, with God's creation.

The scriptures today include the story of Sarai, Abram and Hagar.  The first thing I noticed was the names - not Sarah and Abraham - but Sarai and Abram.  They are still just in the begining part of this journey.  They hear the promise of God's blessing - glorious impossible promise of a baby - and don't quite trust it.  They manage and maneuver on their own to make something happen now.  So, Sarai brings her handmaiden Hagar to Abram and he impregnates her.  And this brings out the worst in everyone - Abraham seems weak and deflecting responsibility, Hagar becomes taunting and cruel, Sarai is vindictive and cruel.

The accompanying scripture from Romans makes clear that this is not a story about the people - but about God and God's trustworthiness.  Hagar is banished and yet protected by God and her son Ishmael is the forefather of the Muslim religion.  Sarai does conceive and her child carries the promise of the Judeo Christian religion.

In Romans Paul writes (Romans 4: 1-12 - the Message)  "Abraham is father of all people who embrace what God does for them while they are still on the "outs."  "  He is "willing to live in the risky faith embrace."

I love this picture of Abram and Sarai because I - like them at times - trust but don't trust in God's work in my life.  There are times when I am waiting, waiting, waiting that I try to make something happen on my own.  And yet God is ultimately faithful.  God is never done with me, with us, with God's creation.

We have an ever creating God in an evercreating universe.  Richard Rohr writes:"Creativity itself is what is evolving in the cosmos, and we are the growing edge..."  He writes this has 2 effects
1. it makes the whole thing intensely meaningful.
2. we bear some responsibility.  we have to take part in the work.

And so today  - even though I see the pain and suffering and evil that is present in our world - I remember that God is not done.  I am called to bring light, hope, healing and love in my small way to my little corner of the world.  And trust. as I enter into that risky faith embrace.

PS - as addendum to this:  an hour after I wrote this, I went to Reagan's high school to drop off some clothes she needed.  As I stood outside the school waiting to be buzzed in - I watched them go on lockdown.  There is a juvenile with a gun in the area.  There are so many ways that we can feel like we are in the dark .......