Ezekiel

Yeah, it’s been a minute.
I have had moments of inspiration in which I felt the world was ready to hear my thoughts on weighty subjects...subjects like Romerica (©natewatson), the emergent church, John Ratzinger, etc.; however, when the time came, I couldn’t write anything. It wasn’t writers block or some tortuous path from my mind to pen—I just didn’t feel like it. Till tonight.

Tomorrow my son is going to be born. Sandra is going to be induced at 7am tomorrow morning. This vivid expectation has become less fantastic as this week has progressed, and now anticipation is killing me. I can’t wait to grasp little Ezekiel!

Today I put on a golf outing as a fundraiser for the 501c3 for which I direct. Two years ago at a previous outing the organization hosted, a young man named Todd was the guest speaker. After 18 holes Todd spoke to a horde of golf aficionados about how his life had been dramatically ameliorated as a result of the impact that our staff had on his 16 yeasr old life.

Todd died in a horrific automobile accident less than a year ago.

So, we decided to forgo the dramatic testimony this year, and use the outing to honor our beloved Todd. It was a bit somber as repeat golfers remembered his words. Todd’s father, also named Todd, spoke to this year's golfers about his son. As he spoke, he suddenly became a different person. His eyes became hazy, he stopped looking at the audience, and tears flowed down his cheeks. He left Toledo, Ohio, and entered into the land of the grieving.

I was planning on letting our participants in on the fact that my bride was giving birth tomorrow to our son…but I just couldn’t do it. Not in that atmosphere, not with a broken father in the room.

Man! How cyclical life is! I stood in grievance, knowing that in less than 24 hours I would be holding my beautiful son, who has been growing in my wife’s belly for 9 months.

The Hebrews knew better than anyone of the cyclical qualities of the universe. Thus, any synoptic comparison of coordinating scriptural texts will only end in confusion for the theologian with a western presupposition. It wasn't until the development of the apocalyptic that there was the idea that history flowed toward a scripted teleological outcome--this idea which would influence the western notion of linear time. This apocalytpic, first seen best in the writings of I Enoch (3rd century bce), was only developing in and around the time of Christ.

I can’t wait to see Ezekiel tomorrow! Thanks for Ezekiel, God!