17Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. 18I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved. (Matthew 5, NLT)
Here, Jesus shows the process of emergent development of a living faith. That is, faith remains vital and applicable in the present, only through a process of transformation, whereby the previous experiences, statements, symbols, … of the faith are translated into the present. This is the over-all process of Spirit, or how Spirit operates in agreement with a dynamic, Trinitarian modality. Spirit is always the same, always manifesting, always in union with Unmanifest and Manifest by Love. Spirit, at the back and before us, in time, is unfolding Its own Living Presence and enfolding in that Revelation all that has gone before, in the Now. Indeed, faith only remains living through a process of this Trinitarian transformation, otherwise, inertia sets in and the faith becomes a dead faith, long before the burial. Therefore, Jesus was clear, “I am here to bring to fulfillment the meanings within your own Teaching.”
Another passage points to this emergent process, Matthew 13.52:
And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (ESV)
What is old and new are part of a single truth. However, the new is a fuller revelation, in the present, of the old. This makes our ongoing theological task a dynamic process, rather than a mere repetition of the past, the “old.” Yet, to disregard the past, which is fashionable today, is to deny the defining contours in place in the temporal template of Truth.
Therefore, you cannot get the full meaning of OneLife by reading each writing in isolation from the context of the Journey, that of OneLife, that of Brian, and your own Journey, as well as All Our Journey, Together, as one human species, eternally. We are contextual and contextualizing beings. This is a Journey, and I invite the few who will take it with me to take it, “in Christ,” “in Love,” and as best you understand and know “God,” Now.
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So, let us proceed, again…! And, let us continue to seek, like “scribes of the kingdom of heaven,” to explore together means of compassionate dialogue between varied mediums of Truth, seeking to see the contemplative depths that can help us in healing the divisions that keep dividing us, when faith, rather, can unite us in enlightened Compassion.
Indiana Jones and the Motive For Stepping into the Unknown, Together,In Each Moment
In “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), Indiana, played by Harrison Ford, and his father, Professor Henry Jones, played by Sean Connery, are captured by the Nazis inside the cave leading to the Holy Grail. Their lead investigator points a gun at Indiana to force him to take on the three challenges necessary to make it to the Grail. When Indiana refuses, he shoots Henry. Now, only the Grail can save Henry. Indiana passes the first two tests, and is about to embark on the final, most difficult challenge.
Indiana emerges from a cleft in the rock. He finds himself standing on a ledge, at the edge of an enormous chasm. He looks to his notes: "Only in a leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth." Indiana looks at the distance between the ledge and the one he needs to reach. He speaks, "Impossible. Nobody can jump this."
His friend tells him that he has to hurry, for Henry cannot make it much longer. Indiana looks out over the chasm, saying, "It's a leap of faith." His dad, lying on the ground, says, "You must believe, boy. You must ... believe." Indiana steels himself, closes his eyes, and steps straight out.
Amazingly, his foot lands on something solid. There has been a bridge there all the time, obscured by the surrounding rock. With footing unsure at first, but Indiana gaining confidence with each step, he crosses the bridge.
Proverbs 3.5-6, reflecting Wisdom writers concern with the way Reality works for us all, speaks of trust being an essential and workable principle:
5With all your heart and mind
you must trust the Living One
and not your own judgment.
6Always let the Wonderful Presence lead you,
and the One will clear the road
for you to follow.(CEV)
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