Beyond the Comma

I felt a nudge to engage the Letter to the Hebrews. I like a chance to tear apart Bible text – or any text. Most of my academic background was to that end, and I don’t get to do it much these days. So with glad anticipation, I got out my big Annotated NRSV and prepared to dive in. 

It– the task to which I felt nudged—was not what I had expected. It seems that, rather than tearing into the Letter to the Hebrews, I was to pay attention to the direction it heads, its trajectory, and extrapolate. Where was the human relationship with the Divine, with Godde, before this? And where does it seem to be headed? 

For a while, our local UCC flew a large banner reading (something like) “Don’t put a period where God has put a comma.” Like that. The Divine, Godde, the CHRIST, the evolving thrusting dynamic of and through creation, did not cease with the “closing of the canon”- the determination of what was to be included in the sacred texts – nor did it begin with Abram. This dynamic is alive, ever-evolving, multi-dimensional, and is at work to awaken humanity (at least) to our right place and right size within its Dance. 

The Letter to the Hebrews, as I read it, sketches the trajectory of Godde’s revelation to humankind from Abram, up through the arc of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, to the time the Letter was composed, sometime in the early years of the Common Era. It was written to encourage folks not to slide back into earlier stages of the revelation, but to live into what they had learned of the further revelation through the story of Jesus. 

It continues, right? Godde will keep on revealing the truth to us of our true place and right size until we fully get it and accept it, and are willing to live into it. We just need to open our eyes to see clearly and honestly. And encourage and support others in opening their eyes and seeing clearly and honestly. The whole trajectory. From each one’s unique perspective. If we do that, we can discover and begin to live into the life that Godde offers us, into what Godde is needing of us. 

A former rector at my church suggested that the church got into trouble when it quit following Jesus and instead began to worship him. Good enough. But following Jesus is more than (although it surely includes) feeding the hungry, helping the outcasts and strangers, having mercy and doing justice, walking humbly with our Godde, and obeying the commandments. 

Following Jesus also means to be willing to act and live and preach and teach outside the gates, to stretch and be stretched in accordance with the ever-lasting purpose of Godde. The law that Jesus came to fulfill is alive, dynamic. It is fulfilled by living it, outside the gates if need be, beyond the comma.