from First Thessalonians 5:
"16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise the words of prophets, 21but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22abstain from every form of evil."
I grew up knowing the bit of trivia that says the shortest verse in the Bible is "Jesus wept." (John 11:35). How wonderful that little verse is, because it reminds us again of the deep love Jesus has for this world, for Lazarus his friend, and for us.
These short verses from Paul give John a run for his money. (Yes I know, verses weren't added to the biblical text until around the year 1550 by a man with the last name "Estienne". I will still use the shortness of the verses to make my point...) Perhaps these statements needed the added emphasis of verse numbers. These are sound bytes that are so short they can fit in your wallet.
I like that these verses are short and sweet. They get to the point right away without adding theological explanation, narrative, poetry or anything else. It's a mighty-good list. I especially like "Do not quench the Spirit". It takes longer to imagine the Spirit being quenched than it does to speak the words!
Once, several years ago I was welcoming people to worship, and for some reason I had skipped the Confession and Absolution which happens at the beginning of the liturgy. But I wanted to say something, so I make a brief comment that we won't have that part of the service today, and by the way, "you're forgiven." I got a laugh from the assembly but I think there is power in short, sweet, punchy, powerful, graceful words that seem to sum it all up.
These commands are the Gospel in shorthand. Like the swoops and dots, curls and hooks of the above picture show, they are quick ways to share the good news and to remind ourselves of the same. It's a good way to both stay in the community of faith, and bring someone in.
The Ditty Bops, a band from (I think) California, have a great way of summing up the world's version of this...
"Wake up, and smell the coffee. Rise and shine. The early bird gets the worm. Strike while the iron's hot, and whistle while you work."
They have the Law figured out! (It's our job to infiltrate with the Gospel)
Rejoice. Pray. Don't quench the Spirit.
I feel like a rebel.
What is your shorthand? And, what would you prefer if you were to adopt a new one?
No comments:
Post a Comment