Three Hebrew words describe my experience of the weekend. I invite you scholars and counselors to respond with your “two cents” worth on my Hebrew, my actions, and my guilt feelings. You get a free shot at me. Don’t pass it up. A caveat, however, remember Our Lord’s challenge about “casting the first stone.”
“Chen” captures the Ancient Hebrew concept of “grace,” God’s unmerited favor usually expressed, I believe, in an action. “Chesed” is God’s “loving-kindness.” I would have thought that “Chesed” is not necessarily expressed in action; however, some scholars disagree.
If the scholars be correct and it is I who am wrong (a genuine possibility given my surface – only knowledge of Hebrew) may I suggest that “Chesed” manifests itself in “Chen.” I wonder if some combination of these two thoughts approaches the meaning of John Wesley’s concept of “loving grace.” (Wesleyan scholars, feel free to jump in here.)
If that be correct, God’s “loving – grace” is always freely flowing to us such that If the mirrors of our hearts are properly polished, we are continually reflecting this “loving-grace” back to God in a circuit. Concurrently, if our hearts are right, we are continually reflecting God’s “loving – grace” towards our fellow humans, especially to the orphan, the widow, the “stranger,” the oppressed, or to those otherwise in need.
May I suggest that our reflection towards people brings God’s blessing to us in the form of “loving – grace,” and the cycle repeats, perhaps with higher intensity. Enter “Sathám.”
“Sathám” is a Hebrew verb connoting the act of stopping – up as in clogging up a pipe or turning off a valve. In 2 Chronicles 32, King Hezekiah stopped up (a form of the word, “Sathám”) the flow of the city’s water supply to prevent invaders from entering through the tunnel.
A couple of weeks ago, I reprinted one of my poems detailing a vision God gave me in India in which He showed me His love flowing through space, into me, and on into a man for whom I was praying. In that vision, my purpose was merely that of a piece of PVC pipe, being the conduit of God’s love to the man.
Late this week, upon considering the entering of my “Mind-Palace,” as Sherlock Holmes would say, for the purpose of a time of prayer, God brought two blessings and a challenge to me.
I needed some yard work done, and a friend of mine recommended that I call a Mexican man to help. I called “Juan” the day before, and he came as I was approaching prayer. I was glad to recess and work with “Juan” to determine what work needed doing and how much it would cost. “Juan’s” English was only slightly better than my Spanish, but God had allowed me to learn and to speak Spanish in my tutoring and other work with Latinos.
We struck a deal. That, in and of itself, was a blessing in that I had been previously unsuccessful in securing a contractor for the small job. An added blessing was the fact that “Juan” brought his 6th – grade son with Him. I immediately felt an opportunity to get to know “Juan” and his son so that I might sometimes be able to present the Gospel to them. The thought of presenting the Gospel to a workman at my house was a gift from Ray Willis, a friend of mine from Montana who regularly does such things with great success for the Lord. As I think about it, Ray’s gift to me is another blessing about which I had not considered until this writing.
After “Juan” and I agreed upon the work, we discussed the young man’s school. In Montgomery, the school system is going all – online, and they are providing a laptop for every student (so they claim.) “Juan’s” problem was that he had no internet. That concerned me, so remembering how the Mixteco Church in Montgomery overcame this problem, I did a little checking around and discovered that “Juan” could add a “MIFI” or Hotspot to his existing cell account for a relatively small amount a month. I so informed “Juan” in a subsequent call. Where this leads remains to be seen, but I believe that God is in this nascent relationship, and I’m looking forward to pressing on with it.
Secondly, a man in my church called me. He, along with his wife, are among a group of senior citizens whom I call and write regularly to keep touch with the Church. He called to report an incident in his family for which I felt the immediate need to pray. I asked him if that was OK, and he agreed. God blessed me in that this man would honor me with such a call. God also blessed me with the ability to pray for him.
Oh, did I mention “Sathám?” This part of the story is not so good. I was going outside to begin this writing when I noticed my next-door neighbors moving in a large piece of furniture. My first thought was to go over and offer to help – but I didn’t.
I didn’t go over strictly because I didn’t want to. It’s not that I was concerned about the heavy lifting or about the exposure to several people from several families, all of whom could be vectors of COVID – 19, which I would then carry home to my wife, thus running the risk of killing both of us. It was not because, in sizing up the situation, it plainly appeared that they had enough healthy males to do the job without my interference.
No. I just don’t like these people. They are not of a different race or ethnicity. They are not of a different “class” than I. They seem to be of the same economic group as I. No, they are “religious.” I can tell by their hair and the women’s dress. Honestly, that puts me off, so I tucked my tail between my legs and slinked back into the house to sit on the kitchen floor.
Do I hear a “clucking” sound? If so, is it the sound the Pharisees made passing by the Cross of Christ? Maybe, it’s the sound in your “Mind – Palace” by some of you guys who are disappointed in me? Perhaps, it’s the sound of a chicken. Whatever. As Will Smith says while walking through the Bonneville Salt Flat dragging the alien in Independence Day, “It’s all good.”
Except that it isn’t all good. Now, I feel guilty, obviously guilty enough to write about it, guilty enough even to find a Hebrew word for my actions. “Sathám.”
Have I stopped up the flow of God’s “loving grace,” His “Chesed – Chen?” (A phrase I just made up to sound erudite.)
“Upon further review,” I submit that God’s Grace is bigger than my sin. His Grace is ever – flowing.” I may (or may not) have blown it this time, but here and now, I acknowledge my error in His presence and in yours.’ May God forgive me – may God forgive us all.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
johnthebaptist15 