Daily PresenceSample

Today’s reading from Genesis brought to mind an acquaintance years ago who was ever eager to express noisy anti-Christian views and opinions, especially when people of faith were within earshot. He believed church-goers’ lives were ridden with hypocrisy, and he would cynically cite passages from scripture, such as chapters from Genesis in today’s reading, where bible characters’ unflattering conduct violates Christian standards of decency, purity, and morality. What apologetic do we cite in the face of such critics, and more importantly, where do we find meaning and inspiration when we read a bible story that’s laced with lewd intrigue, immoral conduct, and deceit?

We certainly begin by understanding that the Old Testament exposes the shortcomings of our imperfect nature while dramatizing our desperate need for a savior to deliver us from that nature.

And so Jesus did!

Unlike the struggling patriarchs of the Old Testament, we celebrate the full revelation from Jesus provided in the gospels. In addition, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit that came at Pentecost! That Holy Spirit stands ever-ready to encourage and empower us, providing a means to live on a higher moral plane than we could ever achieve on our own.

So let these thoughts provide inspiration for today: We understand the Old Testament characters’ struggles because their ways were often dark, unlit paths that led to failure and despair. Let’s be honest: We have all trod such paths and tasted such despair in our journey through this fallen world. But according to the unaccountable and inexpressible mystery of grace, God created us in the A.D. rather than B.C. side of the Cross! Our way is brightly lit by the full revelation of Truth, allowing us to escape the confining basement of our limited moral strength and rise to a high moral plane that soars above and beyond, leading to life, happiness, and holiness.

May our prayer today express gratitude for that grace, for the Holy Spirit, and for the empowerment that allows us to live, as St. Paul described it, the abundant life in Christ.