disruptive grace

I just discovered this in the archives of my old blog, the original post was dated September 2006. It seems worth while to post it again here (with typos and grammar corrected):

One idea which as captured my imagination in recent years, is the idea of seeing time as us being drawn into God’s future. This thinking moves away from the idea of “God as first cause” or a God who creates a clockwork universe and simply sets it going. Rather, it maybe more helpful to imagine God at the end of time (as we know it), beckoning creation on into His future, like the father of a toddler encouraging his child to walk across the room to him. Following this line of thought leads us to completely re-think about many concepts including what it means for God to be in control or even what it means for God to know all things. In fact those categories seem completely in appropriate, they are not big enough to hold the reality of God’s being.

Thinking through this reminds me of an interview with Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Concerning where we are in today’s culture, Sacks spoke about how he was struck by the analogy of a car sat-nav [satellite navigation system]. If you driving to a place you know well and the sat-nav suggests you go right, you may think, “well actually I think its best to go left”. Once you have done this the sat-nav will pause and then offer new direction as if say, “well in that case you need to now go straight on”. Sacks spoke of how this reminded him of the story of the Exodus and Children of Isreal’s time in the wilderness. And perhaps this is how God calls us on today with the unique circumstances of our time.

As we look around the world we see beauty but we also see nature and nations in turmoil. Earthquakes and economic collapses destroying families, cultures and individuals. We still long for a better future, the future God beckons creation into. For like us he sees the goodness of creation but also its pain. Perhaps the universe was created good, but not complete. Perhaps it was meant to change and evolve until it reaches its fullness in God. Lead us on into your future, may your kingdom become our present.