What comes to mind when you think of “God’s will” for your life, or the world? If I am honest, the term has felt fraught for me for a long time. In my up-bringing, obedience to God’s will was impossible to parse from obedience to a strict patriarchal church, something I recognized and rebelled against as I grew older. More recently, “God’s will” is hard to differentiate from the “God’s plan” that so many Christians uphold as the reason for anything from a cancer diagnosis to a finding a parking spot. This feels like a strange way of making sense of suffering or luck. Surely God’s will is a force for good, and more powerful than a role of the dice.
Recently someone in a brief turn of phrase opened up this question for me in a new way. “If the phrase ‘God’s will’ trips you up,” he said, “think of it as ‘God’s invitation.’” And just like that, with a new understanding came a deep breath of fresh air into my faith. Of course God’s will is an invitation— for we can choose to follow it, or not. An invitation is not a threat, nor a predetermined outcome. An invitation might start with one action or event, but can lead to a way of being in relationship.
This week we hear of Jesus’ baptism: his answer to God’s invitation to be a beloved Son, to heal and love and give his life for others. The road we begin with Jesus today will end at the cross, and lead to the empty tomb. What does God’s invitation look like in your life, today?
Three Holy Days
In our tradition, we make space on Maundy Thursday to remember central parts of our faith story. We hear about the...
