January 22, 2018 Chapter 21: Significant and Wonderful
I like this chapter because I have always wondered the best way to approach miracles in the Bible. I like McLaren's 3 alternative (see page 97). I also like the thought that miracles are signs--things that point us to other things.
When I was in seminary we had a one-year internship in a parish. It wasn't optional, it was part of the formation program. One of my classmates emailed me during that internship and attached a picture--it was a picture of the banner covering the front of the ambo (podium) at his parish. There was a clear image of the Blessed Mother on the green fabric. He talked about the fact that no one knows how the image got there, but it was clearly there. The pastor decided to remove the banner so it would not attract attention.
I'm not sure what I would do if that happened in my parish today...I tend to be skeptical about those things, however I often wondered "what if...?"
Perhaps I don't need miracles to bolster my faith. However, maybe I need them to bolster my imagination.
This was an eye opening chapter for me! I love how he took apart the two miracles and suggested how they might apply to change in our world.my husband and I were members of the Cathedral Parish in downtown Louisville for many years. It was a "stone container" , "an empty vessel used for religious purposes" or at least it was before Father Ron Knott brought about a miracle. He filled that empty vessel by great preaching, awesome music and outreach to the outcasts- the homeless, the gay community, the divorced and the disenchanted from stale parishes. We watched the parish grow from a dying parish to a vibrant, alive, spirit filled community-a modern miracle.
ReplyDeleteAs I think of other miracle stories in this way I can see how we can take a part most of them and apply them to our world today. It is a challenge and an insight.
The perspective on miracles broaden my perspective.
ReplyDeleteI connected more with a different phrasing on Page 97, 3rd paragraph...
"Perhaps, by challenging us to consider impossible possibilities, these stories can stretch our imagination, and in doing so, can empower us to play a catalytic role in co-creating new possibilities for the world of tomorrow."
This is the area I am studying these days as I ponder on my business model, my offerings, and move on faith into unknown territory.