The God-Way

 

Emergent phrases:

Haggai 1:1 - 2:9

⁴ “So is now the time for you to be living in your own paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? ⁵ Therefore here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says:

⁶‘Think about your life!
You sow much but bring in little;
you eat but aren’t satisfied;
you drink but never have enough;
you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
and (the one who) works for a living earns wages
that are put in a bag full of holes.’”

 

Acts 18:24-19:7

^26b Ho hodos ho theos — “The way of God” (lit. “The way the God” or “the way the one God”)

Luke 10:25-37

²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Yeshua, “And who is my ‘neighbor’?”

 

How shall I put all these excerpts together, today?

 

“Think about your life!” reminds me of the verse on the ‘han,’ a wooden board which is struck to call Zen monks to meditation practice:

 

“Attention! Attention!

Let me respectfully remind you—

life and death are of supreme importance.

Time passes swiftly by

and opportunity is lost.

Each of us must strive to awaken.

Awaken!

Do not squander your life!”

 

“The Way-The God” reminds me of the verse in John that says, “I am the Way.” It isn’t that it’s ‘the way of God’ as much as it’s that the Way is God. It’s not a road, or a track, or a trail or a journey. No, it’s more of a manner; a method; a practice.

It’s a direction that can’t be shown on a map, but it can still be pointed to.

I thought of the verse that opens the Tao te Ching:

(“Tao te Ching” could be translated “Way-of- Integrity Canon”)

 

“The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao

The name that can be named is not the eternal name

The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth

The named is the mother of myriad things

Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence

Constantly with desire, one observes its manifestations

These two emerge together but differ in name

The unity is said to be the mystery

Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders”

 

 

“But he, wanting to justify himself….”

—Hoo, boy, that hits home! Always looking for approval, we humans are. We want to be seen as good and honorable, and our own sense of integrity isn’t enough to satisfy us.

 

And there it is!—

 

 

The God-Way never needs to be justified.

 

The Way that’s shown on a map can never be followed—

Without a map, the Way is revealed.

 

Think about your life!

Constantly without desire,

we never need to ask, “Who is our neighbor?”

Constantly with desire,

we are never satisfied— we put all we earn in a bag full of holes.

 

These two come as a pair, even though we call them opposites.

 

This wholeness of opposites is an enigma—

Mystery of mysteries, the gate to all wonders.