Imago Scriptura 27 - Promises

So I know this is a bit of a strange picture especially for what I'll be writing about below. The other morning we were cutting up some strawberries for breakfast when we pulled this monster berry out of the container and there was a bit of a battle between the kids over who would get to eat the monster berry. There was a call to take a picture of it to capture how big this thing was (and I added in the dime to have a bit of comparison).

This morning, I read the song of Zechariah in Luke 1:68-79:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace

I read this as I was doing part of my workout on the elliptical machine while CNN was showing coverage of the double bombings in Brussels this morning. There was a lot of cognitive dissonance going on in me as I was reading these words of great promise, hope, protection, mercy, rescue, and so forth while we were seeing another example of the sinfulness and brokenness of humanity in what we do to one another. It felt like this picture - a BIG promise, but a feeling that the results or actuals of the promise isn't measuring up yet.

That's where I come to I think each Holy Week especially in the "in-between" time of Holy Week - we have had the celebration of Palm Sunday but I know the next two "events" of Holy Week are dark times - a meal where Jesus tells of betrayals and denials followed by his arrest, trial, and death. Its not until we move though those times that we can even come close to the hope that is there and the truth of promise that is there with Easter.

This week is truly the greatest week in human history because it is what happens in this week that allows us to live in this in-between time. I recognize my own brokenness and the brokenness of the world. I recognize that there are areas of life that are going to not measure up to what the fullness of what is promised such as here in Luke 1. But I also recognize that there is a miracle beyond miracles in the resurrection that promises that even through times such as this, we can trust in a promise that is SO BIG.