November 10, 2013
Yes and ANo@.
Each word can be an appropriate,
fitting response.
But AYes@ and ANo@ are more than just single-word
responses.
Yes and ANo@ are attitudes.
For some people, ANo@ is a deeply-held philosophy, the
overall guiding principle of life.
No, don't bother me.
No, we can't do that.
No, it will never work.
A position that begins with ANo@ doesn't have to be explained. ANo@ ends the conversation.
No doesn=t require change,
No doesn't threaten what already
is,
No doesn't demand the
inconvenience of an open mind or a generous heart.
No protects the safety of
expediency and preserves the comfort of our fears.
And ANo@ fits nicely on a bumper sticker.
Yes, on the other hand, is not so
easy.
The difficulty about AYes@ is that, when you say AYes@, you have to explain the what,
the when, the why, the how.
AYes@ flies in the face of what is
easy and convenient.
Yes dares to face our fears
head-on.
Yes dares to dream what is not
but could be.
Yes is about commitment and
acceptance of responsibility:
Yes, I love you.
Yes, I'll marry you.
Yes, we will have children.
Yes, I'll take on that job.
Yes, we can make things better.
The attitude of AYes@ is nothing less than a gift of
faith, a gift of the spirit of our generous God.[i]
Our God is a God of '@Yes@, a God of life, hope, joy,
resurrection
not a God of “no,” a God of death, vengeance, destruction.
The hypothetical situation that
the Sadducees pose to Jesus reflects a very limited and negative understanding
of God and God's love for humanity.
Such a narrow perspective attests
to our tendency to see God as the end rather than the beginning of life,
as the vengeful Judge of cowering
humanity rather than the beginning of life,
as the vengeful Judge of cowering
humanity rather than the loving Reconciler who constantly calls us back to him.
To be Asons and daughters of the
resurrection@ is to approach God and the
things of God not out of fear and dread,
but as the source of hope in the
promise of eternal life.
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