Advent Devotions

Today’s author is Prince of Peace’s Intentional Interim Pastor Steve Sylvester.

“Be still and know that I am God.”  You know what that tells me?  It tells me I am NOT God.  I chafe at that.  Why?  Because I want to call the shots.  I want to chart my course, define my destiny.  We’re raised to believe we SHOULD want those things, come hell or high water.  But we often pursue those things at the expense of our own humanity and the humanity of others.  With regard to the former, limits and mortality are simply inescapably part of what it means to be human, and it’s at the expense of our humanness that we seek to be or pretend to be something else or something more.  And with respect to the latter, we have a well-worn history of making people subjects instead of embracing them as sisters and brothers.  So, yes, it’s good for me to know that I am NOT God.

So, then, who AM I?  Answering that question is as important as coming to terms with who I am NOT.  If I am to live fully in this life, if I am to participate in society, I need to know who I AM.  That question was answered in a very important way very early on in Scripture.  When God asked Cain about the whereabouts of his brother, Cain’s response was, “Who knows?  Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Though left unspoken, the answer is, “Well… yes!  Of course you are!”

My brother’s/sister’s keeper is not the only thing I am, but along with understanding that I am not God, it’s a very good place to start each day.  I would clarify the meaning of that by saying I am responsible TO and not responsible FOR my fellow siblings.  There is freedom, in both directions, in allowing others to be responsible FOR themselves.  And a functioning and even joyous society becomes possible if we understand that we are responsible TO each other.

I will leave you with a short prayer to accompany you through the week.  God, help me this day to understand, and to celebrate, the truth that I am NOT God.  And lift my eyes and my heart that I may be responsible TO my sisters and brothers around me.  Amen