Paradigm Shifts
God defies expectations in a way that can be hard for us to accept. In today’s first reading, Naaman needs several people to nudge him along the path of healing that Yahweh has in mind for him. God, the method, the place of healing - we see him struggling to accept all of these. Namaan’s healing is the obvious miracle, but the fact that he keeps trusting the marginal characters that nudge him along, despite his clear doubts, is perhaps the bigger miracle. The people of Nazareth struggle to shift their paradigms about God in the Gospel today, too. So much so, they try to hurl Jesus from a cliff!
Jesus tells them, “No prophet is accepted in his native place.” This verse was one I always read literally and personally, vindicating the choice I made in my 20s to leave home and follow God’s call. After several years of being formed in theology and ministry in California, I took a teaching job in the town where I grew up in Washington. The transition was not easy and I doubted the choice. I felt the way I imagine Jesus did - I had changed and grown on an adventure with God, and I didn’t feel recognized as the person I’d become. I didn’t even feel that I could be the person I’d become. I felt uninspired and disconnected.
A year and a half later, I’m shifting my paradigm. As it turns out, I’m not Jesus. Through prayer and grace, I’ve been able to see more clearly how the Holy Spirit is still working around me and through me. I’ve accompanied family and old friends as they’ve grown in faith in surprising ways. I’ve continued to learn and mature as a teacher. I’ve become “best friends” with my three year old nephew (he’s got many, but I think I’m up there). For a reason unbeknownst to all of us, he’s named me “Cal,” a nice reminder of the state where I found freedom in Christ. I try to carry its sunshine and the boldness I learned there with me on gloomy days here, and I’ve grown into a deeper trust that God can make use of me no matter where I go.
Lord, God, help us to see how you are working in and around us, especially if it's been hard for us to see you. Grant us the courage to prophesy in all places, by listening to the Holy Spirit and responding with courage and integrity. May your light and strength in us be stronger than any sort of rejection we perceive or experience so that we can walk with confidence through any hardship just as Jesus did.
Catherine Holcombe